Ukraine Launches “NFT Virtual Museum” Documenting Russia’s Invasion

Ukraine has launched a virtual museum of non-fungible tokens that document Russia’s invasion.

“Meta History Museum of War” features NFTs that document the conflict day by day. Tweets from news sources, politicians and government departments are accompanied by pieces of artwork.

A “warline” also illustrates the time when new developments took place. Although 100% of the funds raised through selling these NFTs will go to Ukraine’s army and civilians, the project says that it has a much broader mission than collecting donations:
“To preserve the memory of the real events of that time, to spread truthful information among the digital community in the world.”

And striking a defiant tone — in an era of information overload and a world where disinformation runs rampant on social media — the project adds:
“We will never let any single day of this period disappear from the ledger of world history.”

Going forward, Meta History says that NFTs will be created in chronological order, with artists from Ukraine and around the world making contributions “from its full outbreak to the moment of Ukrainian victory celebration.”

How This Museum Works

Initially, NFTs documenting the first three days of the invasion — from Feb. 24-26 — are going to be sold on March 30. Further tokens will follow in the not-too-distant future. Their price has been set at 0.15 ETH, which is worth about $500 at the time of writing.

Ukraine’s museum has been launched in collaboration with the Fair.xyz platform, which says it offers a “safe and transparent” for creators and collectors that is free of gas wars. The collection has been described as “the first-ever government-backed NFT,” and a statement added:
“Looking back at the developments and horror that took the world by surprise last month, the importance of transparency and information has become obvious. Censorship, misinformation and miscommunication lie at the heart of every media-driven campaign, with real impact on the life of civilians suffering the consequences of the day-to-day under armed conflict.”

One of Ukraine’s deputy prime ministers, Mykhalio Fedorov, has also expressed hope that the community will become “the place to celebrate Ukraine’s identity and freedom.”

The launch hasn’t been all plain sailing — with Meta History’s official Twitter account warning that a fake collection is now doing the rounds on OpenSea.

According to Merkle Science, $102.9 million has been raised since Russia’s invasion began. Most of the funds have been donated to the Ukrainian government, as well as volunteer groups such as Come Back Alive.

Earlier this month, minister Alex Bornyakov revealed that the crypto contributions have been used to provide soldiers with 5,550 bulletproof vests, 500 ballistic plates, 3,125 thermal imagers, 500 helmets, 60 walkie-talkies, and 410,000 packed lunches.

Ukraine had initially been planning to hold an airdrop to reward those who had made a donation, but these plans were later abandoned, with officials confirming that NFTs would be sold instead.