Ukraine readies stamp to challenge Russian invasion

It didn't take long for Ukrposhta, the Ukrainian post office, to join the war against Russia. Within days of the Russian invasion of the sovereign nation, Ukrposhta officials announced plans to issue a stamp demonstrating "Ukrainians' determination to defend their land" and invited the public to send designs to be considered. By March 8, postal officials said, nearly 500 submissions were received. Plans called for showing all designs on the post office's Facebook page — facebook.com/ukrposhta — but officials decided to choose the 20 best for posting and invited the public to vote for their favorite over three days. The winning design shows a Ukrainian soldier standing on an island facing a Russian naval vessel with the middle finger of his right hand extended. How's that for boldness? Postal officials said they planned to move forward quickly in issuing the stamp, according to a Facebook post. Martin Tatuch, treasurer of the Ukrainian Philatelic and Numismatic Society, isn't sure the stamp will be issued, but he has heard through society contacts that plans are moving forward. When it will be released is anyone's guess because the war is disrupting normal operations in much of the country. Amazingly, Ukrposhta continued to operate post offices and deliver mail in places not affected by the horrific violence. Tatuch, a retired foreign service officer with the U.S. State Department, said Ukrainians are resilient and are determined to do whatever is necessary to defend their country. He has collected stamps and postal stationery of Ukraine since the country declared its independence from the former Soviet Union on March 24, 1991. Ukraine renewed issuing its own stamps March 1, 1992, ending a 70-year period because it was dominated by its neighbor to the east. "The great thing about the Ukrposhta is that they really reflect the entirely to the country's history from the founding to the early independence to modern time," Tatuch said. Ukraine's first stamps were issued in 1918 after the collapse of the Russian empire. A national assembly convened in Kyiv and on Jan. 22, 1918, the Ukrainian National Republic was declared. Stamps continued to be released until 1922, when Ukraine became a Soviet state. Tatuch said those early issues are popular among longtime collectors, who look for different usages on mail. Members particularly focus on stamps overprinted with the famed Ukrainian trident, a symbol that dates to Prince Volodymyr in the 10th century. The prince's conversion to Christianity in 988 led to the Christianization of Kievan Rus, which occupied today's Ukraine and much of western Russia. The trident reflects the willingness of Ukrainian warriors to protect the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity. It continues to appear on some modern stamps. When Ukraine declared its independence in 1991, it was months before the post office began issuing new stamps. A review of the last 30 years shows a variety of commemorative stamps depicting Ukrainian culture, historical events, nature, political leaders and accomplished professionals in the fields of engineering, the arts, architecture and science. The designs are intricate and colorful, and production is high quality. During the interim local post offices were stuck with millions of pieces of Soviet postal stationery. So postal workers created various overprints in Ukrainian hryvnia, the national currency, to indicate that that country was independent again. Tatuch continues to search for various styles of overprints to build his collection. The Ukrainian Philatelic and Numismatic Society was founded in 1951 and today has about 160 members. It publishes a semiannual bulletin and a regular newsletter. Information is online at upns.org. Club meeting Lorain County's bicentennial will be the theme of the annual Black River Stamp Club show on Nov. 19. Details are forthcoming. The club's next meeting is set for April 8. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. at Harvest Christian Church, 907 Eastern Heights Blvd., Elyria. All are welcome. Dennis Sadowski can be reached at sadowski.dennis@gmail.com.