Patreon Removes Ukrainian Charity Raising Military Aid Citing Policy Violation

Patreon, a subscription platform for artists and creatives, has de-platformed a Ukrainian non-profit that is running a crowdfunding campaign to support the country's military against a Russian invasion.

According to a post on Patreon's website, the charity "Come Back Alive" was removed because it claimed to be using contributions to "finance and train military personnel."

"We don’t allow Patreon to be used for funding weapons or military activity. It is a violation of our policies, and so we have removed the page," the statement said, adding that all remaining funds in the charity's account will be refunded to contributors.

Come Back Alive claims to have raised around $670,000 in just one day this week, according to a Bloomberg report from Thursday.

Taras Chmut, director of Come Back Alive, told CNBC on Thursday that Patreon was the most convenient platform for foreigners looking to send donations.

The charity's website lists multiple ways to donate funds including using payment system Swift and bank accounts. So far, Patreon seems to be the only fundraising method to be disrupted.

The charity is also raising funds in bitcoin, and has received close to $5 million worth of bitcoin to one wallet address listed on its website, according to data from Blockchain.com. Only around $150,000 worth of bitcoin have left the wallet so far.
On Friday, Ukraine's official Twitter account posted a link to the Come Back Alive donation page, which includes details for its bitcoin wallet.

It is unclear how the funds are currently being distributed as the charity has not updated its reporting on donations since Wednesday.