Ihor Smilyansky says a dose of humour is added to Ukrposhta’s stamps to maintain Ukrainian morale during the war with Russia.
“Humour has become a fighting force for Ukrainians in this war,” he tells the BBC. “Even in the most difficult circumstances you have to take it with a sense of humour. And that’s what our stamps are sometimes about.”
Oscar Young from UK-based stamp dealers and auctioneers Stanley Gibbons says Ukraine’s approach to stamps by focusing them on the war is highly unusual.
“Generally stamps are artistic and polite, but to go out your way and be quite rude, placing profanity and being very gesturous on stamps – that is quite unique to these particular issues,” he tells the BBC.
He says the frank image used on the warship stamp is what made the stamp so famous and caused such a stir when it was issued.
The distinctive character of Ukrainian stamps has earned them popularity with collectors worldwide.
Laura Bullivant from Gloucester, in the UK, believes that other stamps look bland by comparison.
“I think they’re like the Ukrainian thought process, they’re just strong, and they’re just not bowing down to whatever’s coming into their country,” she says.
“At a time of huge worry and awfulness, they are bringing something to the game that no other country could.”
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