By publicly burning her Russian passport, NFT artist Olive Allen stated she was essentially making it unsafe to return by denouncing the present regime. Olive Allen, is a Russian native and artist who resides in the United States for over 11 years; she has burnt her home country’s passport to raise awareness and funding for the current situation in Ukraine.
Allen characterized herself as a “child of modern Russia” in an interview on Friday, saying that while the nation will always be a part of her identity, she had chosen to break connections with it due to its recent actions in Ukraine. Allen burnt her Russian passport in front of the Russian Federation Consulate General in New York City. She planned to sell the film as a nonfungible token (NFT); the generated revenues will go to humanitarian activities in Ukraine.
Safety Issue in Russia
Allen stated she destroyed her passport because she couldn’t imagine returning to the current administration. Moreover, she added that she wanted to dispel the myth that all Russian civilians support military action against Ukraine; she claimed that she knew people who had been indoctrinated in the country. “I like my country, but Putin’s Russia makes me nervous.” I can’t imagine myself living there in the current climate.
On Friday, her burning passport NFT was up for auction on the ultra-rare marketplace. Allen claimed that she would donate Ether to Save the Children, an organization committed to supporting children who are victims of human trafficking, early marriage, lack of access to education, or are escaping violence throughout the world.
Under the current regime, Allen would be under arrest, she continued. “I’ve ruled out the possibility of returning, at least under the current administration.”
In general, burning a passport does not indicate the abandonment of citizenship in any country. Allen would most likely need to submit an undamaged passport to a Russian consulate and complete papers to end contact with Russia legally.
