Volodymyr Zelenskyy launches crowdfunding site to pay for fight against Russian invasion

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has launched a crowdfunding government website that is asking for donations to help pay for the defense of his country against the Russian invasion.

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Zelenskyy announced the creation of United24 via Twitter.

According to the fund’s website, the “charitable donations in support of Ukraine” will be “transferred to the official accounts of the National Bank of Ukraine and allocated by assigned ministries to cover the most pressing needs.”

The money is said to go to defense, removal of mines, medical aid and eventually the rebuilding of Ukraine.

Zelenskyy said that his government will share how the money is distributed, to increase donations and to “ensure the efficiency and transparency of their distribution.” The first report will be released on Thursday, Insider reported.

This is not the first time the Ukrainian government has launched a donation site. In March, leaders created an “Aid for Ukraine” website with help from various cryptocurrency companies. All money donated through donate.thedigital.gov.ua was said to go to Ukraine’s central bank for distribution, Australia’s ABC News reported.

Reuters reported earlier this week that more than 3,000 people are confirmed to have been killed in Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion on Feb. 24. But the death toll is likely considerably higher since the U.N. human rights office said that it is difficult to get access to sites. Most were killed by explosions from missiles and airstrikes, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights told Reuters.

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Latest from Ukraine An elderly woman sits on a bus with her dog during evacuation from Lyman, Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine, Saturday, April 30, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka) (Evgeniy Maloletka/AP)