Crypto donations fund ATVs and gas masks for Ukraine’s military

Ukrainian officials have used funds from the government-launched crypto donation platform to buy supplies for the country’s military amid the ongoing war with Russia.

In a tweet on Friday, Ukraine’s Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov announced that the country had done so Bought five off-road vehicles that “will prove useful in a challenging environment” – possibly referring to conditions close to the front line with Russia or where roads have been damaged or destroyed. Funding for three of the ATVs came from Aid for Ukraine, a platform the government launched in March that accepts crypto donations “to support people in their fight for freedom.”

Three ATVs for Defenders are funded for crypto donations @_AidForUkrainetwo more – provided by the Secretary of Defense @oleksiireznikov. These off-road vehicles will come in handy in a challenging environment. Better performance of the army – our common goal and great hope. pic.twitter.com/FxL1VyUNBd

— Mykhailo Fedorov (@FedorovMykhailo) May 13, 2022

At the time of publication, Aid for Ukraine has reportedly raised more than $60 million in Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), Tether (USDT), Polkadots DOT, Solanas SOL, and USD Coin (USDC). Fyodorov reported on Wednesday that the government had already used part of the funds to supply 5,000 gas masks to state border guards and the army. Aid to Ukraine also has Bought more than 5,000 “optical and thermal imaging devices” for the nation’s military since the beginning of the war; tablets targeted to help Ukrainians fleeing the country to find shelter and assistance; bulletproof vest; medical supplies; Vehicles; and clothing

State Border Service @DPSU_ua recently received 31 thermal imaging cameras from us. During 2 months of war, @_AidForUkraine bought 5,307 optical and thermal imaging equipment for our military.

The better our soldiers see the occupiers, the better we see our victory coming. pic.twitter.com/KSFT0lUrNh

— Aid to Ukraine (@_AidForUkraine) May 4, 2022

Related: The invasion of Ukraine shows why we need crypto regulation

Since the start of the Russian military invasion in February, the Ukrainian government has approached the crypto space many times to receive funds from affected parties. Fedorov announced in April that the government would accept contributions to the war effort in the form of non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, which in turn will be sold to “contribute to Ukraine’s victory,” recently started a charity NFT collection featuring pieces by Ukrainian video game developers and digital artists.