Olive Allen, a Russian national and artist who has lived in the United States for more than 11 years, has burned her mother country’s passport in the hopes of raising awareness and funds related to the military conflict in Ukraine.
In an interview, Allen stated that she wanted to set fire to the document in front of the Russian Consulate to protest the invasion of Ukraine.
“I do not believe in Putin’s Russia. He failed the country and its people. I understand that the war is the Putin regime’s fight for self-preservation. It is a tragedy,” she said.
The video of the event will be turned into an NFT and auctioned off this Friday (Mar. 4) at 1pm ET via SuperRare. 100 percent of the funds raised from the auction will be sent to aid Ukrainians impacted by war.
https://twitter.com/IamOliveAllen/status/1499455701730615296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1499455701730615296%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcointelegraph.com%2Fnews%2Frussian-national-will-use-sales-of-her-burning-passport-nft-to-support-ukraine
Allen noted that leaving her home country wasn’t easy, but stated that she’s hopeful that the metaverse will provide new opportunities to connect with other humans. “Burning my passport is an act of coming out and being open about my national identity, despite the fears of being silenced as the unpopular Russian voice,” she said. “It was a difficult decision to leave the country 11 years ago, but I chose to become a part of the larger world. I live knowing I have no place to come back to. Perhaps the metaverse will be the place I can call home,” Allen continued.
Allen isn’t the only creator standing with Ukraine during these challenging times. Many members of the crypto and NFT communities are coming together to raise money and offer support for the country and its people. In fact, more than $52 million has been donated thus far. Projects like Allen’s will only add to that total, providing significant (and much needed) aid to the war-torn country.
