Russia detains crypto mining firm BitRiver founder on fraud charges: report

A Russian court has moved the founder of Russia's largest cryptocurrency mining company from house arrest to a pre-trial detention center, according to the local news outlet Bits Media.

On Wednesday, the Zamoskvoretsky District Court of Moscow granted the transfer of BitRiver's Igor Runets as a stricter preventive measure. Runets is required to stay in custody for at least two months as the investigation continues, according to the report.

The founder is facing charges under Part 4 of Article 159 of the Russian Criminal Code — fraud on an especially large scale committed by an organized group. Investigators said that Runets and his company were involved in a crypto-mining equipment deal with the local energy conglomerate En+ that resulted in 1 billion rubles ($12.5 million) in damages.

This development builds on earlier legal and financial troubles. In late January 2026, a Russian court placed BitRiver's parent company, Fox Group, under bankruptcy monitoring over an unresolved $9.2 million debt stemming from an unfulfilled equipment supply contract with an En+ subsidiary. At the same time, Runets was charged with tax evasion and placed under house arrest.

Further progress in the case will depend on the results of the investigation, equipment examinations, and witness testimony from En+, Bits Media reported.