Ukrainians getting ready to lose internet access

• Ukrainians are apparently acting as if they would soon lose Internet access, hurrying to download apps that allow for internet-free chatting. 

• The country has received an inflow of bitcoin donations as a result of the invasion.

Bitcoin donations

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has received a large number of inquiries from foreigners desiring to donate.

Since Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine began yesterday, a flood of cryptocurrency contributions has poured into the country’s non-governmental organizations, volunteer groups, and charities, including more than $4 million for a single charity named Come Back alive.

Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense reported Wednesday that it had received a large number of requests from foreigners desiring to donate, forcing it to open a special bank account for that purpose. It did, however, state that it was legally prohibited from receiving bitcoin donations. Regardless, crypto donations have been supporting Ukrainian defense operations for many months, with NGOs and volunteer groups in the country seeing a 900 percent rise in crypto donations in 2021 compared to 2020.

Possible power and internet loss

In the current day, losing internet connectivity may be disastrous for those who have learned to rely on it; now, the people of Ukraine appear to believe that they, too, could soon face similar deprivation.

Parts of Ukraine’s third-largest city, Odessa, have already lost electricity, and Forbes’ sources predict that Ukraine will lose power and Internet access on a larger scale.

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According to Forbes, in Ukraine, applications that provide essential functions such as communication and mapping without internet connectivity are now dominating the download charts.

Such apps use radio signals or Bluetooth for offline operation and are prevalent when civil situations worsen due to war or government repression; a comparable rise in such downloads happened during the 2019 Hong Kong demonstrations, which were put down in part by strong police action.

The rise in downloads implies that Ukrainians are concerned about either losing internet connection or “closing the free internet behind a new digital iron wall.”

Utilization of cryptocurrencies

While certain cryptocurrencies can be used in very limited circumstances of internet disconnectivity, cryptocurrency usage while not interrupted by authorities, as perhaps demonstrated recently by Prime Minister Trudeau’s invocation of the Emergencies Act in Canada, which allows for the freezing of bank accounts and the freezing of financial transactions—is reliant on an internet connection.

The disappearance of the internet is rarely suggestive of a perfectly functioning society. Lebanon, which is experiencing one of the greatest economic and financial disasters in 150 years, is also experiencing an increase in the frequency of internet and power outages. 

Venezuela, which is now in terrible economic problems, has a history of unreliable internet connectivity. Just last month, the Kazakhstani authorities stopped Bitcoin mining due to power disruptions, as well as residents’ internet access.

Steve Anderson is an Australian crypto enthusiast. He is a specialist in management and trading for over 5 years. Steve has worked as a crypto trader, he loves learning about decentralisation, understanding the true potential of the blockchain.

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