Postage stamp "Russian warship, go...! Glory to the heroes! " F

The phrase of determination to remain faithful to one's country has become so popular that today it is known not only in Europe, but also on other continents. And this is the merit not only of modern media. Ukrainian philately added to the publicity and immortalized it on the pages of modern history.

What is known about the first stamp during martial law

The decision of the Main Post of Ukraine to issue a thematic stamp during the martial law has stirred up the society. The purpose of the issue is not only to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but also the need to publicize the events in the country all over the world. After all, the stamp was immediately planned to be issued not only in Ukraine (F), but also for shipments abroad (W).

·         Date of putting into circulation: April 12, 2022

·         Circulation - 500 thousand copies

·         Format - 40.6x25 mm

·         Number of stamps per sheet - 6 (3x2)

·         Face value - F (23.00 UAH)

·         Author - Boris Grokh

Ukrposhta did not expect such a rush, because it was supposed to issue a record circulation of 1 million copies for two denominations. This should have been enough to sell out the stamps during the quarter. However, 500 thousand copies were sold out in the first 5 days. This was accompanied by kilometer-long queues outside post offices. For the issue of the stamp "Russian warship, go...! Glory to Heroes!" even imposed restrictions on the number of sheets in one order.

After the sale of all the stamps, many more people appealed to the Ukrposhta with a request to make an additional issue. But according to the rules of philately, the repeated circulation of art stamps is not allowed. Ukrposhta, as a member of the Universal Postal Union, cannot violate the rules of stamp issue.

The impetus for the creation of the brand

The idea to issue the stamp in wartime belongs entirely to Ukrposhta. Philately has always been the basis of propaganda and was a very effective tool of information influence at different times.

It was not difficult to choose the theme of the stamp. It was appropriate to choose the resistance of the border guards who defended the Ukrainian lands on Zmeinyi Island. Surrounded by Russian invaders, they did not approve the proposal of the captain of the cruiser "Moskva" to surrender. The expressive response of Roman Grybov became exhaustive to understand the strength and will of the Ukrainian people before the aggressor country.

a Russian ship offers to surrender to Ukrainian border guards on the first day of the war

The swear phrase with foul language was appreciated by the society, but it was necessary to understand whether this bold statement should be transferred to the pages of philatelic history. The decision was to use not the whole phrase, but to leave its main meaning and motive. As for the stamp design, Ukrposhta democratically announced a competition for public consideration. About 500 artists took part, Ukrposhta selected 20 works for publication on the official page of the social network. The winner was chosen by the public by voting.

A symbol of the Ukrainian struggle

The author of the sketch is artist Borys Grokh, originally from Crimea. He lived in Yevpatoria until 2014, and after the annexation of the peninsula by Russia, he moved to Lviv. The artist paints in digital style, most of his paintings depict urban life.

The postage stamp "Russian warship, go...! Glory to Heroes!" is presented in a horizontal format, with a wide strip of silver color on the left edge. In the upper corner there is an inscription "Ukraine" in large black font, below there is an inscription in smaller English in translucent color. The inscriptions are vertically oriented, i.e. perpendicular to the orientation of the stamp. The denomination of the stamp F corresponds to the orientation and is located at the bottom of the strip. Perhaps this is an assumption, but the letter of the denomination may correspond to an obscene word in English. In the upper right corner of the stamp is printed the coat of arms of Ukraine and the year 2022 in white.

The stamp depicts a marine standing with his back to the viewer. The soldier is on the shore with a steep slope. In the sea opposite the soldier is a warship with a raised Russian flag. Despite the lack of a name, it is identified as the missile cruiser "Moscow", including by the tactical inscription on board 121. The infantryman is holding an assault rifle in his left hand. He has a yellow bandage on his left arm, a chevron with the flag of Ukraine on his right arm. The right hand is raised and shows an obscene gesture towards the ship. On the sand there is an inscription with the author's initials.

 Russian warship envelope of the first day