[Russia Plans to Impose Criminal Penalties on Illegal Crypto Miners]
On December 30, the Russian Ministry of Justice released a newly revised draft of the Criminal Code, proposing fines of up to 1.5 million rubles (approximately $19,000) and up to two years of forced labor for illegal cryptocurrency mining. For illegal mining activities involving significant profits, the maximum penalty is five years of imprisonment, 480 hours of forced labor, and fines of up to 2.5 million rubles. Unregistered organized groups engaging in illegal mining to obtain significant profits may face fines of up to 2.5 million rubles or five years of forced labor or imprisonment. Russian Deputy Finance Minister Ivan Chebeskov stated that as of June 19, only about 30% of cryptocurrency miners are registered and operating legally.