Zhytomyr police uncovered underground mining farms in two districts of the region, which caused over nine million hryvnias in damages to the electricity supply company. This was reported by the National Police of Ukraine, writes UNN.
The scheme's perpetrator, seeking to increase profits from his own crypto-enterprise, used over 1.15 million kWh of electricity "off the meter" in the Zhytomyr region. Currently, the 41-year-old Kyiv resident has been notified of suspicion under several articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
The communication department of the Zhytomyr Oblast police reported that law enforcement officers established the involvement of a 41-year-old Kyiv resident in electricity theft for creating virtual assets in Zhytomyr.
During the pre-trial investigation, it was also established that for several years, the man had been mining cryptocurrency in the Berdychiv region as well.
Investigators established that the perpetrator began his criminal activity back in 2021. At that time, he organized a crypto farm in his own house in the Ruzhyn community: he placed special equipment and connected it to the existing power grid.
For almost four years, the man created cryptocurrency, and paid for electricity as an ordinary household consumer.
Between 2021 and 2025, he illegally used about 1.15 million kWh of electricity.
Police found that in 2024, the man rented an industrial premises on the outskirts of Zhytomyr and gained access to a transformer substation with the necessary capacity.
To reduce electricity costs and increase profits, the entrepreneur arbitrarily equipped the meter with a special device that allowed remote blocking of the electricity consumption accounting process and distorted the information processing process by the service provider.
In March 2025, he equipped the meter at the crypto farm in the Ruzhyn community with a similar device.
It was established that from October 2024 to June 2025, the perpetrator stole over 400 thousand kWh of electricity.
After receiving expert conclusions and conducting necessary procedural actions, investigators of Zhytomyr District Police Department No. 1 charged the perpetrator with electricity theft, which caused damage on a large scale, etc.
He is also charged with fraud committed on an especially large scale. The man has been notified of suspicion for all these facts.
The pre-trial investigation is ongoing. According to current legislation, the suspect faces a penalty of imprisonment for a term of ten to fifteen years.