Over $10 million in cryptocurrency donations was collected by the Ukrainian government.

• Elliptic reports that Ukraine's government has received over $10 million in cryptocurrency donations.
• The total amount of cryptocurrency donations to the Ukrainian government and NGOs supporting the military is currently $16.7 million, according to Elliptic.
• Ukraine is turning to crypto for aid during Russia's military offensive.

The Ukrainian government has obtained more than $10 million in cryptocurrency contributions, utilizing an unconventional crowdfunding approach to cope with the ongoing Russian invasion.

On Saturday, the Ukrainian government's official Twitter account shared the addresses of two cryptocurrency wallets, one accepting only Bitcoin and the other taking both Bitcoin and Tether, a token that mirrors the value of the U.S. dollar.

According to research from blockchain analytics firm Elliptic, as of Sunday, those wallets have attracted $10.2 million worth of crypto. Additionally, millions in digital currency have been donated to nongovernmental organizations supporting the Ukrainian military.

The sale of an NFT originally intended for Julian Assange raised $1.86 million for Ukraine's government, according to Elliptic.

Virtual items, such as artwork or video game characters, are represented by unique digital assets known as NFTs.

As Russia's military offensive in Ukraine began on Thursday, the country has turned to crypto for aid.

Since 2018, Come Back Alive, an NGO that provides equipment to the Ukrainian military, has been accepting crypto donations. Since Russia's invasion began, the organization has raised millions of dollars worth of digital currency.

The total amount of cryptocurrency donations to the Ukrainian government and NGOs supporting the military is currently $16.7 million, as reported by Elliptic.

Bitcoin and other cryptoassets have become significant alternatives to traditional crowdfunding methods, according to Tom Robinson, Elliptic's chief scientist, in a blog post on Sunday. These assets enable rapid, international donations that circumvent financial institutions that may impede payments to certain groups.

Patreon suspended Come Back Alive's fundraising page this week, stating that it does not permit campaigns that involve violence or the purchase of military equipment. Patreon enables users to receive a monthly income through paid subscriptions.

The Ukrainian military initially stated that it could not accept funds in digital currencies, including Bitcoin, as per the government's website, which stated that national legislation does not permit the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine to use other payment systems such as Webmoney, Bitcoin, PayPal, etc.

The government appears to have relaxed this stance, however.

On Sunday, Mykhailo Fedorov, the Ukrainian Minister of Digital Transformation, urged major crypto exchanges to prevent transactions from Russian users.

Fedorov tweeted that it's essential to not only freeze the addresses linked to Russian and Belarusian politicians but also to sabotage ordinary users.

On Saturday, the U.S., European allies, and Canada reached a consensus to exclude certain Russian banks from Swift, the interbank messaging system. Additionally, they decided to hinder Russia's central bank from utilizing its international reserves to weaken sanctions.