“It’s a symbol, a message. It reflects our inner patriotism"

Crude and vulgar it is but at the same time when a shortlist of 50 designs were put to a vote, with the warship the triumphant winner. “It was democratic, just like Ukraine,”

“People are in love with it. It reflects the mood around the world towards Russia,” said Igor Smelyansky, Ukrposhta’s director general.

Smelyansky has also produced a “Russian warship, go fuck yourself” T-shirt, which will soon go on general sale

‘Russian warship, go …!’: Ukrainians queue for stamp celebrating act of defiance

(The stamp was published the day before Ukrainian missiles took down the Moskva. Photograph: Alessio Mamo/The Guardian)

 

Luke Harding

the Guardian |

Country takes pride in limited-edition design featuring soldier giving middle-finger salute

"After spending four hours in a queue, Viktor Fyodorovich showed off his shiny new purchase. “I’m 63 years old. I’ve never felt so much pride before in our nation. It’s a symbol of our courage and steadfastness,” he said. . .

(Kyiv’s independence square.)

Fyodorovich was the proud owner of two sheets of stamps, 16 in total. Available from Kyiv’s central post office, the stamps show a Ukrainian soldier giving the finger to the flagship Russian cruiser Moskva. On the sheet’s perforated margin is the phrase that has become a rallying slogan for Ukrainians in their underdog battle against Moscow: “Russian warship, go …!” The “fuck yourself” is tactfully omitted.

The words were spoken by Roman Hrybov when the warship’s crew asked him and his fellow border guards on Snake Island, south of the port of Odesa, to surrender in the early hours of Vladimir Putin’s invasion. The phrase has since gone global. Last week the national postal service, Ukrposhta, released the design as a special commemorative stamp. . ."

Reference: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/apr/19/russian-warship-go-ukrainians-queue-for-stamp-celebrating-act-of-defiance