Philately in Ukraine until 24 February 2022
‘Until 23 February 2022, philately in Kyiv and in Ukraine as a whole was somewhat in decline. The number of philatelists decreased. At the Main Post Office in Kyiv, 50-60 people regularly came to redeem stamps during the day. Similarly, about 50 people came to the meetings of the philatelic club,’ says Vadym Ishchenko, chairman of the Kyiv Philatelic Society.
In general, there were about 1000-1200 members of the Association of Philatelists throughout Ukraine. These are the people who have membership cards, actively promote philately, organise exhibitions, etc. However, not everyone who has a membership card collects stamps of Ukraine. About half of philatelists collect anything but Ukrainian stamps.
In 2022, Ukrposhta issued paper subscriptions for philatelists. About 3,500 season tickets were issued in 2022.
‘We had a specialised publication. The magazine Philatelyia Ukrayiny was published in paper form until 2008, by the publishing house Marka Ukrayiny. In 2015, we returned the magazine in electronic form, it is available on the Ukrposhta website. With the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the magazine ceased its activities,’ says Vadym Ishchenko.
At the beginning of the full-scale invasion
On 25 February 2022, it was planned to issue the Medobory Nature Reserve stamp block. The special redemption was to take place in Kyiv and the village of Hrymayliv in Ternopil Region. The stamps were sent out across Ukraine, but on 24 February, the Great War broke out and the special redemption was not made.
The Ukrposhta did not order the stamp not to be sold, and in some places in western Ukraine it was sold for a very long time. But on 19 September 2022, the postal block was withdrawn from sale, and the entire unsold stock was destroyed. At that time, 1,466 blocks out of 20,000 remained.
The reason for this decision was that the stamps had a face value of V. This letter, like Z, became one of the symbols of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The stamp that changed everything
To redeem the stamp Russian warship, go...! On 12 April, 25-30 people came to Kyiv. This was despite the fact that Ukrposhta had announced a national competition for the stamp and advertised it widely.
The winner of the popular vote for the design was artist Borys Hrokh.
There was no problem buying stamps that day - buy as many as you want.
‘When we were discussing the print run with Ukrposhta, I suggested that we should issue 250,000 of one type and 250,000 of the other. Ihor Smilyanskyy (Ukrposhta CEO - Ed.) and Nataliya Mukhina (head of the philatelic products department - Ed.) decided to make half a million each. They really hit the mark with that one,' Ishchenko believes.
On 12-13 April, people were buying stamps without much excitement. But on 14 April, when the Moskva cruiser sank, everything changed.
‘My girlfriend and I stood in line for several hours. About 20 minutes before the end of the Main Post Office's work, we managed to get inside and buy stamps. When we came out, we saw a queue of 600 people. It seems that it was easier to get into the Territorial Defence Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine than to buy these stamps,’ jokes Oleksandr, a Kyiv resident who became interested in philately at that time.
Vadym Ishchenko says that it was then, on 14 April, that Ukrposhta's online store died - it could not withstand the load. Subsequently, Ukrposhta launched a new one, the one that is still functioning today.
Ukrainian migrant workers
‘In 2022, many people thought they would make money on these stamps.
We saw this in the Kyiv Philatelic Club, when ladies who had invested in these stamps came and said that we had to buy them from them because we are a philatelic club. As they said, the CEO of Ukrposhta promised that ‘you will buy these stamps and become rich’. We told them: ‘You will become rich spiritually. But where did he write that you will make money on this?‘’ recalls the head of the Kyiv Society of Philatelists.
And yet, there were people who made very decent money on the stamps Russian warship, go...!
One could also make money off the Russian warship... DONE stamp, but the big profits ended after that one.
Exclusive copies
Few people know that not all Russian warship, go...! stamps are the same. Among them, there is a stamp of the F denomination with a printing flaw: a small red spot on the sand is visible - this is the so-called blood drop. A sheet with such a stamp is usually sold for more than the already expensive Russian warship, go...! - its price at online auctions is currently around 5,500 hryvnias.
A sheet of ordinary Russian warship, come...! can be purchased for 2.5-3.5 thousand hryvnias. And at the peak of their popularity, the price of these sheets went up to 8 thousand hryvnias.
Recognition
At the beginning of 2023, Ukrposhta held a vote, according to which the title of Best Military Postage Stamp of Ukraine in 2022 was awarded to Russian warship, go...! Almost 198 thousand Ukrainians voted for it. A total of 650,000 citizens voted for the best stamp - probably the highest level of interest in philately in Ukraine.
In addition, the stamp Russian warship, go...! was recognised as the best in the world in 2022 in the World Post & Parcel Awards 2023. The stamp also received the highest award of the international philatelic art prize Asiago. The Italian organisers call it the philatelic Oscar.
"Russian Warship... DONE!"
The stamp Russian Warship... DONE! was released on 23 May 2022. This date was chosen because it marked 40 days since the sinking of the Russian cruiser Moskva.
The total print run of the stamp, in two denominations — for domestic and international postage — amounted to 5 million. Each stamp sheet featured three postage stamps and three accompanying labels. The new issue included labels with the image of the first Russian Warship, go f** yourself! stamp, as well as stamps showing the result of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' successful strike.
The term ‘second-day philatelists’ is associated with this stamp, says Vadym Ishchenko. According to Ihor Smilyanskyy's decision, the first-day stamp was also used for redemption on the second day (philatelists especially value the first-day stamp, as it can only be affixed on the day stamps and envelopes are issued - Ed.)
Boom in military stamps
Ukrposhta continued to issue thematic stamps, as people's interest in them did not diminish. Philatelists organised themselves and began to keep special lists with names. Before the post office opened, the list could contain 300 or 400 people.
‘I would leave home at 5 am and go to the Main Post Office. There, I would put myself and my girlfriend on the list and wait for the sale to begin. In winter, it was a bit of a pain - it was cold and everything was closed. That's why I used to drive my car and sleep in it for a few hours before the post office opened,’ Oleksandr recalls.
The Ukrainian Dream stamp was issued in 3 million copies and sold out quickly. The stamp depicts an An-225 Mriya aircraft that was destroyed by the Russians during fierce fighting in Hostomel at the very beginning of the full-scale invasion.
It was in Hostomel that the special redemption of the stamp took place. Members of the Kyiv Society of Philatelists went to help the employees of the Ukrposhta branch, who had never before had to deal with dozens of people who wanted to buy and redeem hundreds of stamps.
Another high-profile issue was the Dog Patron stamp. These were the first wartime charity stamps. The stamp features eight stamps with different subjects, with eight hryvnias added to the face value of each stamp for charity. The stamps were issued in a run of 1 million copies, but they were hardly successful - according to Vadym Ishchenko, only about a third of them were sold.
The stamp Crimean Bridge - Encore! is often considered not very successful, while the release Kherson is Ukraine sold out quickly — partly due to its print run being half the size.
What is happening with philately in Ukraine now
After the boom of the first year, the number of philately enthusiasts has significantly decreased. The reasons are different. Vadym Ishchenko says that they are complex: large print runs, rising stamp prices, expensive season tickets, and the outflow of people trying to make money on stamps.
‘I don't like the fact that paper season tickets have been closed and the only mode of payment is online. I don't think this is the right decision. There should be an online store, it allows many people to solve their problems of purchasing material, because not everyone can buy as much as Kyiv residents. And even in Kyiv, half of the philatelists would be happy to come with a paper subscription to a store either at the Main Post Office or at the Left Bank Post Office,’ Vadym Ishchenko notes.
Indeed, the philatelic season tickets introduced in 2024 cost from UAH 585 (Standard) to UAH 2,340 (Exclusive). In 2025, another subscription was introduced - Exclusive+ costing 2540 hryvnias. This price does not include philatelic products, such as stamps, envelopes and postcards.
As a result, a total of about 5,000 season tickets were issued for 2025 (about 3,500 for Standard and 1,700 for Exclusive). Compared to the peak year of 2023, the number of season tickets decreased by about three times.
In addition, the decline in demand was driven by a large supply of philatelic material and rising prices. Compared to 2022, stamps doubled in price. Large print runs also played a role.
‘The circulation of stamps that Ukrposhta is printing today is the murder of philately. It's just murder. It is impossible to produce such huge print runs,’ Vadym Ishchenko is sure.
What's next?
‘Today, unfortunately, we have an operational plan for stamp issuance. Ukrposhta is reinsuring itself, because today there may be one event, and tomorrow another, and some other stamp will be urgently needed. Therefore, today we are not considering such a plan, even a thematic one. I'm not talking about a calendar plan,’ says Vadym Ishchenko.
However, he is sure that the main thing is to wait for the victory. And then there will be a large philatelic exhibition and a return to the thematic plans. And Ukrposhta and philatelists already have new artists and ideas. This includes continuing the series National Minorities in Ukraine, Ukrainian Embroidery - the Nation's Code, Cities of Heroes, and joint issues with other countries' post offices.