Ukrainian government raises nearly $10 million in crypto following public appeal

Nearly $10 million bitcoin, ether and other digital assets has been raised since the Ukrainian government issued a direct appeal for crypto donations this weekend.

As previously reported by The Block, Ukraine’s official Twitter account, along with accounts owned by the country’s vice prime minister, posted donation addresses for BTC and ETH on Saturday, sparking a wave of interest and global headlines. 

At the time of writing, the Ethereum address has accrued $5.03 million in ETH as well as $1.3 million in other digital assets, with the bulk of the latter figure being comprised of about $1.07 million USDT. A number of NFTs have also been donated, per OpenSea data. 

The government’s bitcoin address has received some $3.5 million, a calculation that accounts for the roughly 3.658 BTC received to that address on February 24, prior to Saturday’s requests. 

The developments come as the invasion of Ukraine by Russia’s military continues. Recent updates include a potential plan between the two country’s leadership to meet and continued fighting in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.