BitRiver founder Igor Runets has been charged with large-scale fraud. According to RBC, citing sources, the businessman's pre-trial detention measure has also been tightened: instead of house arrest, he was sent to a pre-trial detention center.
The case is related to the supply of cryptocurrency mining equipment to a structure of En+ Group. In 2023, the Fox group of companies, controlled by Runets, was supposed to transfer a batch of Antminers worth over eight million dollars to OOO "Infrastruktura Sibiri". The customer prepaid 7.9 million dollars, and the delivery period was 32 days.
However, the miners did not arrive within the stipulated time. According to the investigation, the equipment was never handed over to the buyer, and the received prepayment was not returned. The damage from this episode is estimated at approximately one billion rubles.
The dispute over the contract first went to arbitration, and then bankruptcy proceedings began against the Fox group of companies. At the same time, Runets himself had been under house arrest since January 2026 in another case – concerning the concealment of funds that were supposed to be used to pay taxes. Later, the investigation was expanded to include claims related to the failed delivery.
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