CRYPTOACTIVISM AS A FORM OF CIVIC RESISTANCE: PHILOSOPHICAL UNDERSTANDING OF THE UKRAINIAN EXPERIENCE

Abstract

Introduction. Cryptoactivism has become a new form of civic resistance based on decentralized digital technologies and cryptocurrencies. In the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine, blockchain technologies acquired particular importance as instruments of rapid financial support, solidarity, and resistance under conditions of institutional vulnerability and censorship. Despite growing public interest, the philosophical dimension of cryptoactivism remains insufficiently researched: Ukrainian scholarship focuses predominantly on legal and economic aspects, while foreign philosophical thought addresses related issues through the prism of the rule of code, critique of centralized platforms, or cypherpunk ideology. Aim and tasks. The purpose of the article is to reveal the philosophical specificity and significance of cryptoactivism as a form of civic resistance in the Ukrainian context. The tasks are: (1) to clarify the conceptual apparatus of cryptoactivism; (2) to trace the genealogy of decentralized exchange as its foundation; (3) to analyze the cypherpunk manifesto as the primary source of cryptoactivist philosophy; (4) to compare global cases of cryptoactivism with the Ukrainian experience of 2022; (5) to conceptualize cryptoactivism as a new form of transnational civic subjectivity. Research methods. The study applies an interdisciplinary approach combining political philosophy, hermeneutic and comparative analysis, and case-study method. Scientific novelty. The novelty lies in the philosophical conceptualization of cryptoactivism as a form of ‘horizontal’ civic resistance that dismantles the state’s monopoly on ‘financial violence’ and constitutes a new form of transnational subjectivity. The conceptual framework draws on De Filippi and Wright’s concept of lex cryptographica, extending it to include the moral-existential dimension that emerges in conditions of armed conflict. Research results. The article demonstrates that cryptoactivism evolved from a tool of digital privacy protection into a mechanism of global civic interaction and resistance. The Ukrainian experience of 2022 showed that cryptocurrencies can function as decentralized channels of financial support independent of traditional banking systems. Discussion. The article compares cryptoactivism cases in Ukraine, WikiLeaks, Hong Kong, and Nigeria, confirming the global pattern of blockchain as a ‘parallel circulatory system of resistance.’ While Gladstein’s interpretation of Bitcoin as ‘freedom money’ is confirmed, Srnicek’s critique of platform monopolism and Brunton’s analysis of the paradox inherent in cypherpunk tradition serve as necessary correctives: the same technologies that enable emancipation may, in the absence of regulation, become tools of abuse. This internal paradox does not negate the emancipatory potential of cryptoactivism but complicates it. Conclusions. Cryptoactivism has transformed into an important form of civic resistance in the digital age. The experience of Ukraine confirms that decentralized technologies can become effective instruments of solidarity and social coordination in conditions of war. At the same time, the growing influence of crypto-assets requires further philosophical and ethical reflection concerning the balance between freedom, privacy, security, and risk.