The State Duma adopted in the first reading a criminal article for illegal mining.

      The State Duma adopted in the first reading draft law No. 1193493-8, which adds a new article 171.6 to the Criminal Code. The document has been published on the parliament's website. Responsibility arises if illegal mining or the activities of a mining infrastructure operator cause significant damage or bring in substantial income. The threshold for significant amounts is 3.5 million rubles, and for especially large amounts, it is 13 million rubles.

      For the first part (significant damage or income), the following penalties are provided:

      a fine of up to 1.5 million rubles,

      mandatory work for up to 480 hours,

      forced labor for up to two years.

      For the second part (organized group or especially large damage or income):

      a fine from 500,000 to 2.5 million rubles,

      forced labor for up to five years,

      imprisonment for up to five years with a possible additional fine of up to 400,000 rubles.

      The draft law also extends the confiscation of property (Article 104.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) to illegal mining. At the same time, Article 76.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation is supplemented with a provision for exemption from liability in the case of full compensation for damage.

      According to the Federal Tax Service, about 50,000 entities may be engaged in mining in Russia, but at the time of the document's submission, there were less than 1,500 participants in the official register.

      Investigations for the first part of the new article will be conducted by investigators, while the second part will be handled by investigators from the internal affairs agencies.

      The Supreme Court of the Russian Federation stated in its review that the draft law "does not raise any fundamental objections." Amendments can be made until June 10, 2026.