Ukrposhta Releases New Charity Stamp "Moment of Silence" in Honour of Ukraine's Defenders Remembrance Day
Today, 29 August, on the Day of Remembrance of the fallen defenders of Ukraine, Ukrposhta held a special redemption of the Minute of Silence stamp. The event took place at the memorial to those who died in the Russian-Ukrainian war on Maidan Nezalezhnosti in Kyiv.
The postage stamp ‘Minute of Silence’ reproduces the works of Donetsk artist Serhii Maidukov ‘Mars Field. Lviv’ (2023) and ’Memorial on Independence Square. Kyiv’ (2024). This emotional issue is complemented by a poem by the brilliant Ukrainian poet Lina Kostenko ‘And horror, and blood, and death, and despair’ written in 2014, which enhances the atmosphere of deep sorrow and respect.
The stamp has a circulation of 350,000 copies.
The space with the flags bearing the names of the fallen heroes has become a symbol of the memory of those who gave their lives for the freedom of Ukraine. It was reproduced on the Minute of Silence stamp by Donetsk artist Serhii Maidukov.
The first flags appeared in June 2022, when relatives of the Azov Regiment soldiers installed 55 flags with the names of the heroes who defended Mariupol written on them. These flags have become a symbol of memory, pain and pride for those who gave their lives for their homeland. Today, thousands of flags with both Ukrainian and foreign colours can be seen on Kyiv's central square. They are a constant reminder of the huge price Ukraine is paying for its freedom and independence.
‘Today we pay tribute to the heroes who died in Donetsk, Kherson, Kyiv, Bakhmut, Izyum, Kharkiv, Mariupol and other cities where the fight for our freedom is ongoing. They fought and laid down their lives for each of us. Their memory lives on for more than just one day. With the ‘Minute of Silence’ stamp, Ukrposhta aims not only to honour the memory of the fallen defenders, but also to remind us of the price of freedom that our military pay every day, fighting for the right of Ukrainians to be free. This stamp is also a charity stamp, and Ukrposhta will donate the funds raised to the ‘ON THE SHIELD’ project, which helps bring the bodies of the fallen home from the battlefields,’ said Igor Smelyansky, CEO of Ukrposhta.
On 29 August 2024, the special redemption of the Minute of Silence stamp will take place in all regions of the country. The stamps of the temporarily occupied territories of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol, where it is currently impossible to organise special redemption, will be used at the Kyiv Main Post Office; the stamp of Luhansk region is attached to the city of Sloviansk (Donetsk region); the stamp of Donetsk region is attached to the city of Kramatorsk.
