Japanese billionaire donates $8.7m to Ukraine

A Japanese billionaire, Hiroshi “Mickey” Mikitani, on Sunday, pledged to donate the sum of $8.7 million to the government of Ukraine following the country’s invasion by Russia last Thursday.

Mikitani, the founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of e-commerce giant, Rakuten, who called the Russian invasion “a challenge to democracy,” said in a letter addressed to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, that the “donation of ¥1 billion ($8.7 million) will go toward humanitarian activities to help people in Ukraine who are victims of the violence.”

“My thoughts are with you and the Ukraine people,” Mikitani, who said he had met with Zelensky when he visited Kyiv in 2019, wrote in his letter.

“I believe that the trampling of a peaceful and democratic Ukraine by unjustified force is a challenge to democracy.

READ ALSO: 368,000 refugees have fled Ukraine since Russian invasion —UN Agency

“I sincerely hope that Russia and Ukraine can resolve this issue peacefully and that Ukraine people can have peace again as soon as possible,” he wrote.

Russia’s invasion has prompted broad financial sanctions from major democracies while individuals and organisations across the world have solicited donations to help Ukraine.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has prompted broad financial sanctions from around the world including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, China and Japan, democracies while individuals and organizations across the world have solicited donations to help Ukraine and its people.

The Japanese government has also announced sanctions on Moscow including freezing assets and banning key exports such as semiconductors to organizations related to the Russian military.

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