Ukraine’s national postal operator Ukrposhta has earned fame throughout the 15 months of Russia’s war against Ukraine for coming up with creative stamps that commemorate Ukraine’s victories and resilience, such as the now-iconic collectible “Russian warship, go f*ck your self.”
The campaign has now won first place for “Philatelic Campaign of the Year” at the World Post & Parcel Awards 2023 held in Tallinn, Estonia, Ukrposhta wrote on its website. The company was also recognized in two other categories: “Postal Operator,” and the special nomination “Industry Leader.” The awards ceremony took place on June 14.
“For our company and the entire country, 2022 was a year of difficult trials and challenges. Ukrposhta continued its operations despite the large-scale war, difficult and dangerous working conditions, shelling, blackouts, destroyed branches, and damaged vehicles. The heroic workers of Ukrposhta risk their lives every day, traveling to the front-line territories to provide support and meet the needs of our people there. These awards are the unquestionable merit of our team and an example of resilience for the entire postal world. I am proud of everyone,” said Ukrposhta’s CEO Ihor Smiliansky.
Ukrposhta also excelled in the “Philatelic Campaign of the Year” category. The year 2022 marked a revitalization and true blossoming of Ukrainian philately. Ukrposhta’s example demonstrated the extraordinary demand and popularity of this industry, attracting not only domestic interest but also attention from international media outlets such as CNN, The Guardian, The Times, The Washington Post, Bloomberg, and others, the company said on its website.
Ukrainian postage stamps from the war period are now found in the collections of world leaders and heads of international organizations who visited Ukraine in 2022. The circulation of postage stamps has reached millions, with the “Russian warship, go f*ck yourself” stamp alone having a print run of 5 million copies. Ukrainians queued for hours to purchase the stamps on the day of their release:
Ukrainian national postal service Ukrposhta sold about 500,000 copies of the postage stamp “Russian warship go f*ck yourself”
The video shows a queue for the stamp in central Kyiv today. 📹https://t.co/nB6Yh8Lqgl pic.twitter.com/W3fb8AdSrM — Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) April 18, 2022
People line up again at the central post office in Kyiv to buy the third issue of a special Ukrposhta stamp – “Good evening, we are from Ukraine!”
Previous issues, Russian warship go F yourself & sunken Moskva, were sold out immediately 📷 Dumskaya, Grunt media pic.twitter.com/Q3Y8hCJIFj — Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) July 30, 2022
Here are some of these stamps.
“Russian warship, go f*ck yourself!”
A Ukrainian border guard said these words on Zmiinyi island in response to the proposal of Russians to surrender. Ukrposhta put into circulation 1 million of these stamps on 12 April. the author of the sketch of the stamp and envelope “First day” is the winner of the competition for the best postage stamp design, Crimean resident Boris Grokh.
“Russian warship… done”
The stamp shows three stamps and coupons. They reproduce the image of the first postage stamp “Russian warship, go f*ck yourself.” Also on the stamps, 14 April 2022 is recorded in a mourning frame, a “black day” in the history of the Russian Navy. It was on this day that the cruiser Moskva sank.”Ukrposhta put into circulation 5 million copies of these stamps on 21 May, the Day of the Marine Corps.
“Ukrainian dream”
It depicts the world’s largest airplane An-225 “Mriya” (“Dream”), which Russia destroyed near Kyiv. The sketch is based on the drawing of 11-year-old artist Sofiya Kravchuk. She depicted “Mriya” flying to the stars, decorated with pink flowers. Ukrposhta released 3 million of these stamps on 28 June.
“Good evening, we are from Ukraine”
This stamp depicts real events, when unarmed Ukrainian farmers collected Russian equipment, helping the Army. The phrase “Good evening, we are from Ukraine” became popular thanks to a song by the band Probass&Hardy. The sketch was made by graphic designer and arts teacher Anastasia Bondarets. 5 million copies were released on 28 July, on the day of Ukrainian statehood.
“Patron the dog”
Eight stamps are dedicated to Patron, a famous Ukrainian demining dog. Illustrator Oleksandr Nikitiuk is the author of the sketches. Ukrposhta released 1 million copies of the stamp on 1 September. Part of the raised funds were spent to buy a demining machine and to help animal shelters.
Postal set “Kherson is Ukraine!’
“Ukrainian soldiers are only entering Kherson, but people on the streets are already greeting them with flowers, songs, and flags, and Ukrposhta is releasing a memorable stamp,” wrote Ukrposhta CEO Smilianskyi on 11 November 2022. 900,000 copies were released. The watermelon slice on the stamp symbolizes Kherson Oblast. Apart from the stamp, the set includes two envelopes. The author of the set is Andriy Sahach.
“Crimean bridge: encore!”
The stamp is dedicated to the explosion on the Crimean bridge, which connects occupied Crimea to Russia. For the sketch, artist Yuriy Shapoval used the scene from the film “Titanic.” “As the myth of Titanic’s unsinkability spread, so Russia spread the myth of the Crimean bridge being a symbol of the eternal connection of Ukrainian Crimea with Russia,” Ukrposhta explained. 2.1 copies were printed.
In the “Postal Operator” category, Ukrposhta emerged victorious among finalists that included Qatar Post and Correios – Brazil Post. Ukrposhta showcased its ability to work under full-scale war conditions, fulfill state social tasks such as business relocation, support Ukrainian entrepreneurs, deliver pensions, ensure seamless logistics within and beyond the country, provide financial assistance from international organizations, successfully develop exports despite closed airspace, and deliver humanitarian aid from abroad.
The World Post & Parcel Awards, which celebrates achievements in the postal and express delivery industry, is considered the most prestigious industry prize. It has been honoring accomplishments in the postal and express delivery sector for 24 years. The open competition attracts participation from postal and express delivery companies as well as technology solution providers for postal-logistics automation and information exchange.
