[2019-04-24] Russian Opposition Leader Raises $3 Million in Bitcoin Donations

[cybersofts]

Bitcoin has become a significant funding source for one of Russia’s leading political dissidents.

Alexei Navalny, a politician believed by many to be President Vladimir Putin’s main opponent, has attracted more than 591 BTC in donations over the last three years, worth about $3 million at current prices, public blockchain data shows.

The donations became a flashpoint this week when a pro-Putin television network questioned their timing.

Navalny’s investigative center, the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), regularly publishes exposés of government officials, including prime minister Dimitri Medvedev and attorney general Yuri Chaika.

On Monday, an anonymous Telegram channel, “FBK Staffer’s Confession,”  noted that the Navalny organization’s wallet received several large donations a few days before FBK published one such investigation, insinuating it was a paid hit piece. The claim was covered in Russian media, including the pro-Putin Tsargrad TV.

When contacted by Russian news publication Znak, FBK’s chief of staff Leonid Volkov denied any connection between the transactions and its investigations, saying the anonymous blogger “dragged the non-existent facts together in by the head and shoulders.”

Volkov added:

“You can say that each time Encke’s Comet approaches the Earth it coincides with a big war: 1914 (First World War), 1941 (World War II) and 2014 (War on Eastern Ukraine). But its rotation period is three years, and it approached the Earth many times when there were no big wars.”

Funding dissent
The Navalny wallet (3QzYvaRFY6bakFBW4YBRrzmwzTnfZcaA6E, listed on the donations page of his website) received its first bitcoin in December 2016 and since then has seen more than 2,000 transactions, including withdrawals, according to blockchain data.

Most transactions were worth from a fraction of a bitcoin to several bitcoins. From time to time, larger transactions occurred, bringing in up to 20 BTC at once.

Yet Navalny’s political movement, which also accepts donations via bank transfers and PayPal, is not the only dissenting voice in Russia to take cryptocurrency.

Investigative outlets including Zona.Media and The Insider, as well as internet freedom movement Roskomsvoboda, accept donations in bitcoin or ether. However, their wallets have accumulated only small amounts of crypto, no more than 2 BTC each.


Reference: https://www.coindesk.com/russian-opposition-leader-raises-3-million-in-bitcoin-donations

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[hugeblack]

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I do not know why many people are trying to stick these charges to BTC, just because you do not need to verify your ID when you make transactions (Electoral donations.)
Many countries impose a lot of restrictions on campaigning. I do not know how it's going to happen in Russia, but I do not expect there to be any announcement until  KYC confirmed.
I checked that address, so until last month the biggest received value was about 5 Bitcoin.

[hatshepsut93]

This is a great use case for Bitcoin and a good publicity, people shouldn't forget that Bitcoin isn't about moon and lambo's, it's a technology of freedom. Next time I'll see someone on reddit telling people that Bitcoin is a useless beanie baby and a bubble, I'm going to link them this article as an example of why Bitcoin is needed.

[veleten]

opposition leader is a slight exaggeration , he is not leading anyone but some schoolboys who tend to be attracted by his videos
everyone in Russia knows that Navalny is just a muppet, nothing else and has no substance in him
I am amazed that CNN and some other news outlets call him "main Putin's opponent"
he is funded not by bitcoin donations only , despite that Navalny’s wallet address has received over 2,000 donations since opening in 2016 totalling over 500 btc
it is crystal clear that to support the partie's structure across the country  requires way more than that
in any case oh the irony: Navalny has a suspended case of embezzlement against him , he positions himself as an anti-corruption freedom fighter but
  has a corruption charge against him open 

[CryptoBry]

This is a great use case for Bitcoin and a good publicity, people shouldn't forget that Bitcoin isn't about moon and lambo's, it's a technology of freedom. Next time I'll see someone on reddit telling people that Bitcoin is a useless beanie baby and a bubble, I'm going to link them this article as an example of why Bitcoin is needed.

Indeed. Bitcoin can be money unrestricted as shown by the story above...supporting those people who are leading campaigns against people who are presently holding the governmental power. This is showing us that in Russia there are still people who are not influenced by the Putin effect and have their eyes and ears open to things happening inside away from the consciousness of the public scrutiny.

[Snaic]

I am very pleased that there is at least some kind of opposition in Russia, which, moreover, uses bitcoins for its donations. Aleksey Navalny is a well-known politician in Russia who could well be the next president if elections were fair there.
However, if a law on cryptocurrency is adopted there, which has almost been passed there, then the use of cryptocurrency for the public will in fact be prohibited.

[shamc]

We clearly know what's going on. It's the Americans interfering with Russian elections This is revenge for supporting trump with this dodgy hacking and social media posts

[BitHodler]

This is a great use case for Bitcoin and a good publicity, people shouldn't forget that Bitcoin isn't about moon and lambo's, it's a technology of freedom. Next time I'll see someone on reddit telling people that Bitcoin is a useless beanie baby and a bubble, I'm going to link them this article as an example of why Bitcoin is needed.

It's admittedly very hard for people to focus on things other than the price action with how the price is all you hear and read about. Most old timers here started out as speculative get rich quick noobs, don't forget that.

In all cases, people will end up finding out what Bitcoin really stands for. Sure, it might take a year or two, but we have to remember that this isn't a sprint but a marathon we're participating in.

If all people valued Bitcoin based on what its built for, then we already would hover over the $1 million mark. This opportunity for me means a long term process of accumulation. I appreciate the opportunity.