[ti:Crypto Donations for Ukraine Provide Flow of War-Related Help] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:01.04]Ukraine says it has received some unusual financial support [00:07.32]in its fight against the Russian invasion: cryptocurrency donations. [00:14.12]People around the world have donated millions of dollars [00:19.16]directly to Ukraine's war effort through cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin. [00:27.44]Crypto is a digital currency that only exists online. [00:32.36]It works as an exchange medium through computer networks [00:37.88]that are not controlled by any bank or government. [00:42.60]Ukrainian officials began calling for such donations in late February, [00:48.84]shortly after Russia's invasion. [00:52.00]Ukraine's government says it has taken in almost $67 million [00:59.08]of its $200 million goal as of March 26. [01:05.72]Alex Bornyakov is the country's deputy minister for digital transformation. [01:12.00]He wrote on the nation's donation website [01:15.56]that "crypto is playing a significant role in Ukraine's defense." [01:22.08]Ukraine has spent about $34 million of the funds received as of last week. [01:30.44]It has turned about 80 percent of the donations into traditional money. [01:36.32]It used the remainder with merchants [01:39.60]that already accept cryptocurrencies, Bornyakov said in an email. [01:46.00]Michael Chobanian is the founder of a Ukrainian cryptocurrency exchange. [01:51.92]He is one of several people helping the Ukrainian government manage the donations [01:58.36]through an informal agreement, Bornyakov confirmed. [02:02.84]"We are buying so much stuff that is saving lives every single day [02:09.80]and also are stopping the aggression, so it's a beginning of the new world," [02:15.72]Chobanian said in a voice message sent through the app Telegram. [02:21.04]Chobanian said he was not receiving payment for his work. [02:26.28]But he noted that some of the funds are being converted [02:30.28]through his cryptocurrency exchange Kuna. [02:35.28]"It's certainly a first," said Bennett Tomlin. [02:39.36]He investigates cryptocurrency scams. [02:43.00]"We've never seen a sovereign nation [02:45.60]fund their defense efforts in crypto before," Tomlin added. [02:51.44]Officials have said that the speed with [02:54.16]which they can use cryptocurrency donations has made them useful. [03:00.16]The downside of such speed and ease is that cryptocurrencies [03:04.76]are the currency of choice for criminal networks. [03:09.08]The publicity around Ukraine's call for donations has attracted scammers [03:15.12]– people who get money for themselves through dishonesty and trickery. [03:21.24]Hilary Alley is a professor at American University's law school in Washington, D.C. [03:28.08]She has written a book about the risks of cryptocurrencies. [03:33.08]She said anyone who donates should carefully look at all the actors involved. [03:40.20]"Who is receiving the crypto? Who will be converting the crypto? [03:45.40]You need to be thinking about them the same way you'd be thinking about [03:50.48]any other charity or nonprofit you are donating to [03:55.00]because they are intermediaries in just the same way," Alley said. [04:02.44]Many of the donations to Ukraine's accounts can be confirmed [04:06.76]on public tools that follow the path of cryptocurrency dealings. [04:13.00]Tuan Phan is a cybersecurity professional. [04:17.12]He examined the flow of money to and from some of Ukraine's accounts. [04:23.96]He did this in part because he wanted to make a donation himself. [04:29.96]Born in Vietnam, he said he was eight years old [04:35.04]when North Vietnamese Communist forces took Saigon in 1975. [04:41.52]"I'm old enough to remember what happened, [04:44.88]so I'm very empathetic to the Ukrainians," Phan said. [04:50.28]"I wanted to make sure the address where I'm sending my donation [04:55.28]is landing in the right places. There are lots of scams going on, [05:00.44]so you have to be extra careful." [05:03.60]I'm Ashley Thompson. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM