Ihar Smilyansky says that the “Ukrposhta” stamps are added with a touch of humor to maintain Ukraine’s fighting spirit during the war with Russia.
“Humor has become a fighting force for Ukrainians in this war,” he tells the BBC. “Even in the most difficult circumstances, you have to treat it with a sense of humor. And our brands sometimes talk about it.”
Oscar Young of British stamp dealers and auctioneers Stanley Gibbons says Ukraine’s war-focused approach to stamps is highly unusual.
“Typically stamps are artistic and polite, but to go out on a limb and be quite rude, profanity and very gesticulating on stamps is unique to these particular issues,” he tells the BBC.
He says the candid image used on the warship stamp is what made the stamp so famous and caused such a stir when it was released.
The distinctiveness of Ukrainian stamps has brought them popularity among collectors around the world.
Laura Bullivant from Gloucester, UK thinks other brands look ugly in comparison.
“I think they’re similar to the Ukrainian mental process, they’re just strong and they just don’t bow to what’s going on in their country,” she says.
“At a time of tremendous anxiety and terror, they bring something to the game that no other country could.”
