Olive Allen Burns Russian Passport, Video Turns Into NFT To Help Ukrainian People

JAKARTA – The Russian invasion of Ukraine which has caused suffering for the Ukrainian people has attracted sympathy from various circles. Olive Allen is no exception, a Russian citizen and artist who has lived in the United States for more than 11 years. Allen has burned his mother's state passport in hopes of raising awareness and funds related to the military conflict in Ukraine.

Speaking to Cointelegraph on Friday, March 4, Allen described himself as the “new Russian kid” and said the country will always be part of his identity. But he has chosen to cut ties with her based on Russia's recent actions in Ukraine.

Standing in front of the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in New York City, Allen burned his Russian passport and which was the only copy he had. It plans to auction the video as non-exchangeable NFT tokens the proceeds of which will be donated to humanitarian efforts in Ukraine.

"I don't think of Putin's Russia as my home," Allen said. "Our country has enormous potential, but the government has fooled people for good."

I'm a Russian artist and I burned my passport because I do not believe in Putin's Russia & I do not support the war in Ukraine I'm auctioning off my Burnt Passport NFT to raise funds for the people of Ukraine impacted by the war. Friday, 1pm ET @SuperRare pic.twitter.com/Vnf8turjVH

— Olive Allen (@IamOliveAllen) March 3, 2022

Allen, who has been involved in the crypto space since early 2018 following Bitcoin (BTC)'s December 2017 rise, said the decision to burn his passport was encouraged that he could not see himself returning to the country under Vladimir Putin's current leadership.

Allen said he wanted to counter the narrative that all Russian civilians supported military action against Ukraine. He, too, noted that he knew people in the country who were “brainwashed to the point of no return” in support of the regime.

"I love my country, but I don't believe in Vladimir Putin's Russia. I don't see myself living there in the current situation. What's happening right now is just heartbreaking," Allen said.

The NFT auction of his burned passport went live on the SuperRare marketplace on Friday. Allen said he would use the proceeds from the sale to donate Ether (ETH) directly to Save the Children. It is an organization that aims to help children around the world from problems such as human trafficking, early marriage, being unable to get an education and escaping violence.

Allen said he wanted to focus on sending funds to humanitarian efforts rather than the military. Save the Children is currently accepting crypto donations through the non-profit fundraising platform Giving Block in BTC and ETH for the approximately 7.5 million children “caught in the crossfire of war” in Ukraine.

The NFT artist said that by burning his passport in public, he was effectively endangering himself on his return home because his views on the Russian government were now known to the public.

“I will never be able to return to Russia while the current regime is in power. I will be arrested immediately," Allen said. “People go to prison in Russia cheaper. I have cut my chances of returning, I mean at least as long as the current regime is in power."

In general, burning someone's passport does not automatically renounce that person's nationality to any country. According to a federal law introduced in 2002, a person living abroad can withdraw their Russian citizenship of "their free will". Except in cases where they are under indictment in Russia, do not have citizenship of another country, or owe "extraordinary obligations to the Russian Federation."

Allen will likely need to show an undamaged passport to the Russian consulate and fill out paperwork to legally sever ties with the country. Although he said he might pursue this route at some point, effectively being "on the blacklist" to scare him off his return to any Russian territory would suffice.

Cryptocurrencies have been a major issue in discussions around sending funds to Ukraine and Russia potentially evading sanctions from the United States and the European Union. The Twitter account for Ukraine and the country's digital transformation minister posted addresses for accepting crypto donations in BTC, ETH, Tether (USDT), Polkadot (DOT) and Dogecoin (DOGE). Meanwhile US and EU lawmakers have been pushing for regulatory clarity on crypto over concerns Russia could still use digital assets to evade sanctions.