Ukraine asks for stamp designs to illustrate its resolve

By Denise McCarty

Less than a week after Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, the country’s post office, Ukrposhta, is planning to issue a stamp to illustrate “Ukrainians’ determination to defend their land,” and is asking the public to send in their designs.

According to Ukrposhta’s March 1 press release, the stamp-design contest was to be open only until March 4.

As translated from Ukrainian, the press release begins: “On March 1, on the 30th anniversary of the modern Ukrainian stamp, Ukrposhta announced the All-Ukrainian People’s Competition for the development of a sketch of the postage stamp ‘Russian military ship, go to #uy!.’ Ukrposhta will publish a sketch that will win the popular vote in a special edition in the near future.”

Ukrposhta encouraged both professional illustrators and amateurs to participate, drawing their sketches “and thus relieve the psychological stress of war.”

Ukrainians will submit their sketches by email, and they will be displayed on Ukrposhta’s Facebook page for the public to vote on, according to the press release.

The illustration receiving the most votes “will be published by Ukrposhta in mass circulation on the first Ukrainian postage stamp under martial law,” the press release said.

Ukrposhta CEO Igor Smilyansky also said that the stamp will be valid for international mail.

In addition to the press release, Ukrposhta publicized the contest on its Facebook page with the illustration shown here.

That illustration also was noticed by the news media in the United States.

In a March 1 report on the Fox News website, Louis Casiano described some of the stamplike images in the Facebook illustration: “One appeared to be a warship shaped like the Kremlin sinking into a pool of blood, an apparent reference to the stiff opposition Ukrainian forces are putting up.

“Another showed sunflowers, the national flower of Ukraine, which could also symbolize an encounter between a lady who was captured on video confronting Russian troops last week while offering them sunflower seeds.”

Casiano added: “One image shows Russia and Ukraine, which border each other. It appears to be a take on David vs Goliath, given the massive size difference between the two nations. Standing out was a sketch of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appearing to spank a naked infant version of Putin, who has been widely condemned for Russia’s military aggression.”

Ukraine declared its independence from the Soviet Union Aug. 24, 1991, approved by a public referendum Dec. 1, 1991, and issued its first stamps March 1, 1992 (Scott 100-101). Those two 15-kopeck stamps commemorated the 500th anniversary of Cossacks in Ukraine and the 100th anniversary (in 1991) of Ukrainian emigration to Canada.

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