Ethereum Mining Pool Flexpool Halts All Services to Russia in Wake of Ukraine Invasion

Flexpool, the world's fifth-largest Ethereum mining pool, became possibly the first of its ilk to cut services to Russian users following the country's invasion of Ukraine.

The move was taken to show solidarity with Ukraine.

"We generally do not get involved in politics despite our personal views as a company," a Flexpool spokesperson said in a message on Thursday evening on its official Telegram channel. "However, this is greater than politics, greater than anyone. This is a war that may end the world. It certainly is ending the lives of many innocent people in Eastern Europe."

The pool doesn't want to profit off the crisis or fund it indirectly, so is canceling all services to Russian IP addresses and paying outstanding balances to affected users, the message said, with an apology to Russian miners.

Flexpool is the world's fifth-biggest ether mining pool, according to information platform miningpoolstats.com. It is probably the first to cut access for Russians amid the security crisis.

Hiveon, the second-largest pool, posted a message of solidarity with Ukraine on its Telegram channel, saying it is "impossible to stay away from the violence in Ukraine," but didn't announce any action.

Reddit users have pointed out that miners can use efficient virtual private networks (VPNs) to bypass Flexpool's restrictions.