Russia decided to officially recognize the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk republics in the east of Ukraine, which are ruled by Russian separatists, and following this decision, the Russian army entered Ukraine. Financial and moral support from many countries has come to Ukraine, which has been under conflict for days, and continues to do so.
Among these incoming aids, donations made through Bitcoin in large amounts draw attention. Judging by the statements from crypto analysts, cryptocurrency fundraising is becoming an increasingly important part of modern conflicts around the world.
At least $11 million in crypto aid raised
Cryptocurrency analysts, who stated that more than 4,000 donations have been made so far, are fighting the war in Ukraine through anonymous Bitcoin donations. He states that the money collected for support is at least 11 million dollars. It is stated that the average donation made is $95, while an anonymous donor reportedly donated $3 million worth of Bitcoin to a nonprofit.
On the other hand, researchers at Elliptic, a blockchain analytics company; He notes that the Ukrainian government, non-governmental organizations, and volunteer groups collect the money by sharing Bitcoin wallet addresses online.
Saturday afternoon, on the official Twitter account of the Ukrainian government, “Be with the Ukrainian people. We now accept cryptocurrency donations. Bitcoin, Ethereum and USDT.” A sharing was made in the form of; In two hours, the addresses of two crypto wallets, which collected $ 5.4 million, were shared. While the last call for donations by the Digital Ministry of Ukraine was “Help the Ukrainian armed forces”; No details were given about how this money would be spent.
The scammers are not resting again
Elliptic founder Tom Robinson, in an interview with the BBC, said, “Some crowdfunding and payment companies support the Ukrainian army. While not allowing donations to groups, cryptocurrencies have emerged as a strong alternative.” saves as.
But unfortunately, fraudsters are trying to take advantage of this situation, as in any case. Elliptic has copied at least one social media post from a legitimate tweet from a nonprofit; however, he states that the author probably replaced the Bitcoin address on the post with one of his own.