Russian Nuclear Scientist Sentenced to Prison For Mining Bitcoin

A scientist who was earlier employed at Russia’s major nuclear research facility was jailed for illegally using supercomputers owned by the centre to mine Bitcoin.

The employee, identified as Andrey Rybkin, was jailed for 3 years and three months for the “unauthorized use of computer capabilities.”

Notably, two of his co-workers were earlier charged for their contributions in the illegal program, with one of them getting a suspended prison sentence.

The imprisoned scientist was fined 200,000 roubles ($3,130), after deploying a latest supercomputer at the research centre to mine Bitcoin.

One of Rybkin’s colleagues was slapped with a fine of 450,000 roubles (US$7000), but escaped prison sentence. The other employee was sentenced to four year suspended prison sentence, in addition to a fine.

The Russian city of Sarov, located 370km from Moscow, hosts the research centre. Sarov is a “closed city”, implying that there is prohibition on tourists and foreigners visit. Even non-resident Russians need to apply for a special permit to visit the location.