04.16.2022 11:01 (Akt. 04.16.2022 16:13)
This Ukrainian War Seal will become a new collector’s item. ©FADEL SENNA/AFP
The stamp shows a Ukrainian soldier giving the finger to a Russian warship. This postage stamp from Ukraine has become a collector’s item.
Hundreds of Ukrainians queued for hours at Kiev’s main post office on Friday to obtain copies of this stamp. The postage stamp took on new meaning after the sinking of the “Moskva”, the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.
A Ukrainian War Seal Becomes a Collector’s Item
However, the backstory of the reason lies in the early days of the war in February. At that time, Ukrainian border guards on the tiny island of snakes shouted “Fuck you” to a Russian ship that asked them to surrender. The radio message went around the world and became a symbol of Ukrainian resistance.
500 Proposed War Stamps Made in Ukraine
In early March, the Ukrainian Post announced a competition to commemorate the event. After more than 500 suggestions, the illustration by artist Boris Groh was chosen. It shows a Ukrainian soldier giving the finger to a Russian ship in yellow sand.
Illustration selected by stamp artist Boris Groh
“When we designed the stamp, we didn’t know how this episode would end, but we are very happy with it,” Ihor Smelyansky, director general of Ukraine Post, told AFP.
The postage stamp was already sold out in Kiev on Friday afternoon
The stamp was already sold out in Kiev on Friday afternoon. “We wanted to print more,” Smeljansky said. But Russian air strikes in Kiev “interrupted the factory’s operation and we were unable to print the planned value”. Now, other brands of the limited edition of one million copies must be produced as soon as possible.