A postage stamp with the image of a Ukrainian soldier making an obscene gesture towards the Russian Black Sea ship “Moscow” has become a collector’s item for Ukrainians who see it as a sign of victory.
Hundreds of Ukrainians lined up near the central post office in the capital, Kyiv, and waited for hours to get their hands on the cherished stamp, issued in millions.
“This ship was the largest of all they had … They made a big bet on it, and we destroyed it!” – said 22-year-old Yuri Kolesan, who stood in line for more than two and a half hours.
The warship sank on Thursday after an explosion and fire, which Ukraine said was caused by a missile strike. Russia claims that the damage was caused by an explosion of ammunition on board the plane.
Ukrainian Post issued stamps depicting one of the main events of the war in #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/Ssw6CSsE4u
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) April 12, 2022
The missile cruiser gained popularity in the early stages of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, when its crew called on a unit of Ukrainian border guards to surrender, but they flatly refused and sent an obscene call to send Moscow in a popular direction.
This incident quickly became a symbol of Ukraine’s resistance to Russia’s attack.
🖕🚢Volodymyr Zelensky published a photo with a new post stamp with a border guard from Snake Island, sending the Russian warship to go and fuck itself.
“Use it and remember that the ‘Russian warship’ always has only one response,” he wrote. pic.twitter.com/lgkvuwBSRE— Toronto Television / Телебачення Торонто (@tvtoront) April 13, 2022
Last month, Ukraine’s postal service announced a competition for the best picture dedicated to the incident. Lviv designer Borys Hrokh, chosen from 550 other candidates, won.
His drawing shows a Ukrainian soldier from behind cursing a warship.