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Around the world: SF proposed criminal punishment for unauthorized connection to the power grid
In Russia, they plan to introduce criminal penalties for unauthorized connection to the power grid, which is often found in illegal mining. This initiative was made by Senator Andrey Kutepov. Experts believe that stricter responsibility for these offenses will help curb the growth of their number and avoid recidivism. In their opinion, the new norm is important for ensuring the country's energy security. What kind of punishment is proposed to be established in the Federation Council is in the Izvestia article.
An important innovation
Criminal liability for unauthorized connection to the electric grid may appear in Russia. The relevant bill was developed by the head of the Committee on Economic Policy of the Federation Council, Andrei Kutepov. The senator sent the document to the Supreme Court of Russia for consideration. The appeal to the Chairman of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation is available to TASS.
The explanatory materials to the bill note that unauthorized connection to the power grid is often found in the mining industry.
"The absence of criminal liability creates situations in which, if such a connection is detected, violators can repeatedly connect to the power grid an unlimited number of times," the document emphasizes.
Kutepov proposes to supplement the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation with Article 215.5 ("Unauthorized connection to electrical networks or rendering them unusable"). According to it, liability will be provided for the destruction, damage or otherwise rendering unusable of power grids and related facilities that caused or could have caused disruption of their operation if they were committed for selfish and hooligan motives. The penalty for this will be a fine of 400,000 to 500,000 rubles, forced labor or imprisonment for up to five years.
For similar acts committed by a group of persons by prior agreement, liability is assumed in the form of forced labor for up to five years or imprisonment for up to six years. If such offenses have resulted in the death of a person and other grave consequences, the term of imprisonment will increase to eight years.
Liability for unauthorized connection to the electric grid is also provided for those who have already been subjected to administrative punishment for such acts. We are talking about fines of up to 80 thousand rubles or compulsory work for up to 360 hours. The list of types of punishment also includes correctional labor for up to one year, restriction of liberty for up to two years, forced labor and imprisonment for the same period.
The editorial board of Izvestia sent a request to the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation. No response has been received at the time of publication.
Huge workload
Mining is usually associated with cryptocurrencies, recalls Dmitry Bondar, a public figure and housing and communal services expert. The essence of the process is that special computers perform calculations, confirming operations in a digital accounting system. For this, the owners of the equipment receive a reward in the form of cryptomonets.
Mining supports the operation of the blockchain (distribution registry), explains Oleg Golov, a member of the Federation Council Committee on Federal Structure, Regional Policy, Local government and Northern Affairs.
In fact, mining is the round—the-clock operation of specialized equipment that solves complex mathematical problems, says Olga Orlova, head of the Industry department at the Institute of Oil and Gas Technologies. Computing requires huge amounts of electricity — a modern mining farm is comparable in consumption to an industrial facility.
— Such energy consumption inevitably creates a huge load on the power grid, increases the deterioration of infrastructure and comes into direct conflict with environmental goals, since in most regions energy is generated from non—renewable sources, - adds the interlocutor of Izvestia.
The cost of light for large miners turns out to be significant, Bondar points out.
— Against the background of high costs, there are periodic cases when equipment owners do not sign contracts properly and connect to the network on their own. Sometimes they pull cables past the meter, crash into power supply lines in the private sector, garages, dachas or in non-residential buildings. As a result, the resource is consumed without payment, the load on the network is growing, and there are risks of overheating, accidents, and fires," the expert points out.
A security issue
The problem of illegal connection to the power grid for mining is extremely acute today and tends to worsen, Oleg Golov emphasizes. This is especially true in regions with low electricity tariffs. In particular, unauthorized connections are common in the North Caucasus, says Vitaly Rogozhkin, an expert in the field of housing and communal services and fuel and energy complex, a representative of the Saratov branch of the All-Russian Electrical Union.
Energy companies in different regions regularly report on identified mining farms connected illegally, agrees Sean Betrozov, a lawyer at the Moscow Chamber of Lawyers and a member of the Russian Bar Association. The damages in individual cases amount to millions.
— According to official data from PJSC ROSSETI, 130 cases with damage of more than 1.3 billion rubles were recorded in 2024 alone. And in 2025, for eight months in the republics of the North Caucasus alone, the damage to local network companies amounted to more than 1 billion rubles," Rogozhkin cites statistics.
All this causes economic damage to the subjects of the Russian Federation, Golov believes. We are talking about the theft of electricity worth hundreds of millions and even billions of rubles.
"These losses put a burden on network companies and, ultimately, on the regional economy," the senator notes.
In addition, connecting mining installations bypassing metering devices or directly to transformer substations leads to short-term load surges, overheating of network equipment, local accidents and fires, Olga Orlova lists.
— Power engineers point out that illegal mining is especially dangerous precisely because it does not take into account the real technical capabilities of power transmission lines and substations. Such farms disguise themselves as ordinary household connections, but in fact consume dozens of kilowatts continuously, which destroys infrastructure and poses a threat to neighboring homes, the expert explains.
Eliminating the legal gap
The absence of tougher penalties for unauthorized connection to the power grid creates a legal gap, Oleg Golov points out. Now, violators, even when caught, get off with administrative fines, which are disproportionately small compared to the profits from mining cryptocurrencies. This allows them to pay the penalty and reconnect to the networks, continuing their illegal activities.
Currently, energy consumption without a contract can be attributed to administrative offenses, Dmitry Bondar reminds. For such actions, a fine of 10 thousand to 15 thousand rubles is provided. For legal entities in the same situation, a fine of 100,000 to 200,000 rubles is set, and for officials — from 30,000 to 80,000 rubles.
— Now the maximum that threatens the direct composition is an administrative fine and a civil lawsuit, and the criminal qualification of such actions as theft (art. 158 of the Criminal Code) or damage (art. 165 of the Criminal Code), often rests on the complexity of proof, — says Sean Betrozov.
The proposed innovation fills a gap in the law, he notes. Thanks to him, a special train appears that is tied specifically to the electric grid, and not an attempt to "stretch" the situation to general norms through theft.
Golov is confident that the measures developed in the Federation Council will help to combat such offenses. The amendments to the Criminal Code are aimed at eliminating the imbalance between the severity of the violation and punishment.
— The introduction of criminal liability will perform two key functions. The first of them is a deterrent. The prospect of getting a real term or forced labor will become a serious barrier," the senator believes.
Golov is also convinced that this will eliminate recidivism, since the bill provides for punishment for those who have already been subjected to administrative responsibility.
Harsh sanctions for destroying or disabling power grids for selfish reasons (which often occurs when artisanal connection of powerful equipment is made) are a necessary measure to ensure the country's energy security, Denis Bondar emphasizes.
However, it is impossible to expect that one article in the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation will clear the market, Betrozov draws attention. In his opinion, we need normal control of imbalances (the difference between the amount of electricity supplied to the grid and the amount used by consumers), clear procedures for legal connection and clear interaction between grid companies and businesses.
— The criminal norm in this regard is a tool of pressure on those who stubbornly do not want to enter the legal field. In this form, it can really become a working element in the fight against illegal connections," the lawyer clarifies.
Technical control will continue to play a key role when a separate article appears in the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, Bondar believes. It will require the installation of modern metering devices, visits by inspectors, as well as the active work of network companies and management organizations.
Increased responsibility alone will not solve the problem completely, Olga Orlova agrees. Systematic work is needed to increase the transparency of consumption, identify abnormal loads, modernize networks, and create a legal framework for legal, controlled mining wherever possible.
"Only a combination of technical control and tough sanctions will make it possible to really reduce the number of illegal connections that are becoming a threat to energy and the environment today," the Izvestia interlocutor summarizes.
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