Vitalik Buterin Donates 1,500 ETH for Ukraine Defense Efforts

Amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that started at the end of February, Vitalik Buterin has proven that he indeed puts his money where his mouth is. Specifically, after more than a month of criticizing Russia for its aggression, Buterin has donated 1,500 ether (ETH) to Ukraine.

According to Unchain Fund, a non-profit organization of blockchain activists for Ukraine, Buterin has donated 750 ETH to them. The organization also mentioned that Buterin sent the same amount (750 ETH) to ‘Aid For Ukraine’, a joint initiative of the Ukrainian government, FTX, and more.

We’re incredibly grateful for @VitalikButerin support and donation of 750ETH!

Besides Unchain Fund, Vitalik has also donated the same amount to @Ukraine.

1500ETH = ~$5m that will make a difference for those in need in Ukraine! 🇺🇦

Thank you, Vitalik & Ethereum fam! 🙏🏻💛💙 pic.twitter.com/RSGy4q2TY7

— unchain.fund (🇺🇦, 🇺🇦) (@Unchainfund) April 6, 2022

The said amount is currently worth $4.8 million at the time of writing. This is one of the latest donations received by Ukraine from high-profile donors in the crypto space. Ukraine has yet to disclose its total crypto donations, but so far the country’s goal by the end of March was to reach $200 million from crypto alone.

Meanwhile, Buterin remains highly critical of Russia despite himself being a Russian citizen. In an article published by Time, Buterin was said to have found a “silver lining” in the war between Russia and Ukraine, and that the goal of crypto is “to do things that accomplish meaningful effects in the real world.”

He added:

One of the decisions I made in 2022 is to try to be more risk-taking and less neutral. I would rather Ethereum offend some people than turn into something that stands for nothing.

In other news, Ethereum’s upcoming transition into Proof-of-Stake (PoS) is generating hype, with some personalities like Mark Cuban and Arthur Hayes expressing hyper-bullish sentiments. However, Ethereum’s price movement remains dismal, with a dip back to $3,200 after exceeding $3,500 just a couple of days ago.