Ukraine raises $13 million in crypto after crowdfunding appeal

Ukraine raises $13 million in crypto after crowdfunding appeal

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.







Reuters









February 28, 2022 / 04:33 PM IST





Representative image: Bitcoin



Ukraine's government has raised cryptocurrency worth almost $13 million after posting appeals on social media for donations of bitcoin and other digital tokens, data from blockchain analysis firm Elliptic showed on Monday.

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 forces seized two small cities in southeastern Ukraine and the area around a nuclear power plant, the Interfax news agency said, but ran into stiff resistance elsewhere as Moscow's diplomatic and economic isolation deepened.

By 08:50 GMT Monday, the wallet addresses had received crypto worth $12.8 million across almost 17,300 donations, London-based Elliptic said. The company tracks the movement of digital coins