Ukraine's official Twitter account made the appeal for
cryptocurrency donations on Saturday following the country's invasion by
Russia, posting digital wallets addresses for tokens including Bitcoin and
Ether.
Ukraine's Vice-Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov Tweeted the
wallet addresses. "Stand with the people of Ukraine. Now accepting
cryptocurrency donations," wrote Fedorov, who is also minister of digital
transformation.
The donations came as Russian military vehicles pushed into
Ukraine's second-largest city Kharkiv on Sunday and explosions rocked oil and
gas installations on a fourth day of fighting in the biggest assault on a
European state since World War Two.
By 10:30 GMT (4:00pm IST) Sunday, the wallet addresses had
received crypto worth $7.9 million (60 crore) across almost 11,500 donations,
London-based Elliptic said. The company tracks the movement of digital coins on
the blockchain, a public ledger that records crypto transactions.
Ukraine's ministry of digital transformation did not
immediately reply to requests for comment.
Stand with the people of Ukraine
— Mykhailo Fedorov (@FedorovMykhailo) February 26, 2022
Now accepting cryptocurrency donations. Ethereum. Bitcoin and Tether (USDTtrc20)
BTC — 357a3So9CbsNfBBgFYACGvxxS6tMaDoa1P
ETH — 0x165CD37b4C644C2921454429E7F9358d18A45e14
USDT (trc20) — TEFccmfQ38cZS1DTZVhsxKVDckA8Y6VfCy
Its crypto crowdfunding appeal is unprecedented. Though some
states such as El Salvador have embraced cryptocurrencies, Ukraine's appeal for
direct donations is among the first of its kind. It was not clear what Kyiv
would use the funds for.
Crypto donations to Ukrainian volunteer and hacking groups
have also spiked since Russia launched its invasion on Thursday, Elliptic said
this week.
The donations to such groups, some of which have supplied
equipment to government forces, grew strongly in January as Russia massed
troops near Ukraine's border ahead of its invasion. © Reuters