A charitable fundraising page for the Ukrainian military shut down on Patreon, while donations to the organization’s Bitcoin wallet accelerated to surpass US$1 million on Friday.
See related article: Putin’s attack triples Ukrainian crypto exchange’s trading volume
Fast facts
- Come Back Alive, a Kyiv-based nonprofit organization established in 2014, says funds will be used to finance military equipment including armor and medical kits for Ukrainian soldiers.
- Director Taras Chmut said it was receiving small donations for several months, but when Russia invaded, over US$300,000 rolled in, including many contributions of less than US$1,000.
- Crypto is becoming an efficient means of charity and donations, with digital assets donations rising by 1,558% in 2021 on crypto philanthropy platform The Giving Block.
- Come Back Alive was accepting fiat donations on Patreon, but as documented by pro-Ukraine donors on social media, the page was inaccessible since Thursday.
- Patreon said in a blog post that using its services to support military funding is against its policies and the fund in the charity’s account will be refunded to donors.
See related article: Bitcoin, crypto market tank as Putin declares war on Ukraine