Police in Kosovo seized another batch of over 200 mining devices as part of raids that started on Thursday. The offensive against underground crypto farms was launched after authorities in Pristina banned the power-hungry minting of digital currencies amid an energy crisis in the country.
Kosovo authorities confiscate mining equipment in predominantly Serb north
Law enforcement officials in Kosovo have confiscated hundreds of mining machines as part of efforts to curb cryptocurrency mining activities in the face of power shortages. One person was arrested during the last police operation in the predominantly Serbian northern part of the country.
A statement issued by the Kosovo police revealed that the authorities have seized 272 devices used for the production of cryptocurrency in the municipality of Leposavic, AFP reported. “The whole action took place and ended without incidents,” Interior Minister Xhelal Svecla noted in a post on Facebook.
Finance Minister Hekuran Murati also took to the social media platform to point out that the estimated monthly consumption of mining equipment is as much as the power used by 500 households, valued between 60,000 and 120,000 euros. Murati also said:
We cannot allow the illegal enrichment of some, at the expense of taxpayers.
The new seizure brought to 342 the total number of mining rigs confiscated since raids on miners began earlier this week, according to Interior Ministry data. The crackdown began after the government in Pristina halted all mining operations on Tuesday, citing the growing electricity deficit during the cold winter months.
Mining Crackdown Threatens to Increase Ethnic Tensions
Amid the government offensive on mining facilities, tensions have been running high between the central government of Kosovo, dominated by ethnic Albanians, and the ethnic Serbs who form a majority in four municipalities in the north of the partially recognized republic in South East Europe. Serbs do not accept the authority of Pristina and have not paid for electricity in over two decades, since the 1998 – 1999 Kosovo war.
The country’s public service still covers its bills from its own income and, according to estimates cited by local media, the total stands at 12 million euros per year. The current energy crisis, exacerbated by insufficient local production and rising import prices, has brought the issue to the fore. Police also carried out two raids in predominantly Albanian areas, seizing 70 mining devices.
The crypto mining ban was presented by Economy Minister Artane Rizvanolli as an emergency step, along with other measures proposed by a special parliamentary committee. However, critics have raised doubts about its legality as the minting of digital currencies is not prohibited by the current legislation. A draft law on cryptocurrency regulation submitted to the parliament in October is yet to be adopted.
