So it's two Russian companies, helping each other out due to sanctions and other restrictions, huh. If Bitriver is registered in Switzerland, though, why won't Switzerland deal with it? It's an allegedly neutral state, but it's been implementing sanctions against Russia following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. I wonder why they didn't follow US regarding Bitriver and didn't sanction it.
If it weren't a state-owned company and thus something that would help finance a terrible war, it makes sense to partner up like that, and it's potentially a positive thing if it truly helps utilize the methane that would otherwise just be waste, though. Then again, it creates a link between cryptos, which is something new, and oil, which is something old and something we should abandon in the long run, so I'm not sure it's a good thing.
It's business, no emotions, just money which doesn't smells, this is why they're dealing with Russia. And as you said, Switzerland is allegedly neutral country, so, for them it's easier to do that than company from EU country for example. And in general, many foreign companies continue to operate in Russia despite war. Some are doing it through offshore companies to avoid bad publicity.
In normal occasion I wouldn't accept such news positively. After all, it's state owned company, not private one. And considering that war continues, there is nothing positive about this cooperation.