Ukraine’s state postal service, UkrPoshta, says it’s printing additional stamps of a sell-out series of carrier emblems depicting a border guardsman famously telling a threatening Russian vessel to “Go f*** yourself” while defending the Snake Island in the Black Sea.
A news release on April 22 by the postal carrier stated that 5 million more stamps will go on sale of the image depicting the border guard officer facing the Moskva cruiser vessel at sea while pointing his middle finger at it.
They could be used for sending mail to domestic and international addressees, Ukrposhta said.
Art stamps usually have a print run of about 100,000-130,000 copies, the postal service said. Ukrposhta sold 1 million of the border guard stamps, a record in 15 years, and will print more.
Roman Hrybov, the border guardsman who rejected the Russian navy vessel’s demand to surrender, was released from captivity on March 24 as part of an exchange involving 10 prisoners of war with Russia.
Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said that an additional 19 Ukrainian civilians were released that day in what was the first full-fledged prisoner swap during the latest phase of the ongoing war.
It was also the first prisoner exchange since Russian despot Vladimir Putin ordered a renewed invasion of the country on Feb. 24 as part of a war he was against the country since 2014 when troops were sent in to forcibly seize Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula.
Ukrainian authorities said poetic justice happened when ground forces on April 14 launched two anti-ship Neptune rockets at the Moskva cruiser, the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea fleet.
EXPLAINED: What We Know About Russia’s Oreshnik Missile Fired on Ukraine
Russia acknowledged it sunk the following day.
Mriya stamps
UkrPoshta announced on April 25 that it is releasing a second stamp since the renewed invasion, this time devoted to the world’s largest aircraft – the Mriya (dream) Antonov An-225 cargo plane.
Invading Russian forces destroyed the Ukrainian-manufactured plane at the Hostomel airport in early April near Kyiv during a failed attempt to encircle and capture the capital city of nearly 3 million people.
The plane is a source of national pride for being the biggest cargo plane and boasts a wingspan of 88 meters and is capable of transporting 640 tons of cargo.
The Mriya stamp depicts a girl nestled atop the aircraft whose wings are painted with flowers. Two more planes are depicted beside her.
It was designed before the latest Russian invasion by 11-year-old Sofia Kravchuk from the northwestern region of Volyn.
Her stamp design was chosen as part of a contest called, “What does Ukraine mean for me.”
“This is exactly how the child saw our country –bright and prosperous,” UkrPoshta said in a news release.
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