Demonstrating its unique utility on the biggest world stage of the moment, Bitcoin has helped Ukrainian armed forces and nongovernmental organizations raise money[1] from overseas supporters to fight back against Russian invasion that began in late February[2] amid rising tensions between the two countries as Ukraine sought[3] to forge closer ties with the European Union and NATO.
But military help[4] isn’t all that Bitcoin has facilitated for the Ukrainian people. The peer-to-peer (P2P) currency is also enabling a prolific Bitcoin developer to receive international, pseudonymous donations to meet local demand for funding and humanitarian aid[5] as Russian troops advance to attack new cities.
“I try to focus on fulfilling small funding requests from a small network of volunteers on the spot in Kyiv and other cities,” Gleb, a Bitcoin developer originally from Kharkiv, Ukraine, told Bitcoin Magazine. “Unfortunately, this doesn't work for Kharkiv because logistics is messed up, and money is almost useless there. So, we have to load our trucks or train cabins by ourselves here, and send them that way manually.”
A Sovereign Battle
While Russian President Vladimir Putin tries[6] to suggest that Russians and Ukrainians are one people, rather than two separate nations, in a bid to legitimize his invasion, Ukrainians are standing their ground and tapping their sovereignty.
“The Soviet Union tried hard to promote this narrative, for example by banning Ukrainian language and forcing deportations of entire Ukrainian villages and replacing
