Ukraine
In Ukraine, Music Promoters Pivot to War’s Front Lines: ‘Culture Needs to Hold On’
The ritual is the same every August. Promoters for Zaxidfest, about an hour southwest of Lviv, Ukraine, dig into storage containers and haul out electrical generators, walkie-talkies and other equipment to put on the latest edition of the event, which has been held since 2009. This summer will be different. “All our storage goes to armed forces and refugees,” says Yakiv Matviychuk, the founder of the festival, which booked punk and metal bands like Cradle of Filth and Lacuna Coil in 2019 and drew 75,000 fans in a single day. “Unfortunately, I am not a soldier. So I help with donations. All people do what they can do the best.” Many men on Zaxidfest’s staff have joined the military to repel the Russian forces who attacked the country on Feb. 24. They’re scattered throughout Ukraine, from Ky...
Devo to Donate Song Revenue to Ukraine
Devo, the New Wave music group known for hits like “Whip It,” said they will donate their licensing revenue from their song catalog for the entire month of April, along with personal monetary contributions, to organizations that are helping support the Ukrainian people and refugees. The money will be earmarked for Music Saves UA and World Central Kitchen. Devo is asking others in the music industry to join them in this effort. Explore Explore Devo See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “Vladimir Putin’s rape of a sovereign nation, Ukraine, whose citizens are committed to democratic rule of law should not and cannot stand in the 21st Century,” said Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerald Casale of Devo. “To help the victims of Putin’s unprovoked war, Devo will be donatin...
Ukrainian President Zelensky Thanks Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher for Raising $35 Million in Aid
In just over two weeks, Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher have raised a whopping $35 million to provide humanitarian aid to refugees of Ukraine following the ongoing invasion by Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently hopped on Zoom with the couple to express his gratitude for the couple’s efforts, while also sharing a snapshot of the call on social media. “.@aplusk & Mila Kunis were among the first to respond to our grief,” Zelensky wrote on Twitter. “They have already raised $35 million & are sending it to @flexport & @Airbnb to help [Ukrainian] refugees. Grateful for their support. Impressed by their determination. They inspire the world.” Earlier this month, Kunis (who immigrated from Ukraine to the US in 1991) and her husband started a ...
Amid conflict, NFT projects already seek to rebuild Ukraine
The recent invasion of Ukraine has put the world in a state of uncertainty, turmoil and geopolitical risk. Volatility in the global financial markets has caused immense losses to millions of investors. With rising global inflation, fear of tapering liquidity, and increasing interest rates by the United States Federal Reserve, havoc is spreading across the global economy. Additionally, the delinking of SWIFT messaging services for leading Russian banks is causing concern among entrepreneurs in the nation while also impacting other economies with strong Russian trade ties. With Visa and Mastercard halting their Russian operations, there will be further untold consequences for the interoperability of their payment systems and the everyday citizens who rely on them. Amid all these uncert...
How SXSW’s Only Ukrainian Act Fled Kyiv to Bring ‘Masters of War’ to Austin
To get to this moment — singing “Masters of War” at the Speakeasy in Austin, Texas, on Saturday (March 19) with Bob Dylan‘s guitarist while fans draped in Ukrainian flags roared from the balcony — Oleksandra Zaritska endured a terrible journey. On Feb. 25, the 29-year-old singer for popular regional trio Kazka was living in central Kyiv when Russia invaded her country. Early that morning, she witnessed the bombing from her balcony. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “I will remember this for my whole life,” Zaritska tells Billboard, with the occasional help of a translator, during South by Southwest at a downtown Austin food hall a day prior to the Speakeasy gig. As emergency sirens blared throughout the city, Zaritska, better known as Sasha, deci...
Amelie Lens’ Exhale Records Releases Charity Compilation to Aid Humanitarian Efforts In Ukraine
The residents of Exhale Records are coming together to support humanitarian efforts in Ukraine with a charity compilation, Together with Ukraine! Helmed by Amelie Lens, the Belgium-based imprint has assembled a team of techno stalwarts for a 14-track album. Lens herself opens things up with a tone-setting rework of her 2017 original, “Purge.” Lens, who was named one of EDM.com‘s Best Music Producers of 2021, pumps up the energy of the original with an accentuated, thumping kick and powerful synths reminiscent of a prior era of old-school rave. The ode to the underground continues with the acid rave stylings of Ahl Iver’s “Feel The Groove,” the frenetic cadence of Lokier’s “Broken,” and Charlie Sparks and Frazi.er’s ...
Internet Computer founder’s $250M plan to help end the war in Ukraine
Internet Computer (ICP) and DFINITY founder Dominic Williams has conjured up an oddball plan to speed up the end of the Russian invasion of Ukraine via smart contracts and $250 million worth of crypto rewards. DFINITY’s Internet Computer was launched in May 2021 and is a public blockchain and protocol that’s trying to decentralize the internet. Williams’ March 16 proposal is focused on countering propaganda, and informing the Russian population — who he suggests are in general “completely ignorant” — on the reality of what is actually taking place in Ukraine, which will then, in turn, spur them on to pressure the government to stop the conflict. “We should not hold out too much hope that sanctions alone will turn the Russian population against their leaders, for the simple reason tha...
Ukraine’s president signs law establishing regulatory framework for crypto
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine currently based in Kyiv, has signed a law establishing a legal framework for the country to operate a regulated crypto market. In a Wednesday announcement, Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation said Zelenskyy signed a bill named “On Virtual Assets,” first adopted by the country’s legislature, the Verkhovna Rada, in February. Crypto exchanges and firms handling digital assets will be required to register with the government to operate legally in Ukraine, and banks will be allowed to open accounts for crypto firms. The law endows Ukraine’s National Securities and Stock Market Commission with the power to determine the country’s policies on digital assets, issue licenses to businesses dealing with crypto and act as a financial watchdo...
Benedict Cumberbatch Plans to Host Ukrainian Refugees
Actor Benedict Cumberbatch plans to open up his inner sanctum to Ukrainian refugees in the wake of Russia’s unprovoked invasion. The London resident and star of The Power of the Dog shared his intentions to take part in the UK’s new “Homes for Ukraine” initiative on the red carpet for the 2022 BAFTAs on Sunday, March 15th. “It is a really shocking time to be a European two-and-a-half hours’ flight away from Ukraine and it’s something that hangs over us,” Cumberbatch told Sky News. “We all need, as we know, to do more than wear a badge. We need to donate, we need to pressure our politicians to continue to create some kind of refugee safety and a haven here for people who are suffering and figure that system out. I know it’s ongoing, I know that’s happening. Everyone need...
Edgeless Traitor: Candace Owens Shows Alleged Allegiance To Putin With “Russian Lives Matter” Quip
HipHopWired Featured Video CLOSE Source: Jason Davis / Getty Candace Owens, she of deficient edges and general good sense, makes it her business to a disruptive presence in media with hardline ideals and fealty to all things conservative. The wayward pundit used her massive Twitter platform to show support for Vladimir Putin’s assault on Ukraine, willfully tweeting “Russian Lives Matter” at the end of her misguided missive. Back on March 9, Owens shared this doozy of a tweet that we won’t dignify with a direct link but will share in the body of this text: Absolutely appalling the way Russians are being treated in America and abroad. That our leaders and government institutions are allowing for—and at times calling for this discrimination following their global “black lives matter” hysteria...
THORChain quietly outperforms crypto market in Q1 — Can RUNE price break $10 next?
THORChain (RUNE) could continue its upward momentum in the coming weeks even as it treads inside a classic bearish reversal structure. RUNE’s price has rebounded strongly by over 165% four weeks after testing its multi-month horizontal level support near $3.15. What’s more, its upside retracement has opened up possibilities about an extended bull run toward $11.50, about 45% above the current price level near $7.89, as shown in the chart below. RUNE/USD weekly price chart featuring descending triangle setup. Source: TradingView The $11.50-level coincides with RUNE’s multi-month falling trendline resistance, forming a descending triangle, a bearish setup, in conjunction with the lower horizontal support. That could have RUNE’s price correct again to $3.15 after reach...
Russian Hip-Hop Artist Oxxxymiron Organizes Anti-War Concert Series To Help Ukrainians
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV / Gettynews The Russian invasion of Ukraine is now in its third week, and the majority of the world has decried the action including Russian citizens. Now, one notable Russian rapper is organizing a concert series to condemn the war. According to reports, the rapper Oxxxymiron has put together a concert series that will be a show of protest against his country’s invasion of Ukraine. “Today my nose is red from the cold, I’m cheerful but very angry. I’m angry because sh*t’s still f*cked up, because the war in Ukraine has been going on for more than two weeks. And yet there are tens of millions of Russians who categorically disagree with this war. And I think this should be said as loudly as possible,” Oxxxymiron said in a video shared to ...
