Russia's invasion of Ukraine is being called the world's first crypto war

Russia's invasion of Ukraine is being called the world's first crypto war

Transcript¹

Ukrainians have raised tens of millions of dollars in digital currency to assist in the fight against Russia. Washington aims to stop Russia from using crypto to bypass western sanctions.

A MARTINEZ, HOST:

Some are calling Russia's invasion of Ukraine the world's first crypto war. Here's why. On one hand, Ukrainians have raised tens of millions of dollars in cryptocurrency to assist in the fighting. On the other, Washington is trying to stop Russia from using crypto to bypass Western sanctions.

NPR tech reporter Bobby Allyn takes a deeper look at the role of crypto in this conflict.

BOBBY ALLYN, BYLINE²: Crypto has attracted the likes of techno optimists³, criminals and oligarchs. The cryptocurrency market is worth $2 trillion. That's nearly four times the value of Facebook. Its appeal? It's exchanged anonymously⁴ and outside the reach of the global banking⁵ sector⁶. Now it's being used as a tool of modern warfare⁷.

TIMOTHY SPANGLER: When we went from stones to spears to catapults to guns, that new technology gets interwoven into times of conflict.

ALLYN: Timothy Spangler is a lawyer who specializes in digital currencies. He says since tough Western sanctions were imposed on Russia, all eyes have turned to cryptocurrency. That's because it operates on blockchain technology, a shared public database not overseen⁸ by banks.

SPANGLER: Blockchain technology gives the Russians the very ability that the Biden administration should be concerned about - the ability to transact⁹ directly.

ALLYN: The Biden administration and European officials say they are dialing up surveillance of blockchains to try to catch any activity from people connected to the Kremlin. Ukrainian officials have asked crypto exchanges to freeze all Russian accounts. The companies agreed to enforce a blacklist. But they are refusing to ban all Russian accounts, saying that would undermine the crypto community's libertarian ethos. That doesn't mean it's going to be easy for the Kremlin.

ROSS DELSTON: There's lots of problems here for the Russian government.

ALLYN: That's Ross Delston. He's a crypto expert and former banking regulator. He says crypto is volatile¹⁰. So parking lots of money in crypto could mean losing money for the Russian government. But an even bigger issue is Kremlin allies will have trouble making purchases unless they convert crypto into standard currency.

DELSTON: So where are you going to buy this stuff? - for example, food imports. What about spare parts for equipment and electronics that are not made in Russia?

ALLYN: Delston says buying those kinds of things will require currencies like the U.S. dollar or the euro - the sort of money that moves across the banking sector, the very place where Western officials are looking to enforce its sanctions.

DELSTON: There'll be an army of people in the U.S. government looking at cryptocurrency transactions, at least the ones on public blockchains.

ALLYN: Meanwhile, government officials in Ukraine have their own plan for crypto - providing funding to the military and its residents. The Ukrainian government has asked for donations in cryptocurrency and has so far raised more than $50 million in crypto.

Alex Gladstein with the Human Rights Foundation has been assisting in the fundraising.

ALEX GLADSTEIN: Humanitarian¹¹ implications of this are massive.

ALLYN: He says it's the everyday citizens caught in the middle of the war who might actually benefit the most from established cryptocurrencies like bitcoin, since it can be transmitted instantly and without a local bank account or even an ID.

GLADSTEIN: War, however it's waged, hurts the average person more than it hurts the elites¹². Now we have a technology that benefits everybody equally. And it's inspiring to see that people now have this, like, backup plan.

ALLYN: More and more aid groups are trying to make crypto accessible to Ukrainians. But the world of cryptocurrency is complicated. It requires real tech savvy¹³, navigating¹⁴ a host of apps and online marketplaces - likely not top of mind for people in the midst of war.

Bobby Allyn, NPR News.

(SOUNDBITE OF RATATAT'S "LOUD PIPES")

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 optimists   

n.乐观主义者( optimist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Even optimists admit the outlook to be poor. 甚至乐观的人都认为前景不好。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Optimists reckon house prices will move up with inflation this year. 乐观人士认为今年的房价将会随通货膨胀而上涨。 来自辞典例句

4 anonymously   

ad.用匿名的方式

参考例句：

• The manuscripts were submitted anonymously. 原稿是匿名送交的。
• Methods A self-administered questionnaire was used to survey 536 teachers anonymously. 方法采用自编“中小学教师职业压力问卷”对536名中小学教师进行无记名调查。

5 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

6 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

7 warfare   

n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突

参考例句：

• He addressed the audience on the subject of atomic warfare.他向听众演讲有关原子战争的问题。
• Their struggle consists mainly in peasant guerrilla warfare.他们的斗争主要是农民游击战。

8 overseen   

v.监督，监视( oversee的过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was overseen stealing the letters. 他被人撞见在偷信件。 来自辞典例句
• It will be overseen by ThomasLi, director of IBM China Research Laboratory. 该实验室由IBM中国研究院院长李实恭(ThomasLi)引导。 来自互联网

9 transact   

v.处理；做交易；谈判

参考例句：

• I will transact my business by letter.我会写信去洽谈业务。
• I have been obliged to see him；there was business to transact.我不得不见他，有些事物要处理。

10 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。

11 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

12 elites   

精华( elite的名词复数 )； 精锐； 上层集团； （统称）掌权人物

参考例句：

• The elites are by their nature a factor contributing to underdevelopment. 这些上层人物天生是助长欠发达的因素。
• Elites always detest gifted and nimble outsiders. 社会名流对天赋聪明、多才多艺的局外人一向嫌恶。

13 savvy   

v.知道，了解；n.理解能力，机智，悟性；adj.有见识的，懂实际知识的，通情达理的

参考例句：

• She was a pretty savvy woman.她是个见过世面的漂亮女人。
• Where's your savvy?你的常识到哪里去了？

14 navigating   

v.给（船舶、飞机等）引航，导航( navigate的现在分词 )；（从海上、空中等）横越；横渡；飞跃

参考例句：

• These can also be very useful when navigating time-based documents, such as video and audio. 它对于和时间有关的文档非常有用，比如视频和音频文档。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• Vehicles slowed to a crawl on city roads, navigating slushy snow. 汽车在市区路上行驶缓慢，穿越泥泞的雪地。 来自互联网