While the ongoing war in Ukraine continues to astound the world, it has inspired new NFT initiatives to raise funds for Ukrainian refugees and citizens. NFTs, which were formerly thought to be worthless, are now proving their worth by collecting essential cash for organizations.
Ukraine’s government aims to launch its own NFT program in order to raise revenue and provide assistance to its inhabitants. It will be made completely of artwork depicting news articles about the Russian invasion. According to Alex Bornyakov, Ukraine’s deputy minister of digital transformation, the NFT collection will work much like a museum devoted to the Russian-Ukrainian war. They wish to communicate with the rest of the world in NFT format.
Several well-known NFT artists, including Danny Cole, Vinnie Hager, Sartoshi, Hawkward, and others, contributed their work to the Ukraine relief fund for free. Three Ukrainian non-profits got almost half of the significant purchases on February 27: Come Back Alive, Local Ukrainian Media, and Hospitallers. As of this writing, RELI3F has generated 699 ETH (about $1.8 million) in trading activity on OpenSea.
RELI3F
RELI3F, a humanitarian aid organization, was founded by the Web3 community. Andrew Wang, Giovanni, Satvik Sethi, and SignorCrypto are among the 37 members of the Web3 community team. The project, which began last month, raised roughly $1 million in the first 30 seconds. While all proceeds from secondary sales will either sustain the prior efforts or help Ukrainian artists, charities, and/or creative initiatives chosen by the supporting artists.
WeSupportUkraineNFT
Most NFTs and DAOs that collect funds for Ukraine pay the developers first. The proceeds are then distributed to other charities or sent to Ukraine’s ETH wallet. In this light, the WeSupportUkraineNFT project stands out. All profits are routed to Ukraine’s official ETH wallet rather than the creator’s wallet.
WeSupportUkraineNFT basically provides an endless supply of NFT badges. “We developed a smart contract so that every proceeding would go straight to Ukraine’s official ETH wallet without ever reaching any other wallets,” the project notes on its website. “In order not to waste ETH for gas fees, donations from the smart contract are withdrawn once a day.”
The effort was started by “some ordinary individuals” who are opposed to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. On the website of WeSupportUkraineNFT, you may mint the NFT.
Vandalz for Ukraine: NFTs by WhIsBe x Wladimir Klitschko
Wladimir Klitschko, Ukraine’s two-time heavyweight world champion, has begun an NFT collection to raise funds for his hometown. Wladimir Klitschko’s brother is Vitali Klitschko, the Mayor of Kyiv and a former world boxing champion. The ‘Vandalz for Ukraine’ collection was launched on OpenSea on March 9 in partnership with artist WhIsBe. For the release, WhIsBe’s famed ‘Vandal Gummy Bears’ have been reproduced in the colors of the Ukrainian flag—yellow and blue.
For three weeks, the NFTs will be available at three different prices: $100, $1,000, and $10,000. The collaboration will also auction off a one-of-a-kind NFT for $1 million. The whole earnings from the sale of the collection will be donated to Red Cross Ukraine, UNICEF Ukraine, and Ukrainian relief groups to enable them to provide humanitarian aid to Ukrainians. The NFTs may be purchased at OpenSea.
Ron English — Ukraine Relief NFT Drops
VeVe, an NFT marketplace, and Ron English, an American contemporary artist, have collaborated on two digital collectible drops to benefit Ukrainian refugees. All proceeds from the major sales will go to the New Zealand Red Cross and the International Committee of the Red Cross for refugee assistance in Ukraine.
The first release, titled ‘Grade School Guernica 2022,’ contains English’s interpretation of Picasso’s Guernica. Each item costs $100 and is available in a total of 4,444 variations. Then there’s ‘Sunflower Grin — Special Mission,’ which has a repeating motif throughout the artist’s work. After all, the sunflower is Ukraine’s national flower. The set comprises 5,555 NFTs and costs $60. Silver and gold variants are available.
The drops were made accessible on VeVe on March 12. You may use the VeVe app to buy NFTs.
As a consequence of Russia’s involvement, almost two million people have left Ukraine. As the humanitarian crisis worsens, you may assist by donating to a variety of charities and organizations. Our list is by no means exhaustive, and there are several other NFT projects to which you may contribute. But remember to conduct your research and ensure that the effort or group you’re assisting is reputable and transparent about its finances. You may also donate directly to Ukraine’s ETH wallet.
UkraineDAO
Last month, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova of Pussy Riot established UkraineDAO, a new DAO to assist the war-torn country. In collaboration with FreeRossDAO’s Alona, PleasrDAO’s CryptoStv, and Trippy Labs’ Trippy, the DAO sold 1/1 NFT of the Ukrainian flag. During the 72-hour auction, bids came in for the cause, raising 2,258 ETH (about $6.75 million at the time). Furthermore, the organization will give all bidders with POAPs (Proof of Attendance Protocol).
“We purposefully avoided adding our art to this release, in a way it’s our strong conceptual artistic statement,” Tolokonnikova said at the time. “People can have different aesthetics, but it’s not about what color we prefer, it’s about uniting to save lives. The Ukrainian flag unites us.”
Even after the NFT auction has been completed, anyone who wants to donate may do so directly to UkraineDAO.eth.
