The two-time world heavyweight champion is collaborating with WhIsBe, whose famous "Vandal Gummy" bears will appear in each artwork.
Legendary boxer Wladimir Klitschko is teaming up with a popular digital artist for an NFT collection to raise funds for the Ukrainian people.
The two-time world heavyweight champion is collaborating with WhIsBe, whose famous "Vandal Gummy" bears will appear in each artwork.
Each NFT will be in the colors of the Ukrainian flag — blue and yellow — and the collectibles are going to launch via OpenSea on Wednesday.
NFTs in the collection are being made available at several price points including $100, $1,000 and $10,000 — to match different budgets.
A one-of-a-kind NFT is also being offered for $1 million, and all proceeds "will go directly toward supporting the people of Ukraine during this crisis."
Partners involved in bringing the collection to fruition have also said that they will waive their fees.
Klitschko, whose brother Vitali serves as the mayor of Kyiv, said:
"It is a magnificent initiative: a support through art, a superb 'suppart' at the service of people who suffer. Art can be beautiful on many levels when used to serve humanity.”
Metacurio's founders Sophie Watt and Jeff Hood, who are producing the collection, added:
"This is not just a chance to own an astonishing piece of art history but, more importantly, an easy way to directly support the people of Ukraine who are in crisis right now."
Listen to the CoinMarketRecap podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Podcasts
Where the Funds Will Go
According to an announcement released by Metacurio, all proceeds from the NFT sale will go to Red Cross Ukraine and UNICEF — with both organizations responding to the humanitarian crisis on the ground.
The Red Cross says it has already distributed more than 30,000 food and hygiene parcels in the country — giving food, warm clothes and support to an estimated 8,000 people who have been sheltering in metro stations. Another 2,000 people have received first aid training.
Together with Vitali, the Klitschko brothers have become figureheads in Ukraine's resistance against Russia's invasion — with both vowing to remain in the country and fight. Last week, they told NBC News:
"Where should we go? This is our home. Our parents are buried here. Children go to school here. Where else? Why should we flee? This is our home."
Tens of millions of dollars worth of cryptocurrencies have been donated over the past week to support Ukrainian civilians and soldiers — with a CryptoPunk worth $200,000 sent to the country's official wallet. A decentralized autonomous organization backed by the Russian protest group Pussy Riot also raised more than $6 million by selling a one-of-a-kind NFT of the Ukrainian flag.
Ukraine's deputy prime minister, Mykhalio Fedorov, has also confirmed that the country plans to release NFTs in support of the country's armed forces. An airdrop had been initially planned to reward those who had made a financial contribution to the crypto fundraising drive.
