Chinese Bitcoin miners received draft notices in Russia

You can outrun a country’s regulations but not its conscription order.

Source: Heart of Computing Power

February 23, 2025, the Chinese Consulate in Russia once again reminds Chinese citizens in Russia to pay attention to Presidential Decree No. 821 issued by Putin.

This decree presents Chinese miners in Russia with a very real “life-or-death” choice:

Either give up your residence status or go serve in the military first.

If you want to stay compliant and earn rubles, you might have to go through a conflict zone first.

The decree is very clear:

Foreign male nationals aged 18 to 65 who want to apply for a long-term residence permit in Russia must agree to serve at least one year in a Russian military unit.

In the past, miners went to Siberia for cheap electricity, but now, with mining machines not yet paid off, people might be considered “consumables” first.

Today, those gold rushers and their valuable hash power—worth millions—can they all walk away unscathed?

1. The Compliance Dead Loop: Want to Legally Stay, First Join the Army

Many miners who have gone to Russia believe they are just cross-border money makers, and the front lines of conflict have nothing to do with them.

But since last year, a series of targeted measures against foreign miners have quietly been set in motion.

First step, “Lure the snake out of its hole.”

In 2024, Russia officially legalized cryptocurrency mining, once seen as a paradise for miners.

But the premise is,

Individuals or companies with high electricity consumption must join the official “Miner Registry,” fully reporting wallet addresses and income.

Failing to report results in hefty fines and confiscation of equipment.

This move forces all miners seeking legal and stable income to disclose their identities and details.

Once details are disclosed, the next step is logical.

Second step, “Identity Lock.”

As a foreigner, if you want to legally register for large-scale mining,

You must hold a Russian long-term residence permit or a registered address within Russia.

And this is precisely the most dangerous trap in the entire setup.

Third step, “Hit the snake’s vital point.”

In 2025, Russia’s Presidential Decree No. 821 came into effect, changing the rules for applying for long-term residence permits.

You must submit either a military service contract with the Russian armed forces or a certificate proving you are unfit for service.

This move directly targets many foreign male miners in Russia—

They originally planned to register as sole proprietors or companies to obtain long-term residence, but now that route is blocked.

The closed loop is thus sealed.

If you want to mine legally, you must register with your real name;

To register, you need to get a residence permit;

To get a residence permit, you must be ready to go to the front lines at any time.

Using legalization as bait to make you appear, then applying harsh penalties to force compliance, and finally, using a residence permit to precisely turn you into potential conscripts.

You think you’re just bringing machines to mine Bitcoin, but in wartime, machines are just “mines.”

2. The Countdown of Nominee Holding and “Run Signatures”

Since obtaining long-term residence has risks, can relying on business visas to operate in the gray area “guerrilla” style work?

The answer is no; this route is being completely shut down.

In the past, many miners exploited the loophole of “exiting the country every 90 days,” or had locals hold mining operations on their behalf.

But starting in 2025, Russia has taken several tough measures, cracking down on individuals, behaviors, and assets one by one.

First, immigration controls tightened significantly.

The “Controlled Persons Registry” effective February 2025 is very precise,

Once a visa issue arises, bank accounts are immediately controlled, with daily spending limits imposed.

More critically, police can detain and initiate deportation within 48 hours without court approval.

Mining with a business visa essentially amounts to illegal work, and you could be the next to be expelled.

Second, the legal classification of actions has changed.

According to the criminal law amendment draft in December 2025, illegal mining faces up to 5 years in prison and hefty fines.

Previously, it was just a violation; now, it’s a criminal offense.

The survival space in the gray area is being squeezed inch by inch.

Next, assets are targeted.

In February 2026, Putin further signed new laws allowing courts to directly confiscate mining equipment and Bitcoin involved in illegal activities.

Nasdaq-listed company The9 once said Russia might “nationalize and confiscate assets of foreign companies under certain circumstances.”

In Russia, it doesn’t matter whose name the machines are under; if suspected of illegality, they are confiscated.

And you can’t hide it either.

Since late 2024, Russia’s power grid has built an integrated inspection network.

From the air, heat-seeking drones precisely locate; on the ground, AI-powered smart meters monitor in real-time; at the terminals, intelligent algorithms identify mining activity.

In Dagestan alone, from January to November 2025, 73 cases of electricity theft for mining were uncovered, causing losses of 85.7 million rubles.

All four avenues—people, behavior, assets, hiding places—are blocked.

The window for low-profile mining via visa loopholes is closing.

3. The State Only Wants Energy, Not Hash Power

To put it simply, even if you manage to get your identity sorted out and survive the nominee holding risks, there’s not enough electricity to mine in Russia.

After the domestic crackdown in 2021, Siberia became a refuge for global miners, thanks to its natural low temperatures and cheap electricity.

Russia’s largest mining company, BitRiver, started here, managing up to 175,000 machines at its peak.

Back then, as long as you had electricity and courage, money flowed.

But the power grid couldn’t handle it anymore.

By the end of 2024, miners consumed about 1.5% of Russia’s total electricity, with many regions nearing overload.

Aging infrastructure needs maintenance, and residents’ heating cannot be interrupted. In areas not yet natural gasified, electric heating is the most affordable winter solution, making these “electricity-consuming giants” the first targets.

Starting in 2025, bans were implemented intensively.

Several regions in North Caucasus and Siberia were completely cut off from power or subjected to seasonal power restrictions, even affecting BitRiver.

But what toppled them wasn’t Bitcoin prices but a combination of judicial debt collection, account freezes, and regional power cuts.

For foreign miners without local background,

under the triple squeeze of “identity requirements (military contract + controlled persons registry) + energy restrictions + asset confiscation,”

they are the first to be sacrificed.

The window for wild growth relying on cheap electricity and boldness has closed.

In the face of strict policies, hash power is just code that can be cut off at any moment.

When pulling out of China in 2021, everyone bet on one thing:

As long as the emperor is far away and there’s electricity, survival is possible.

Four years later, the facts tell a different story.

You can outrun a country’s regulation but not its conscription order.

In the story of global miner migration, Russia’s chapter is coming to an end.

For those who haven’t withdrawn yet, and their machines, the time window is running out.