Russian law enforcement agencies recently took a major action—arresting 7 employees of the power grid company at once. They were exposed for providing "facilitation" to illegal cryptocurrency mining farms. The details of this case clearly illustrate the issue: those arrested ranged from low-level electricians to senior engineers, and their job was to help the mining farms do two things—alter meter readings and bypass various inspections. Such manipulations significantly reduce electricity costs.

The Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs stated that the economic loss caused by these illegal operations reached 10 million rubles. This case actually reflects a common phenomenon: in the high-profit cryptocurrency mining industry, electricity costs are an unavoidable pain point, and some mining farms take risks to cut costs. Globally, countries are increasing regulatory oversight on mining, making it harder to reduce costs through gray-area methods.