Day 31 - cryptodrftng.

Background info on me.

Hey everyone! 

I’d like to kickstart this blog by sharing a bit of personal info about the person actually writing it.

My name is Alona and I’m a co-founder of Ukraine DAO. I am Ukrainian, based in the UK. I grew up in a rural area in Eastern Ukraine and spent a lot of my free time as a teenager reading books (there weren’t many other ways to entertain yourself) and watering tomatoes in my family’s vegetable garden (didn’t enjoy that very much, not gonna lie). While Ukrainian is my native language, I also speak French (although it’s rusty now) and am a member and qualified translator of the Chartered Institute of Linquists in the UK.

I also love martial arts - I’m a Brazilian jiu-jitsu blue belt and have done a bit of boxing as well.

I maintain close links with the Ukrainian diaspora in London, and in November 2019 I skydived to raise funds for Ukraine Charity, which is a UK-based charity that focuses on helping underprivileged children in Ukraine. Check out their website, they are raising funds now too. 

In March 2020, in the beginning of the COVID pandemic, I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. It’s an autoimmune condition that’s incurable and very difficult to manage. This diagnosis definitely changed me as a person and has had a big impact on how I’ve been coping with the recent events. On a lighter note, it also made me get Sasha, who is a 2yo cockapoo and my best friend. You will learn more about how great Sasha is from this blog, because I talk about him all the time.

Education

Academically, I mostly studied law and languages. I’m a very curious person and study a lot of other subjects independently. Main areas of interests include psychology, spirituality, AI, technology (especially blockchain), and space exploration.

Politics

I have never been affiliated with any political party or ideology. I like to develop nuanced views with an open mind while seeking the truth. 

Since 2014, I have been raising awareness about the war in Ukraine by covering perspectives from people in Ukraine, as well as its history. I regularly debunk misinformation and promote media literacy through my Twitter account, which you are welcome to follow.

In my speech about the war in Ukraine at Sussex University in 2015, I called Russia a fascist state. This statement was based on my research on Russian propaganda and Russian military aggression in Ukraine. At the time, it was a preposterous accusation. As we know, though, it has unfortunately turned out to be true. It’s important to understand that what we are seeing in Ukraine right now is the result of the information war that Russia has been waging for years and years.

Some quotes from my 2015 presentation:

”The Russian propaganda machine has turned words into a weapon of mass destruction. Many Russians believe that Ukraine is being overrun by the fascist government, which is ruthlessly persecuting Russian speakers.”

“Ukrainian authorities are seemingly incapable of stopping the spread of propaganda”

 “The dissemination of propaganda is a crucial part of Moscow’s strategy to gain control of eastern (and perhaps the rest of) Ukraine.”

You can also see an open letter about Russian aggression in Ukraine that I wrote for FreeRossDAO on February 21st - three days before this most recent full-scale invasion began.

February 21st also happens to be Ukraine DAO’s birthday - but that’s a story I will tell you on another occasion :) 

Shevchenko Fundraiser [INACTIVE, THANK YOU TO ALL THE FRIENDS FOR HELP]

I am raising funds to support my parents who are working at the Western border of Ukraine helping to deliver humanitarian aid. It’s critically important work because there’s a lot of humanitarian aid sent but not enough trucks/logistics people. My parents currently have 8 trucks there, drivers for those and an accountant. They have everything they need except for funds for operational expenses - most importantly, refuelling the trucks. I’m still confirming exactly how much they need per month but my estimate would be $30,000/month minimum. 

They aren’t doing it for any profit and will be able to provide all the documents and invoices confirming how all the funds were spent. The trucks have Ukraine DAO’s stickers on them:) I’ve set up an Ethereum address to which you can donate towards this cause and made the first transactions to them through Any.Cash app - they were able to cash it out.

Ethereum address for donations for my parents’ operational expenses: 

0x374e0e66E6fac08e217Be1e5C44e29CDD9d14Dc8

More info about them, their work and how to help them will be covered in my next post about them the day after tomorrow. 

Thank you for reading this and don’t forget to #StandWithUkraine today! 🇺🇦