The fine amount was set at 5% of the investments that never materialized. Considering the restrictions stipulated in the agreement, the penalty sum was reduced to 5 million rubles. However, 154 million rubles were added — a debt for value-added tax (VAT) that arose from the use of customs benefits.
As the court established, "Hash Maker" obtained residency status in a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in 2021. Under an agreement with the regional government, the company was obligated to build a data processing center on the territory of the economic zone and invest 4.6 billion rubles in "software development, creation of databases and information systems." However, according to the regional Ministry of Industry, these conditions were not met. "Hash Maker" invested only 835 million rubles and did not even begin constructing the data center.
The Ministry stated that the company's activities "did not comply with the approved business plan": "Hash Maker" was engaged in mining; all equipment was used for hash rate production, not for software creation. Containers with servers intended for cryptocurrency mining stood on the site where the company was supposed to build the data center.
Moreover, as early as December 2024, the company notified local authorities about its entry into the state register of miners.
In the Lipetsk region, cryptocurrency mining is not prohibited. However, in May, it became known that the Russian government is considering the possibility of banning cryptocurrency mining in 19 regions serviced by the Moscow energy system. If the ban is enacted, mining will be prohibited across the entire territory of central Russia. The Moscow "United Energy System of the Center," besides Moscow and the Moscow region, includes the Belgorod, Vladimir, Vologda, Voronezh, Ivanovo, Kostroma, Kursk, Oryol, Lipetsk, Ryazan, Bryansk, Kaluga, Smolensk, Tambov, Tver, Tula, and Yaroslavl regions.
So far, the authorities have only banned cryptocurrency mining in Moscow, the Moscow region, and eight districts of the Kursk region. The ban will take effect from August 15 and formally last until December 31, 2032, but can later be extended without additional conditions.
