Ukrainian stamps feature humor, patriotism and profanity

Gestures are not common on postage stamps, but a well-known stamp from Ukraine has it. It shows a soldier raising the middle finger at a Russian warship in reference to the standoff at Snake Island on the first day of the full-scale invasion nearly three years ago.

The Russians demanded honey but the Ukrainians refused, using unprintable language.

The warship in question, the cruiser Moskva, was sunk by the Ukrainians two days after the seal was removed, and sold within a week of being sold.

Such is the importance of the stamp that whatever was left was there given to government officials representing Ukraine on the world stage.

Ihor Smilyansky, head of Ukrainian postal company Ukrposhta, admits it was a risky move to take.

“It was my decision. I said – I don’t care what anyone thinks. I just believe it’s the right thing to do,” he told the BBC. “I know it breaks all philatelic [study of stamps] laws and all laws. But we are about to break the rules.”

Ukrposhta often tests its projects publicly, and the results of such online votes tend to be highly political.

That’s how Ukraine’s best-selling stamp came to be, depicting a Ukrainian tractor pulling a captured Russian tank and featuring the famous wartime greeting: “Hello, we’re from Ukraine.”

Ukrposhta sold about eight million such stamps.

Stamps depicting Ukrainians the famous mine-sniffing dog Patron got Ukrposhta about $500,000 (£400,000): 80% of the money was used for demining equipment, and the rest was used for animal shelters.

Another stamp of a a mural left behind by famous graffiti artist Banksy in a bombed-out building outside Kyiv, helped finance 10 bomb shelters. This stamp features another popular but unprintable Ukrainian motto – this time addressed to Vladimir Putin.

Ihor Smilyansky says that a dose of humor was added to Ukrposhta stamps to preserve Ukrainian morale during the war with Russia.

“Comedy has become a weapon of war for Ukrainians in this war,” he told the BBC. “Even in the most difficult situations you have to take it with humor. And that’s our stamps sometimes.”

Oscar Young of UK-based stamp dealers and auctioneers Stanley Gibbons says Ukraine’s approach to stamps by focusing them on war is highly unusual.

“Stamps are generally very creative and polite, but to go out of your way and be rude, insulting and loud at stamps – that’s very different from these issues,” he told the BBC.

He says that the candid image used on the war stamp is what made this stamp popular and caused a stir when it was released.

The unique character of Ukrainian stamps has made them popular with collectors around the world.

Laura Bullivant from Gloucester, UK, believes other stamps look silly in comparison.

“I think they are similar to the Ukrainian thought process, they are strong, and they don’t bow to anything that comes to their country,” he said.

“In a time of worry and worst, they bring something to the game that no other country can do.”