Tom Wilson

LONDON, (Reuters) – The Ukrainian government raised nearly $8 million in cryptocurrency after appealing on social media to donate bitcoins and other tokens. According to Elliptic, a blockchain analysis company.

Ukraine’s official Twitter account (NYSE:) appealed for donations of cryptocurrency on Saturday after Russia invaded Ukraine. They posted digital wallet addresses to tokens such as bitcoin and ether.

Mykhailo Fedorov (Vice-Prime Minister of Ukraine) tweeted the wallet addresses. Stand with Ukraine’s people. Fedorov wrote that they are now accepting donations in cryptocurrency. He is also the minister of digital transformation.

These donations occurred as Russian military vehicles entered Ukraine’s second-largest town Kharkiv Sunday. Explosions also rocked the oil and gas infrastructures on a fourth and final day of fighting in what is being called the most brutal assault on an European state since World War Two.

Elliptic, a London-based company, stated that wallet addresses received $7.9million in crypto across nearly 11,500 donations by Sunday 1030 GMT. Elliptic, which tracks crypto transaction movements via the blockchain (a public ledger) said that the company monitors the digital coins’ movement.

Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation did not respond immediately to inquiries for comment.

The appeal for crypto crowdfunding is unique. While El Salvador, El Salvador, and others have adopted cryptocurrencies as well, Ukraine is the first to appeal for donations. The purpose of the money was unclear.

Elliptic reported this week that crypto donations have risen to Ukrainian hacking and volunteer groups since Russia invaded Ukraine on Thursday.

These donations, which include equipment for government forces, increased strongly as Russia assembled troops at the border of Ukraine in January ahead of an invasion.