Weapon of Victory stamp sheet

The whole year 2022 is very atypical for Ukrainian philately. Stamp issuance has never been a quick procedure. It has required long planning, consideration and approval of proposals. The result of thoughtful actions was the approval of a thematic plan for the next year's philatelic production.

In February, Ukraine was invaded by a neighbouring country. The result was not just a border violation, but a full-scale incursion into the territory of an independent state and the annexation of Ukrainian cities and villages. But all of this failed to subdue and break the Ukrainian people, despite the advantage of the invading country in the number of armies and weapons. Ukraine and the entire civilised world united to fight back against the aggressor country.

Ukrposhta has not stopped its work and works every day for victory. At the same time, Ukraine's main post office is using its own weapon: philatelic products. Its production and marketing heavily support the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

 Philatelic issues about military equipment and weapons

Ukraine's past policies did not emphasise the necessity of military development. The first high-quality improvements to the Ukrainian army have started to take place since 2014, allowing it to move away from outdated Soviet standards.

It is worth mentioning that Ukraine during its independence has maintained a fairly large number of defence industry enterprises. Each of them had quite good projects, but not always managed to implement them. Some of the projects were also reflected in the pages of philately.

Within the cooperation of Ukrposhta with Ukroboronprom, a series of stamps with Ukrainian military equipment was created, issued in a circulation of up to 140 thousand copies:

·         2016 - BM Oplot tank, BTR Dozor armoured personnel carrier, Hetman Sahaidachny frigate;

·         2017 - armored personnel carrier BTR-4 "Bucephalus" and aircraft AN-178;

·         2020 - BM-21 UM "Berest" multiple rocket launcher and BTR-4MV1 armored personnel carrier.

Other stamps on military topics issued in the period of Ukraine's independence are dedicated to personalities or released on the occasion of the anniversary of a significant event. There were also stamps issued on the ship theme.

Sheet of stamps "Weapon of Victory"

Within the military conflict, the Ukrainian army uses not only inherited Soviet weapons, but also its own developments and weapons transferred by partner countries. It should be mentioned the success and effectiveness of the use of modern equipment and weapons of NATO standard.

·         Date - 06.12.2022

·         Circulation of the sheet - 200 thousand

·         Size 40x28 mm

·         Number on one sheet - 6 (2x3)

·         Nominal value - U (12 UAH) +3 UAH

·         Design authors - Sergiy and Oleksandr Kharuk

The issue of stamps has a charitable purpose and is dedicated to the Day of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which is celebrated on December 6. The funds received from the additional denomination are intended for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

 What is depicted on the stamps

Not only Ukrainian media space, but also many international publications were excited by the news of the effective work of M142 HIMARS artillery rocket launchers. If since the beginning of the russian invasion until mid-summer Ukraine took a defensive position, then with their receipt the Armed Forces of Ukraine moved to offensive actions. The result was the liberation of the territories of the east and south of the country.

It should also be mentioned the first deliveries of UAV "Bayraktar" and ATGM "Javelin", which prevented the enemy from moving further. Their usage inspired our partners to strengthen their assistance to Ukraine.

The design was created by graphic artists Serhii and Oleksandr Haruks. This is not their first project. They were also involved in the creation of the previous series dedicated to Ukrainian military equipment. The photos for the "Weapon of Victory" stamps were provided by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and Ukroboronprom.

The stamp sheet is presented in a vertically oriented format with 6 stamps on it. The background of the stamps and the margins of the stamp sheet is a corrugated unpainted sheet of metal. The stylised inscription "Weapon of Victory" appears at the top. The stamps have a horizontal orientation. At the bottom of each weapon there is an inscription with its name. Predominantly the upper part of each stamp contains the title of the series "Weapon of Victory", the inscription "Ukraine" and in Latin letters "Ukraina", the year of issue and the Ukrainian trident. The format of the additional denomination is presented as U+3.00.

RSZV Vilkha photo from the Telegraph resource

MRLS  «Vilkha»

A multiple launch rocket system modernised by the Ukrainian defence industry. It is based on the Soviet Smerch system and entered into service in 2018. The design of the system was first made public in 2016 at a meeting of the National Security and Defence Council. The main purpose was to replace the obsolete Tochka-U missile system.

The feature is a newly engineered 300mm missile with GPS system and flight correction capability. The claimed range is up to 130 km. As of 2020, 28 production units are known to be in service with the Ukrainian army. In 2022, at least 50 missile strikes were carried out against enemy positions.

 RK-360MC "Neptune"

A land-based missile system designed to engage warships. It consists of a command post, a launcher, a transport and loader and a transport vehicle.

The stamp depicts a launcher based on the 2021 Tatra chassis. Development of the launcher started in 2010, it was announced in 2015 and entered service in 2020. Publicly available data indicate that the 1st division with 72 R-360 missiles (280 km launch range) is in service. On 13 April 2022, two such missiles were used to destroy the flagship of the russian Black Sea Fleet, the missile cruiser Moskva.

 Bayraktar TB2 UAV

The Turkish Strike Operational Tactical UAV has a long flight time and is controlled from a ground control station. The first version of the UAV was developed in 2007 and has been in service with the Turkish army since 2011. It was first used in combat in 2014. As of March 2022, about 300 UAVs of this type are known to be in production.

Ukraine first acquired six Bairaktar UAVs in 2018 and put them into service in 2021. In the same year, they were used in combat operations in the ATO zone, in the Donetsk region. In February 2022, Ukraine had 22 aircraft in service, which was actively used during the year, including in the Kherson region, on Zmiinyi Island, and as part of the liquidation of the russian missile cruiser Moscow.

 FGM-148 "Javelin" ATGM

American-made portable anti-tank missile system. It has homing and is intended for single use. It is used to destroy ground targets in the form of armored vehicles and fortifications. As well as aircraft at low altitudes. The range of destruction is within 2.5 km.

The first deliveries to Ukraine were made as part of the armament program from 2018. They are known to be in the Ukrainian army as of 2021. However, the first combat use was recorded in 2022, after the invasion of Ukraine by the russian army. It was these weapons that became a symbol of Ukrainian resistance and stopped the enemy's tank offensive.

Ukrainian military man with Javelin. Photo: reuters

 " Stunga-P" ATGM

Anti-tank missile system of Ukrainian production. Developed in 2005 and adopted in 2011. The modification of 2015 is certified according to NATO standards. In military conditions, it has been used by the Ukrainian army since 2014. During 2022, it has been successfully practiced to destroy ground and air targets at a distance of up to 5 km. It is used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine together with the American Javelin, but unlike it, it is much cheaper.

 M142 HIMARS

American highly mobile rocket artillery system. It has a versatile construction allowing the use of different types of missiles - both guided and unguided with a range of up to 500 km. Effective to destroy enemy ground vehicles. Used in combat conditions since 2010, as part of the russian invasion of Ukraine, it literally changed the course of hostilities in the summer of 2022 and significantly weakened the combat capability of the enemy army. The russian S-400 air defense system proved to be helpless against GMLRS missiles. At least 20 such systems are known to be in service with the Ukrainian army.

envelope of the first day of the Weapon of Victory

envelope of widespread use Weapons of victory