The authorities of Abkhazia have not been able to defeat illegal mining

The authorities of Abkhazia have reported twice since the beginning of November about the seizure of devices for cryptocurrency mining in the republic. Thousands of farms continue to operate in Abkhazia despite the complete ban, claims "Chernomorenergo."

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", until the end of 2026, the import of equipment for cryptocurrency mining and its use in the republic is prohibited. In March, law enforcement reported the seizure of 49 units of cryptocurrency mining equipment in the Ochamchira district, where a mining farm was illegally connected to the network.

The State Customs Committee of Abkhazia has reported twice since the beginning of the month about the seizure of cryptocurrency mining devices. One of the farms was discovered in Pitsunda, the other in Sukhum.

In Pitsunda, the mining farm operated on the territory of a citrus state farm: according to law enforcement, the cryptocurrency mining equipment belonged to a local resident, Sergey Potemkin.

The devices were installed in a non-residential premises. In total, customs officers and police seized nine devices there, "four of which were operational at the time of seizure," the agency's message states.

Two days later, Abkhaz law enforcement visited the private home of a certain citizen Smaилov in Sukhum, where they also discovered a cryptocurrency mining device. The farm operated in a non-residential premises on the property.

"11 cryptocurrency mining devices were seized, for which the necessary accompanying documents were absent and which were connected to the power grid," the publication on the Customs Committee's website states.

The head of the energy sales department of "Chernomorenergo," Said Blabba, stated in November that in Abkhazia, despite the ban, active cryptocurrency mining continues. According to the company's calculations, nearly 13,000 mining devices consume electricity daily, notes JAMnews on November 10.

"According to him, large farms could not be detected: the equipment has moved to private properties, where inspectors cannot enter without a court order," the publication states.

In 2024, residents of Abkhazia faced an energy crisis due to a shortage of electricity. According to analysts, the crisis was caused by mining cryptocurrency, which has become a problem in Abkhazia due to its mass scale and corruption. The management of "Chernomorenergo" stated back in 2020 that the problems in Abkhazia's energy sector are related to the mass installation of mining equipment, as noted in the "Caucasian Knot" reference "Greedy mining: who is to blame for the Abkhaz blackout?".