Top Line
Cryptocurrency donations worth more than $4 million were poured into Ukraine on Saturday after Ukrainian officials took to Twitter to plead for help in the fight against the Russian aggression, with more than $5 million worth of donations by non-governmental organizations and volunteer groups. Cryptocurrency added. The country has been raised since the start of the attack on Thursday.
The biggest donations seem to have originated from the NFT sale originally intended to raise money… [+] WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange
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important facts
According to blockchain analytics firm Elliptic, as of around 2:30 p.m. Saturday, a cryptocurrency wallet address associated with the Ukrainian government had received about $4.3 million in cryptocurrency donations.
The influx of support came hours after the Ukrainian government officers said on his twitter Accounts That the government will start accepting cryptocurrency donations, urging users to “stand with the people of Ukraine” and linking two separate cryptocurrency addresses linked to bitcoin, ether and the stablecoin Tether.
The rapid jump in donations was fueled by a “strange” single donation of nearly $1.9 million, Elliptic chief scientist Tom Robinson wrote in an email on Saturday, adding that the wallet address shows that the donation was made of non-fungible tokens. generated from the sale. Fund for Australian WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.
Earlier this month, an online auction for multiple NFTs raised more than $52 million worth of cryptocurrency to help defend Assange’s legal defense as he faces extradition to the United States on more than 18 criminal charges , which included conspiracy to infiltrate computers and obtain national defense information.
Members of AssangeDAO, the team behind the auction, did not immediately respond. Forbes’ Request for comment on social media.
According to Elliptic, as of Saturday afternoon, thousands of cryptocurrency donations to NGOs providing aid to Ukraine’s government and its military have helped raise nearly $10 million since last week, including $4 to Kiev-based Come Back Alive. Contains more than a million.
main background
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an invasion of Ukraine early Thursday. Ukraine’s Health Minister Viktor Lyashko said on Saturday that at least 198 Ukrainians and more than 1,000 others were injured. On Friday, President Joe Biden authorized the US State Department to provide up to $350 million in additional weapons to Ukraine, joining countries such as the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany that have made military equipment, including air defense rockets, machine guns and fuel. mortgaged.
important quotes
In a report this month, Elliptic said, “A week after the Ukrainian parliament passed a bill to legalize cryptocurrencies, donations to Ukraine “appear to support crypto assets as a means of raising funds for nation-states.” “Iran is using bitcoin mining to monetize its energy reserves, while North Korea is believed to be stealing cryptocurrencies to support its missile development program. “
Further reading
Bitcoin Donations to Ukraine’s Military Over $4 Million (Forbes)
LIVE: Russia has sent more than 50% of the invasion force to Ukraine – but disappointed by stiff resistance, US says (Forbes)
