Burning a passport does not necessarily imply giving up citizenship, but it is often a flashy way of telling the world that you do not agree with the actions and decisions of your home country. The invasion of Ukraine by Putin’s troops last Thursday, February 24, has completely put the planet in check, and, as usual in these cases, the artists are the first to stand up for peace. The viral of the week in the world of NFTs has starred Olive Allen, a young Russian artist who has decided to protest the invasion of Ukraine by burning her Russian passport and putting the video up for auction.
Putin has enemies even in the blockchain
Russian artist Olive Allen has been living in the United States for 11 years now. And, if he already saw it as difficult to return to Russia due to Vladimir Putin’s management, the invasion of the neighboring country has been the straw that broke the camel’s back. Without thinking twice, a few days ago he went to the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in New York and set fire to his passport . He recorded as he did, and the video was uploaded to the SuperRare marketplace in the form of a non-fungible token.
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
The auction closed for 3.66 ETH, a figure close to $10,000. The buyer was UnicornDAO , a group created by the feminist activist group Pussy Riot , known to be the number one public enemies of the Russian president. In February 2012, they stormed the Moscow Cathedral after Putin’s re-election. After performing the song ‘Mother of God, Putin out!’ and record a video clip, the members of the punk-rock band were arrested, some of its members even going on hunger strike.
3.66 ETH and 15 years in prison
Olive Allen knows full well that she has put herself completely at risk by setting fire to her passport. If he ever thinks of setting foot in his native country again, he will face 15 years in prison . However, the young woman stated that she did not make the gesture for her country, but because of her contempt for Putin’s policy.
With the action, Allen was trying to make Russian public opinion raise its voice against the Russian president. She says that she is absolutely certain that the majority of Russian citizens do not agree with the invasion , and that only a few who have been “brainwashed” are in favor of the war. Still, he does not regret what he has done at all, and has strongly defended his decision on several occasions.
As reported by Allen on his Instagram account, all the money raised with the NFT will be donated to the ‘Save the Children’ fund in Ukraine to support all minors who have been affected by the war. It is not the first NFT that serves to raise funds for the war. Time magazine announced on February 28 a collection of tokens designed by 59 artists that will also serve to help Ukrainian citizens.