Ukrainian servicemen stand north of Kyiv on February 24, 2022. – Russian and Ukrainian forces are fighting for control of an air base on the northern outskirts of Kyiv, a senior officer said. said on February 24, 2022, when dozens of attack helicopters swooped over the area.
Daniel Leal | AFP | beautiful pictures
Patreon, a startup whose website allows people to donate money to individuals and groups, said on Thursday it had suspended a fundraising campaign that a nonprofit was using to make donations. to distribute armor, medical kits and helmets to Ukrainian soldiers.
Come Back Alive is a charity founded in 2014 and based in Kyiv. The organization last received funds from the Patreon site in August, its director, Taras Chmut, told CNBC in an interview.
Chmut said they received a small amount over several months. Later Russia Invaded Ukraine Late Wednesdayand over $300,000 went in, including many donations under $1,000.
But on Thursday, those who tried to visit Page just see the message “This page has been deleted.”
Chmut said that’s what he sees when he tries to access account details and see about outbound transfers to pay for the device. He said the team emailed Patreon and the company said it was looking into the case.
But Patreon told CNBC that using the site to assist with purchases of military equipment has been banned.
“Patreon does not authorize any campaign that involves violence or purchases of military equipment, regardless of their cause,” a company spokesperson told CNBC in an email. “We’re investigating because of the reps on their donation page to see how the money will be used. We have suspended the campaign in question while we investigate. If a page is eventually deleted, it is our policy to send the creator the remaining amount or refund all commitments. “
After this post was published, Patreon announced in a blog post that amount in the charity’s account will be refunded to all who contributed.
On Thursday, Ukraine announced a mobilization efforts to expand the military force of the country.
But the participants may not be well protected from harm.
“We have people who die because they don’t have armor,” says Chmut. The country wasn’t rich, and the nonprofit was helping soldiers get the equipment they needed, he said.
According to the most recent annual report, Come Back Alive has also provided mobile surveillance systems, TVs and other devices.
The team has other ways to collect donations – the bitcoin wallet code is listed on the group website and Bitcoin donations have been poured in – but the Patreon site is the most convenient way for foreigners to give, and many are already using it, says Chmut.
“We have too much money here to lose it,” he said.
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