Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sparked a massive response of solidarity in the bitcoiner community, especially since the escalation of the conflict between the two countries that arose on February 24.
Since the first military movements began on the border between Russia and Ukraine, Come Back Alive, a Ukrainian non-governmental organization (NGO) that provides support to the armed forces, began receiving donations in bitcoin (BTC).
Before the invasion took place, the group received donations in BTC since the beginning of this month, which reached a total of USD 570,000, as reported by CriptoNoticias.
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However, after the Russian invasion was completed last Thursday, aid to the Ukrainian volunteer group has increased exponentially. So far they accumulate donations totaling 113 BTCwhich represents about USD 4.3 million at current exchange rates.
One of the donations that stands out for its high amount was one made today, February 25, for the order of 80 BTC (USD 3 million), according to the block explorer Blockchair.
Come Back Alive beat censorship with bitcoin
For its part, the volunteer organization Ukrainian, which began its operations in 2014 with the maiden revolutionwhich led to the overthrow of pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych, started receiving bitcoin after being blocked by PatreonAmerican crowdfunding platform for content creators.
Patreon, founded in 2013, discontinued the page of the ukrainian organizationbecause the contributions were to be used to finance and train military personnel, such as explained on your blog.
The company detailed how the funds raised by Come Back Alive would be spent. The group intended to acquire: 1,500 Gunnya-Armor gunner software tablets, 230 quadcopters, 45 mobile surveillance systems and more than 60 military vehicles.
“We do not allow Patreon to be used to fund weapons or military activities. It’s a violation of our policies, so we’ve removed the page. Any remaining funds in the account will be refunded to contributors,” the platform argued.
However, Patreon assured that they are “shocked and heartbroken” by the invasion of Ukraine and wish the safety of the people in danger.
According to the Daily Dot, as of last January, the organization had generated $19,000 on Patreon and on February increased the amount collected to USD 55,000noted the medium.
Come Back Alive also accepts donations in a bank account, although the conflict in Ukraine has affected communications and therefore the normal development of this sector. They have even been reported cyber attacks from Russia against banks and offices of the Ukrainian governmentusing a sophisticated malware called HermeticWiper, according reports to BBC.
This shows that the network Bitcoin is a sturdy alternative both to the different government blockades and to the attacks directed at groups or organizations that are sustained by the traditional financial system. Something that also happened recently in Canada with the Freedom Convoy movement.
More donations from the bitcoiner world
Being a global event, the confrontation between Russia and Ukraine has prompted companies in the cryptocurrency industry to contribute funds aimed at Ukrainians.
One of those was the American bitcoin and cryptocurrency exchange FTX.US. The company’s CEO, Sam Bankman-Fried, adlast night, that would donate USD 25 to each inhabitant of Ukraine that was registered on the platform.
A DAO to support Ukraine
Another effort to help Ukraine economically while it is besieged by Russia comes from Moscow itself.
Nadya Tolokonnikova, founder of the renowned rock group Pussy Riot, and a fervent opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin, made it known what formed a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO).
Ukraine DAO, is the name of the organization and its objective is “to raise funds to donate to Ukrainian civil organizations that help those who suffer from the war that Putin started in Ukraine,” according to Tolokonnikova.
Donations must be made in ether, cryptocurrencies native to Ethereum and the address of the digital wallet was published in the Discord of DAO. As seen in the block explorer etherscan, they have received 0.876 ETH, which is equivalent to USD 2,321according to the CriptoNoticias price index.
While events in Ukraine continue to advance, the spaces that are opening up for cryptocurrencies are increasingly wide and are shown as a valid alternative to sustain national economies, at least to a certain extent, as aid to civil organizations.
