Ukraine Offers Bitcoin to Russian Soldiers Who Surrender

Russian soldiers who surrender to Ukraine stand a chance to bag 5 million rubles worth of crypto or cash.

According to local TV host and honorary ambassador to the United Nations Population Fund in Ukraine, Masha Efrosinina, any Russian soldiers who take up the white flag will receive 5 million rubles (US$45,000) worth of crypto or cash.

The TV host disclosed the offer in an Instagram post where he called for Russian soldiers to take the offer and an amnesty after trial.

Efrosinina also revealed that the offer comes from The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and the global IT community.

The Ukrainian ambassador to the U.S. has also disclosed that a Russian platoon that surrendered on Feb. 24 was unaware that they were being sent to kill Ukrainians.

Russian President Vladimir Putin carried out what he has described as a “special military operation” on Thursday, 24 February 2022, leaving at least 240 civilian casualties and at least 64 dead, according to the United Nations.

Cryptocurrencies have played an important role for the Ukrainians in defending their nation with the Ukrainian government receiving over US$9.5 million in crypto donations via Bitcoin, Ether and USDT according to various reports from the press.

In a report by Bloomberg, the Ukrainian government escalated its rhetoric against Russian crypto users on Sunday, 27 February 2022, revealing that it wants a heavy crackdown on ordinary crypto users in Russia.

Ukrainian Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov disclosed on Twitter that he was asking “all major crypto exchanges to block addresses of Russian users.” Mykhailo had earlier requested information about digital wallets associated with Russian and Belorussian politicians, revealing that the Ukrainian crypto community was ready to offer a “generous reward” to anyone who provided tips and recommendations.

The Ukrainian government had already leveraged the social media platform to draw in millions of dollars worth of crypto donations and posted in online hacker forums that it is looking for help in protecting against cyberattacks.

While it is still unclear how big crypto companies will respond to Fedorov’s latest call, the CEOs of several crypto companies have publicly conveyed their support for Ukraine since the Russian invasion. On Sunday, 27 February 2022, a verified Twitter handle associated with Binance posted that they’ll be donating $10 million “to help the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine,” and an affiliate, the Binance Charity Foundation, launched a fund to provide emergency relief through crypto crowdfunding.