Russian National To Sale Her Burning Passport NFT To Support Ukraine

Russian national and artist Olive Allen who has lived in the United States for over 11 years, has burned her home country’s passport to raise awareness and funding for the current situation in Ukraine.

Allen characterized herself as “a kid of new Russia,” according to news tracked by iexclusiveNews on Cointelegraph Friday.

She claimed that while the country would always be a part of her identity, she had opted to cut connections with it due to its recent activities in Ukraine.

Allen burned her Russian passport in front of the Russian Federation’s Consulate General in New York City.

She planned to auction the film as a nonfungible token (NFT) with the earnings going to humanitarian assistance in Ukraine, which she said was the only copy she had.

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“I do not consider Putin’s Russia my home,” said Allen. “Our country has such an immense potential, but the government has been f—ing people over for eternity.”

Allen, who has been working in the crypto world since early 2018, following the December 2017 Bitcoin (BTC) bull run.

Claimed she burned her passport because she couldn’t see herself returning to the country under the current government.

She stated that she wanted to counter the idea that all Russian civilians backed military action against Ukraine.

Stating that she knew people in the nation who had been “brainwashed to the point of no return” in their support for the Kremlin.

“I love my country but I do not believe in Putin’s Russia. I don’t see myself living there in the current situation. What’s happening right now is just heartbreaking.”

On Friday, her burning passport NFT went up for auction on the SuperRare marketplace.

Allen stated that she will donate Ether (ETH) straight to Save the Children, an organization dedicated to assisting children throughout the world.

Who are victims of human trafficking, early marriage, lack of access to education, and fleeing violence.

Allen stated that she preferred to contribute donations to humanitarian causes rather than the military.

Save the Children is presently taking BTC and ETH donations for the nearly 7.5 million children “caught in the crossfire of war” in Ukraine through the nonprofit fundraising site Giving Block.

The NFT artist said that by publicly burning her passport, she was effectively making it dangerous to return home by expressing her dissatisfaction with the government.

“I could never return to Russia with the current regime — I’ll be arrested right away,” said Allen. “People go to jail in Russia for less.

“I’ve cut off my chances of coming back, I mean at least during the current regime.”

In general, burning a passport does not imply renunciation of citizenship in any country.

Except in circumstances where they are under trial in Russia, have no other country’s citizenship, or owe “an outstanding duty to the Russian Federation.”

A person residing abroad can remove their Russian citizenship “of their own free will,” according to a federal law passed in 2002.

To legally terminate relations with Russia, Allen would most likely need to submit an undamaged passport to a Russian consulate and complete out paperwork.

Though she stated that she might continue this path in the future, the fact that she was effectively “on a blacklist” made her dread being arrested if she returned to any Russian area was enough for her.

Cryptocurrency has emerged as a prominent topic of discussion in discussions about how to move funds to Ukraine and Russia while avoiding US and European Union sanctions.

Ukraine’s minister of digital transformation’s Twitter account posted addresses to solicit crypto donations in BTC, ETH, Tether (USDT), Polkadot (DOT), Dogecoin (DOGE), US.

And EU lawmakers have pushed for regulatory clarity on crypto amid concerns that Russia could use digital assets to evade sanctions.