How Ukraine wants to use NFTs to save its culture from Russian invasion

Ukraine is betting on NFTs to save its cultural heritage from war. All artworks will be digitized on the blockchain.

Ukraine has just announced its intention to use non-fungible tokens (NFT) to protect its cultural heritage. Michael Chobanian, Head of Blockchain Association of Ukraine (ABU)the project announced at the Consensus 2022 conference in Texas.

The initiative aims to preserve “the DNA of the Ukrainian people” against the invading army of Russia. “Right now they are bombing museums, churches and cultural sites”, explains Michael Chobanian. To avoid damage, several museums have also put the paintings and sculptures in their possession under cover.

Ukraine bets on NFTs and blockchain

“Before they are destroyed…we will digitize every piece of art or history that we have in museums. We will transform them into NFTs and register them on the blockchain”, continues the manager. Once registered on the blockchain, the works will be saved from the abuses of the Russian army. Blockchain, the technology on which most cryptocurrencies are based, makes it possible to store information in a tamper-proof and tamper-proof manner.

To protect itself from malicious actors and attacks, the blockchain relies, in most cases, on a decentralized infrastructuree. Concretely, it is necessary to obtain the agreement of all the participants to make a change, which complicates the task of pirates.

NFTs will not only preserve Ukrainian culture. By adding the works on the blockchain, it will also be possible to open the whole world to the heritage of the nation. The works will be visible to Internet users from all countries.

To preserve the heritage of Ukraine, the association will rely on NEAR Protocol (NEAR), a blockchain designed to facilitate exchanges between developers and users. The network is also able to handle transactions very quickly.

Alex Bornyakov, Ukrainian Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Digital Transformation, joined the announcement. However, the project is not supported by the government of Ukraine. It comes from the country’s cryptocurrency advocates. “It’s a national project, not a private project”emphasizes Michael Chobanian.

A digital museum and a legal framework for crypto

Ukraine has already demonstrated its interest in non-fungible tokens this year, despite the collapse of the NFT market. A few weeks after the Russian invasion, the country’s government opened a digital museum called MetaHistory NFT Museum. The works represented aim to document the war and the damage caused by the Russian army.

The Ukrainian government is also pushing the adoption of cryptocurrencies among the population. Shortly before the first strikes, a bill offering a legal framework for crypto-assets, such as Bitcoin (BTC) or Ether (ETH), has been adopted. It was ratified by President Volodymyr Zelensky a few weeks later.

Source :

Coindesk