TPCi Donates $200,000 to Humanitarian Crisis in Ukraine

TPCi has released a statement regarding the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. They have donated $200,000 to provide humanitarian relief to displaced families.

The growing crisis in Ukraine and Eastern Europe, which continues to cause the displacement of families and threaten the safety of children, is heartbreaking. The Pokemon Company International is making an immediate donation of $200,000 USD to our partners at GlobalGiving to provide humanitarian relief. The nonprofit will efficiently direct the funds to community-led organizations supporting families and children affected by the crisis. To learn more, please visit GlobalGiving.org.

In statements made to the press earlier this week, TPCi also stated they reduced advertising of their Pokemon Day event out of respect for the ongoing crisis.

We wish to be sensitive to major world events happening at this time and those impacted. A pre-scheduled Pokemon Presents was unable to be postponed. Out of respect to our global audiences, we decided to significantly reduce the promotion of the event while giving fans the option to tune in if they chose to do so.

Following months of buildup along Ukraine’s border, Russia launched an illegal invasion of its neighbor on February 24th. Over 2,000 civilians have died, including children. The conflict stems from Ukraine’s decision to get closer with the European Union and NATO, thus distancing itself from Russia, whose people it’s shared close cultural ties with for over a thousand years. NATO was originally formed to counter the Soviet Union, so Putin wants to keep the “west” away from his borders. If their neighbor is seduced by the “west,” it could entice Russians to further question his authoritarianism.

In June 2020, TPCi also donated $100,000 to the Black Lives Matter movement and $100,000 to the NAACP.