Russia
USDT records new all-time high against Russian ruble as inflation hits
United States dollar-pegged stablecoin Tether (USDT) witnessed a spike of over 30% in five days against the Russian ruble — highlighting the negative and immediate impact of the ongoing war on the traditional financial system. Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and crypto exchange Binance show that the ruble is undergoing inflation as the USDT/RUB trading pair — for the first time in history — crossed 105 rubles. USDT/RUB price performance. Source: TradingView Prior to the spike, the USDT/RUB pair maintained a comparatively steady market price below 80 rubles. However, the ruble’s market price against USDT surged on Thursday, momentarily exceeding 90 rubles. As tensions escalated, on Sunday, the European Commission announced plans to remove Russian banks from the Society for Worldwid...
Binance’s $10M donation adds to the growing support funds for Ukraine
The Binance Charity Foundation has also set up a crypto-priority emergency relief fund The Ukraine Emergency Relief Fund is nearing $6 million in donations. According to an announcement posted by Binance chief executive Changpeng Zhao, the world’s largest crypto exchange by transaction volume has donated $10 million to help in the crisis resulting from the ongoing Russian military action in Ukraine. The exchange’s non-profit charitable arm has also started a crowdfunding initiative and lobbied for crypto donations which will be used to help allay the situation in the country. “#Binance is donating $10M to help the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine & @BinanceBCF launched the crypto-first crowdfunding Ukraine Emergency Relief Fund. Our focus is providing on-the-ground supp...
Green Day Cancel Concert in Moscow
Green Day have canceled an upcoming stadium show in Moscow in protest of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The punk veterans had been set to play a concert at Spartak Stadium in Moscow on May 27th. However, in a statement released on Sunday the band said they were canceling the gig. “We are aware that this moment is not about stadium rock shows, it’s so much bigger than that,” Green Day said. “But we also know that rock and roll is forever and we feel confident there will be a time and a place for us to return in the future. Refunds available at the point of purchase. Stay safe.” Advertisement Related Video The prominent Russian rapper Oxxxymiron has also canceled scheduled gigs in the country in protest of the in invasion, while Eurovision barred Russia from participating in this year’s conte...
Arctic or Antarctic: how to pick your polar adventure
Can’t decide between the Arctic or Antarctic for your polar adventure? Our guide will help you choose between 66° north or south The North and South Poles were only “conquered” in relatively recent history. The South Pole was first attained in 1911 by the Norwegian Roald Amundsen after his epic race with the ill-fated Robert Falcon Scott. The conquest of the North Pole is a little murkier thanks to its location in the middle of the Arctic Ocean among waters that are almost always covered with shifting sea ice. It’s possible that Frederick Cook was the first to reach the North Pole in 1908 or perhaps it was Robert Peary in 1911 or maybe Richard E. Byrd who was the first to fly over it in 1926… But it wasn’t until Roald Amundsen’s definitive flight over the Pole...
Crypto community reacts to Russia’s war in Ukraine
Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine has elicited a strong reaction from the cryptocurrency community. The news of the invasion initially sent Bitcoin (BTC) and other cryptocurrencies tumbling. The U.S. government has since responded to Russia’s invasion with stringent economic sanctions that have helped crypto prices rebound from their initial price collapse. Amid all the doom and gloom, there are a few voices of hope in the crypto community. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin, a Russian citizen, voiced vocal opposition to Russia’s invasion and said the country should not have abandoned the prospect of a peaceful resolution to the conflict. FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried decided to step up and offer monetary support to Ukrainian traders. Every Ukrainian account ho...
EU Commission to remove Russian banks from SWIFT cross-border network
The European Commission announced to remove a number of Russian banks from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) messaging system, aimed at hindering Russia’s capacity to carry out cross-border payments. In a joint statement released by the European Commission, leaders from France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States highlighted their shared interest in defending Ukraine from the war against Russia: “We will hold Russia to account and collectively ensure that this war is a strategic failure for Putin.” While condemning the Russian president Vladimir Putin’s move to lay siege across Ukraine, the EU Commission committed to undertake a series of measures to isolate Russia from the international financial system. President o...
Terra’s Mirror Protocol MIR rebounds 40% two days after crashing to record low
Mirror Protocol, a decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol built on the Terra blockchain, was hit by one of the biggest collapses in financial history this week after Vladimir Putin ordered military strikes against Ukraine. Terra tokens rally Mirror Protocol’s native token, MIR, dropped to $0.993 on Feb. 24, its worst level to date amid a selloff across the broader crypto market. But a sharp rebound ensued, taking the price to as high as $1.41 two days later, up more than 40% when measured from MIR’s record low. MIR/USD four-hour price chart. Source: TradingView Just like the drop, MIR’s upside retracement came in the wake of similar recoveries elsewhere in the crypto market. But interestingly, MIR/USD returns appeared larger than some of the highly valued digital assets, i...
Ukraine accepts Bitcoin, Ethereum, USDT donations to fund ongoing war
Within the first week of the Russia-Ukraine war, the Ukrainian government has reached out to the crypto community on Twitter for raising funds to support its civilians and troops. Ukraine has now started accepting Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH) and Tether (USDT) as donations. As Russia threatens to take over Ukraine’s capital city of Kyiv, the government of Ukraine sought help from numerous international organizations to overpower the imminent threat. However, considering time is of the essence, the official Twitter account of Ukraine extended its call for help to Crypto Twitter. Stand with the people of Ukraine. Now accepting cryptocurrency donations. Bitcoin, Ethereum and USDT. BTC – 357a3So9CbsNfBBgFYACGvxxS6tMaDoa1P ETH and USDT (ERC-20) – 0x165CD37b4C644C2921454429E7F9358d1...
YouTube Pauses Monetization for Russian Media Channels Following Sanctions
YouTube is pausing Russian affiliated channels’ ability to monetize on the video platform, the company announced on Saturday (Feb. 26). In a statement, YouTube announced it would be suspending several channels’ ability to collect ad revenue, including the state-funded media outlet RT. The move comes just days after Russia’s decision to invade Ukraine on Thursday. “In light of extraordinary circumstances in Ukraine … we’re pausing a number of channels’ ability to monetize on YouTube, including several Russian channels affiliated with recent sanctions,” YouTube said in the statement obtained by Reuters. Additionally, videos from the blocked channels will appear less often in recommendations. Following a request from the Ukrainian government, RT and the other channels that have had their ad r...
Eurovision Organizers Change Mind, Ban Russia from 2022 Competition
One day after insisting that the Eurovision Song Contest is a “non-political cultural event,” the European Broadcast Union has banned Russia from the 2022 competition following the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. Via Variety, the EBU issued a statement saying that “no Russian act will participate in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.” It continued, “The Executive Board of the EBU made the decision following a recommendation earlier today by the Eurovision Song Contest’s governing body, the Reference Group, based on the rules of the event and the values of the EBU. The Reference Group recommendation was also supported by the EBU’s Television Committee. The decision reflects concern that, in light of the unprecedented crisis in Ukraine, the inclusion of a Russian entry in this ye...
ECB president calls for crypto regulation in response to Russia potentially evading sanctions
Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank (ECB), has called on lawmakers to approve a regulatory framework on crypto, hinting at potentially preventing Russia from getting around economic sanctions. Speaking to reporters at an informal meeting of economics and finance ministers on Friday, Lagarde said the European Central Bank would be “decisively and rigorously” implementing the sanctions on Russia imposed by European lawmakers in response to the country’s invasion of Ukraine. In response to a question on Russia potentially using crypto to evade some of these measures, the ECB president urged action on an existing proposal for a regulatory framework on digital assets. “Whenever there is a ban or prohibition or a mechanism in place to boycott or prohibit, there are always c...
David Lynch’s Weather Report Forecasts “Death and Destruction” for Vladimir Putin
David Lynch included an unusual forecast in his daily weather report on February 25th, predicting that “death and destruction” will come for Russian President Vladimir Putin in the wake of his invasion of Ukraine. Lynch revived the weather reports in 2020 after sporadically posting them to his website in the aughts. He’s known for enthusiastically shaking the camera on Fridays and faithfully reporting the Los Angeles temperatures before signing off with a wave. The February 25th report began like many others, with Lynch revving up like a boxing ring announcer to exclaim, “If you can believe it, it’s a Friday once again!” But his YouTube video soon took an unexpected turn. Advertisement Related Video “Today I was thinking about the Ukrainians and the song ‘Roads’ by Portishead from the...
