BitRiver founder accused of tax evasion

Igor Runets, founder of the mining company BitRiver, has been charged with tax evasion and placed under house arrest, according to TASS on February 2.

According to the publication, citing a source in law enforcement, Runets is accused of concealing funds that should be used for tax collection.

«TASS reported from the Zamoskvoretsky Court in Moscow that the accused has been placed under house arrest. The details of the charges against Runets have not been disclosed,» the publication states.

BitRiver is considered the largest operator of mining activities in Russia. It owns 15 data centers with a total capacity of over 533 megawatts. These sites host more than 175,000 units of equipment. In the Irkutsk region, the company owns two large data centers — in Bratsk and Ust-Ilimsk.

According to public data, in 2024, BitRiver«s revenue exceeded 10 billion rubles (approximately $110 million at current rates). As Bloomberg wrote, Igor Runets» personal fortune, as of September 2024, was $230 million. Meanwhile, the Fox group of companies, which is linked to BitRiver, is currently undergoing bankruptcy proceedings.

In April, the Arbitration Court granted the claim of the company Infrastructure Sibiri, which is part of En+. It sought to recover 954.4 million rubles (approximately $10.6 million at current rates) from the Fox group of companies, which owns 49% of the management company BitRiver. As part of the case, the court seized the defendant«s money and equipment pledged in favor of the plaintiff. The court also prohibited the Fox group from using the pledged equipment, citing risks of damage.

Later, in the same 2025, another firm linked to En+, Bit+, sued BitRiver. It managed to recover 250 million rubles (approximately $2.8 million at current rates) from Igor Runets« structures. The details of the lawsuit were not reported at the time.

Billionaire Oleg Deripaska is associated with the En+ holding. He is among the top ten richest businessmen according to Forbes« spring ranking. In the Irkutsk region, En+ structures include the Bratsk, Irkutsk, and Taishet aluminum plants, the Taishet anode factory, and the Irkutsk, Bratsk, and Ust-Ilimsk hydroelectric power stations. Additionally, Oleg Deripaska is linked to the company Siberian Airports, which owns Bratsk Airport.