As the world watches in horror the unfolding of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, tech entrepreneur Leonid Radvinsky is amassing aid in a way that could only be accomplished by someone with his vision and skill — rallying OnlyFans in cutting-edge fundraising efforts through cryptocurrency and non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Radvinsky is a first-generation Ukrainian American.

On March 10, his company, the subscription social media platform OnlyFans, announced that it had donated 500 ethereum (ETH) cryptocurrency to UkraineDAO (decentralized autonomous organization). That amount of ETH translates to $1.5 million. The founders of UkraineDAO include Ukrainian activists and the digital artist collective PleasrDAO.

“These tragic events have had a terrible impact on individuals, including members of our creator community,” OnlyFans CEO Amrapali “Ami” Gan says. “Given our strong personal ties to Ukraine, we wanted to support in a way which felt true to who we are at OnlyFans and which focused on getting aid and support to the Ukrainian people.”

Leonid Radvinsky Champions a New Way To Give

Leonid Radvinsky is the perfect person to lead this revolutionary method of rendering aid. He’s long been an advocate of open source technology access for all. He believes by removing the financial barriers to programming, the entire world will benefit.

For years, Leo Radvinsky supported open source programming languages such as Elixir by using it as the basis for personal projects, by expanding the language’s capabilities, and providing high-level funding at Elixir conferences.

Soon after the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, he sprang into action. His company, OnlyFans, kick-started an aid campaign with their donation and an auction of an NFT of the Ukrainian flag. That effort reaped an additional 2,258 ETH, valued at around $6.75 million.

The initial plan by the creative team at UkraineDAO was to construct an original artwork for the auction, or perhaps a collaboration with the PleasrDAO online collective, Trippy Labs digital art studio, and the CXIP NFT platform. In the end, they wanted “a symbol of the Ukrainian people,” which would have more impact than focusing “on a particular artist or aesthetic.”

In the true spirit of solidarity, participants in the auction didn’t bid against each other. Instead, buyers decided to share ownership. That way, every one of the 3,200 bids supports humanitarian efforts in Ukraine. Specifically, the money went straight to Come Back Alive, a campaign supporting Ukraine’s military.

That’s a big win for the Ukrainian people. But they couldn’t have done it alone. Much of the success lies within the support of Leonid Radvinsky.

The Cause Gets Personal

The ethereum donation doesn’t reflect the sole support OnlyFans is offering Ukraine. The organization gave another $3.7 million to grassroots organizations in the country, funds that directly support Ukrainians who are suffering the devastating impacts of this war. They’re helping people move out of Ukraine and finding them temporary accommodations using traditional outlets. Still, Leonid Radvinsky’s crypto donation initiative seems more in line with the kind of help Ukrainian leaders are asking for now.

How You Can Support Ukraine Like Leonid Radvinsky and UkraineDAO

Recently, the Ukrainian government made a big announcement on Twitter: It has set up a way to accept crypto donations. Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov doubled down on the appeal for donations, while adding a new request: He’d like cryptocurrency exchanges to block users from Russia.

Already, the government has received almost $100 million in crypto donations. It currently takes bitcoin, ethereum, tether, and dogecoin. And this is where you can help. Thanks to a collaboration between the Ukrainian government, the Everstake crypto company, and the solana blockchain platform, you can click on this link and make a direct donation via the Binance crypto exchange’s charity platform. If you already own cryptocurrency, you can also donate to The Giving Block’s Ukraine Emergency Response Fund. This fund is a designated 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and you can request a tax receipt for your transaction. (You’ll have to consult with a financial professional to determine whether your donation is tax-deductible.)

But one thing remains clear: the growing effort to send cryptocurrency to Ukraine highlights why Leo Radvinsky’s initial ethereum donation was so important. As UkraineDAO posted on its website, traditional funding sources can be “intercepted or halted by traditional institutions, governments, and other factions with intent to control, harm, or simply shift funds without transparency.” But when you stick to cryptocurrency, the blockchain’s transparency prevents interference from any central government or institution. And this transparency in technology has long been one of the tech entrepreneur’s driving values.