Ukraine Launches NFT ‘Museum Of War’ To Raise Funds For Defense Efforts
As Ukraine continues to defend its land against the ongoing Russian invasion, it’s turning to a creative medium to raise funds for its war efforts: art.
In particular, Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s Minister of Digital Transformation, confirmed on Twitter that the country has launched a Museum of War to memorialize the conflict, and encourage donations through non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
“While Russia uses tanks to destroy Ukraine, we rely on revolutionary blockchain tech,” Fedorov wrote.
This isn’t the first time the nation is dabbling in the virtual world, with its authorities officially legalizing cryptocurrencies after receiving over US$100 million in donations via digital assets.
Dubbed the Meta History: Museum of War, the virtual collection will comprise images of memorabilia marking various moments from the conflict, including news articles, social media posts, and even illustrations depicting the war.
FACT + ART = MetaHistory
— META HISTORY: Museum of War (@Meta_History_UA) March 17, 2022
MetaHistory is a unity of Art and History. Concrete and steadfast language of facts on the one side. Empathic and free-spirited soul of Art on the other. MetaHistory is a Museum of the objective War facts and personal sensations related to such facts. pic.twitter.com/0s7wlbYyiZ
Ukraine has tapped blockchain platform Fair.xyz to manage the NFT transactions, with 54 already up for sale.
The project’s mission is to “preserve the memory of the real events of that time, to spread truthful information among the digital community in the world, and to collect donations for the support of Ukraine,” according to its website.
Reuters reports that digital images will cost 0.15 ETH (US$475), with the proceeds from the sale going directly to Kyiv’s cryptocurrency wallets.
As per Alex Bornyakov, Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation, Ukraine has used past donations to purchase bulletproof vests, helmets, food, and medicines for its soldiers.
[via Interesting Engineering and Reuters, cover image via Palinchak | Dreamstime.com]
