Nadya of Pussy Riot announces NFT fundraiser benefitting victims of Putin’s war

Arcade Fire have announced a last minute concert in New York tonight (March 18) to help victims in Ukraine.The band took to Instagram today to confirm they are playing a benefit show at the Bowery Ballroom – watch the announcement clip below.In the post, frontman Win Butler and band member Richard Reed Parry can be seen stapling posters for the show on a message board.“Hey New York, we’re gonna play a show tonight, if you guys wanna come,” says frontman Win Butler. “It’s a benefit gig for Ukraine at the Bowery Ballroom.”A post shared by Arcade Fire (@arcadefire)A caption on the clip also says “pay what u can” but no further information on how to purchase the tickets has been posted.It comes after the band played a benefit concert for Ukraine in New Orleans earlier this week.That show saw Arcade Fire play a number of new tracks including their single ‘The Lightning, I, II’, ‘Age of Anxiety’, and ‘Rabbit Hole’.All proceeds from that “pay-what-you-can” gig went to benefit the Plus1 Ukraine relief fund, which is supporting Ukrainian people through non-profits providing humanitarian aid as Russia’s invasion of the country continues.Meanwhile, the band unveiled details of their new album ‘WE’ yesterday (March 17).Speaking about their sixth studio LP, Butler said creating it was “the longest we’ve ever spent writing, uninterrupted, probably ever.”Described as a “concise 40 minute epic” in a statement, it contains seven songs and is “as much about the forces that threaten to pull us away from the people we love, as it is inspired by the urgent need to overcome them”, according to a press release.

Anna Tingley Pussy Riot’s Nadya Tolokonnikova has long been averse to the idea of national borders. Although the Russian-born punk rocker’s career spans roles as a performance artist, musician and activist, the 32-year-old has become known for her activism against the Putin regime — and is what landed her in a prison outside of Moscow for two years in 2012 after she and Pussy Riot denounced the Russian leader during a guerilla music performance.

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Former Miss Ukraine Anastasiia Lenna has joined the Ukrainian forces to fight Russian troops as Vladimir Putin's invasion continues.The stunning brunette has swapped evening gowns for a rifle as she warned Russian invaders that they will "will die on our land" if they continue their advance. Sharing images on her social media, Anastasiia, who represented Ukraine at the 2015 Miss Grand International beauty pageant, has vowed to defend Ukraine until their safe border is restored.This week, Anastasiia, who has 315,000 Instagram followers, posted another video contrasting Ukraine before the war compared to recent photos and videos.

In February, popular Russian hip-hop artist and activist Oxxxymiron made headlines around the world when he canceled a series of concerts in his home country in protest over the invasion of Ukraine. Next week, he'll perform a series of charity concerts with proceeds benefitting Ukrainian refugees for a series entitled Russians Against War, or RAW for short.

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Pussy Riot’s Nadya Tolokonnikova has spoken out in a new interview against Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, calling the Russian leader “insane”.Tolokonnikova and her Pussy Riot bandmates have been longtime critics of Putin’s regime, with Tolokonnikova herself spending two years in a Siberian prison for dissenting. Earlier this year, she and bandmate Nika Nikulshina were labelled “foreign agents” by the Russian government.In a new interview with The Guardian, Tolokonnikova discussed her fears for the people of Ukraine and the jeopardy facing Russians who speak out against Putin.“Putin just signed a law that said you’re going to get 15 years in jail for even discussing the war in Ukraine,” she said.

Mila Kunis, 38, and her husband Ashton Kutcher, 44, helped raise over $16 million to aid Ukrainian refugees who are struggling during the war with Russia in just three days. The actress shared a message, thanking fans for the outpouring of support on Saturday March 5. She said that fundraiser (shared on GoFundMe) was going to provide “immediate support” for those affected, and that she and Ashton would match up to $3 million. 

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The world is watching in horror as Russia invades Ukraine, with one of the largest armies on the planet killing innocent citizens and destroying countless buildings and homes with each passing day. While governments impose financial sanctions aimed at hurting the aggressor’s leader and its wealthy ruling class, many ordinary people feel hopeless.Now, a Russian musician known around the globe for political activism has utilized her platform and popularity to raise millions for the Ukrainian defense — and she did so using a sexy new technology that ensures the money is going where it’s needed without delay.Nadya Tolokonnikova, one of the members of Russian rock band Pussy Riot, set up an organization named UkraineDAO in order to sell an NFT for a good cause.The digital-only artwork sold for a whopping $6.7 million, and all the proceeds are going to Come Back Alive, a non-profit that was founded in 2014 and that calls itself “the largest foundation providing support to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.”In just three days, as many as 3,200 individual donors spent digital cryptocurrency to own some of the NFT, which was nothing more than an image of the Ukrainian flag.

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