Igor Runets, head of BitRiver, has been taken into custody in Russia on suspicion of tax violations.
Native information retailers, together with Kommersant and RBK, said that Runets was arrested on January 30 and now faces three expenses associated to hiding firm property to keep away from paying taxes.
Court docket papers cited by the Zamoskvoretsky Court docket of Moscow present that the formal expenses have been filed on January 31, adopted by an order inserting him below home arrest the identical day.
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Runets’ authorized group has a quick interval to contest this order earlier than it turns into remaining on February 4. If the enchantment fails or will not be submitted, he’ll stay confined to his dwelling at some stage in the investigation.
BitRiver, based in 2017, runs a number of giant knowledge facilities in Siberia devoted to cryptocurrency mining. Along with working its personal services, the corporate offers mining providers to exterior purchasers.
Reviews from late 2024 recommended that Runets’ private fortune had reached round $230 million by means of his involvement within the crypto-mining enterprise, in line with Bloomberg. Across the similar interval, BitRiver started chopping prices and scaling again operations, which led to delayed wage funds for workers.
In 2025, BitRiver turned the goal of two lawsuits from Infrastructure of Siberia, a regional electrical energy provider. The corporate alleged that it had paid BitRiver for mining gear that was by no means delivered.
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