Russia Requires Crypto Miners to Report ASIC Machine IP Addresses

Russia has required cryptocurrency miners and mining infrastructure operators to submit the IP addresses of their ASIC mining machines, a move aimed at improving digital-asset transaction tracking, curbing illegal mining and strengthening power-grid management.

Bits.media reported on May 24 that the Russian government introduced new rules expanding the information miners and mining infrastructure operators must file with the Federal Tax Service, or FNS. Under the rules, miners must disclose the network addresses, or IP addresses, of ASIC equipment used in mining.

Russia's Finance Ministry said the measure would simplify the tracking and investigation of digital-asset-related transactions. It added that power-grid operators would be able to manage electricity loads more accurately in regions with a high concentration of mining facilities, including Irkutsk and Krasnoyarsk.

Under current law, miners and mining infrastructure operators must regularly submit information including equipment manufacturers, model names, serial numbers, mining algorithms, hash rate, power consumption and operating modes. They also must report the type and amount of cryptocurrency mined, the mining pools they use and links to real-time statistics.