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Is there any evidence at all that Ukranians are actually doing this, or is this another one of these justifications for BTC that are basically "Theoretically it

Is there any evidence at all that Ukranians are actually doing this, or is this another one of these justifications for BTC that are basically "Theoretically it could do x" phrased as "It's helping these people do x" when, in fact, no one actually uses it to do x. If I were a Ukranian refugee I would be getting every penny I can out into cash, preferably euros. Not sticking all my money into some dodgy internet currency from a country that generally no longer has reliable internet access.

randomhodler84 5y ago
And that would be stolen from you, as you have no practical way to hide it physically. Unless you are physically able to carry and defend a backpack full of euro notes, that ain’t going with you. Also, there is no cash available on the ground. With cryptocurrency, one can transfer and hide one’s life’s savings behind 12-24 words that derive a set of private keys. That is it. Burn it into your long term memory, and you will be able to recover your funds anywhere in the world.
- Traster 5y ago
  I don't think you're thinking this through carefully. Firstly, cash does not take as much space as you think, $1000 is 20 bank notes. It's not a back pack full. Secondly, if we're thinking about fleeing Ukraine you need to have transfered that money before the crisis. You can transfer a decent amount of money into dollars and be confident it's going to stay stable, you're going to have that amount of cash to leave with. If you transferred into BTC a month ago, you've lost roughly 10% of the money you transfereed just because the volatility. So you're putting this escape money at significant risk (imagine that the war didn't happen, and you've just burned a big chunk of your savings through BTC volatility). Going back to the first point - if you're literally talking about a backpack full, presumably you're talking about sticking your entire life savings into BTC? And just what? Hope it goes up? Finally, your scheme sounds a little... risky. So Russia invades Ukraine and starts shelling your cities, you've got to travel cross country out of Ukraine, into a Polish refugee centre, possibly facing life threatening conditions. And at the end of it - better have remembered that 24 word pass phrase! Because if you forgot it, your entire escape money is gone forever!
  - randomhodler84 5y ago
    We are talking about a war situation. There is no cash. No UAH notes, no gold, no USD notes. You sell your possessions (car, clothes, trinkets) to anyone that will pay you BTC or another cryptocurrency. You could even sell it for USD stablecoins if you were concerned about the fluctuation of cryptocurrency. This is something people are doing. It is something directly enabled by this technology.
    - Traster 5y ago
      if you’re saying there’s no cash I’m saying there’s no Bitcoin. Getting the Bitcoin is exactly as hard as getting the cash. The only way you have either is you prepped before the war. In which case you’re better of having dollars you can use, rather than internet promises in a country with no internet.
cdiddy2 5y ago
This is probably the closest https://bitcoinmagazine.com/culture/bitcoin-enables-ukrainian-refugee-escape https://bitcoinmagazine.com/culture/bitcoin-enables-ukrainia... This goes into some of the uses but doesn't mention atms https://www.vox.com/recode/22955381/russia-ukraine-bitcoin-donation-war-crypto https://www.vox.com/recode/22955381/russia-ukraine-bitcoin-d...
- Traster 5y ago
  So the only person we can find who claims to have used BTC to flee Ukraine is a guy who is literally the webmsater for a company that raises money to mine crytpo. And he didn't buy BTC when he wanted to flee Ukraine, because he couldn't because the banks had stopped withdrawals, he took the BTC he already had saved. And as the article notes - since he has bitcoin, he didn't need an ATM he just sold it to people he knew in Poland for cash. And that's all taking it on face value that the story isn't just straight BS. Personally, if I were living in a place that is at threat of war (and let's face it, this war was no big surprise) I think I'd be much more likely to just keep a few hundred dollars stashed away in cash, than rely on a usb stick.
  - cdiddy2 5y ago
    https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/23/ukrainian-flees-to-poland-with-2000-in-bitcoin-on-usb-drive.html https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/23/ukrainian-flees-to-poland-wi...

randomhodler84 5y ago

And that would be stolen from you, as you have no practical way to hide it physically. Unless you are physically able to carry and defend a backpack full of euro notes, that ain’t going with you. Also, there is no cash available on the ground. With cryptocurrency, one can transfer and hide one’s life’s savings behind 12-24 words that derive a set of private keys. That is it. Burn it into your long term memory, and you will be able to recover your funds anywhere in the world.

Traster 5y ago
I don't think you're thinking this through carefully. Firstly, cash does not take as much space as you think, $1000 is 20 bank notes. It's not a back pack full. Secondly, if we're thinking about fleeing Ukraine you need to have transfered that money before the crisis. You can transfer a decent amount of money into dollars and be confident it's going to stay stable, you're going to have that amount of cash to leave with. If you transferred into BTC a month ago, you've lost roughly 10% of the money you transfereed just because the volatility. So you're putting this escape money at significant risk (imagine that the war didn't happen, and you've just burned a big chunk of your savings through BTC volatility). Going back to the first point - if you're literally talking about a backpack full, presumably you're talking about sticking your entire life savings into BTC? And just what? Hope it goes up? Finally, your scheme sounds a little... risky. So Russia invades Ukraine and starts shelling your cities, you've got to travel cross country out of Ukraine, into a Polish refugee centre, possibly facing life threatening conditions. And at the end of it - better have remembered that 24 word pass phrase! Because if you forgot it, your entire escape money is gone forever!
- randomhodler84 5y ago
  We are talking about a war situation. There is no cash. No UAH notes, no gold, no USD notes. You sell your possessions (car, clothes, trinkets) to anyone that will pay you BTC or another cryptocurrency. You could even sell it for USD stablecoins if you were concerned about the fluctuation of cryptocurrency. This is something people are doing. It is something directly enabled by this technology.
  - Traster 5y ago
    if you’re saying there’s no cash I’m saying there’s no Bitcoin. Getting the Bitcoin is exactly as hard as getting the cash. The only way you have either is you prepped before the war. In which case you’re better of having dollars you can use, rather than internet promises in a country with no internet.

cdiddy2 5y ago

This is probably the closest https://bitcoinmagazine.com/culture/bitcoin-enables-ukrainian-refugee-escape https://bitcoinmagazine.com/culture/bitcoin-enables-ukrainia... This goes into some of the uses but doesn't mention atms https://www.vox.com/recode/22955381/russia-ukraine-bitcoin-donation-war-crypto https://www.vox.com/recode/22955381/russia-ukraine-bitcoin-d...

Traster 5y ago
So the only person we can find who claims to have used BTC to flee Ukraine is a guy who is literally the webmsater for a company that raises money to mine crytpo. And he didn't buy BTC when he wanted to flee Ukraine, because he couldn't because the banks had stopped withdrawals, he took the BTC he already had saved. And as the article notes - since he has bitcoin, he didn't need an ATM he just sold it to people he knew in Poland for cash. And that's all taking it on face value that the story isn't just straight BS. Personally, if I were living in a place that is at threat of war (and let's face it, this war was no big surprise) I think I'd be much more likely to just keep a few hundred dollars stashed away in cash, than rely on a usb stick.
- cdiddy2 5y ago
  https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/23/ukrainian-flees-to-poland-with-2000-in-bitcoin-on-usb-drive.html https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/23/ukrainian-flees-to-poland-wi...