According to Cryptonews, Russia's largest bitcoin mining hotspot, the Irkutsk region, may ban all cryptocurrency mining activities for the whole year from April 1. The ban will only apply to the southern part of the Siberian Irkutsk region, but may last until mid-2031. Kommersant, a Kremlin-friendly newspaper, said its sources said the Russian government "could impose a total ban on mining activities in southern Irkutsk as early as April 1".