The head of BitRiver Igor Runets is under house arrest

He is accused of concealing funds

The Zamoskvoretsky District Court of Moscow placed Igor Runts, the founder of the mining company BitRiver, under house arrest for two months. The businessman is accused of concealing funds from which taxes should be collected (Part 1 of Article 199.2 of the Criminal Code). The maximum punishment under Part 2 of Article 199.2 of the Criminal Code provides for imprisonment for a term of up to five years.

The court made the decision on January 31, it will come into force on February 4. Publication of the court ruling is prohibited.

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Three episodes and possible accomplices

A TASS interlocutor in law enforcement confirmed that Runts is accused of concealing funds or property of the organization, at the expense of which taxes, fees and insurance premiums should be collected.

The Baza Telegram channel writes that Runts was detained on January 30 and charged with three counts. Investigators point out that Runets runs several organizations, whose employees are witnesses in the case, and possible accomplices have not yet been identified.

Sanctions and problems in the company

BitRiver was founded in 2017 and calls itself the largest operator of mining data centers and importer of mining equipment in Russia. In April 2022, the US Treasury included the company and a number of its subsidiaries on the sanctions list.

As Kommersant reported, at the end of 2024, staff cuts and salary delays began at BitRiver; by the end of 2025, about 80% of top managers left the company, many offices were closed, and equipment and documentation were removed.

Earlier, “Verstka” reported that the Russian authorities banned cryptocurrency mining in the Caucasus and the occupied territories, as there is a lack of electricity there. Cryptocurrency mining consumes almost 1.5% of total electricity consumption.

Photo: Igor Runets, founder and CEO of BitRiver, takes part in a session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg, Russia, June 16, 2022. REUTERS/Anton Vaganov

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