Ukraine, dg Ukrposhta: “Postal service essential in war”

The stamp with the middle finger to the Russian cruiser Moskva, later sunk, but also marks dedicated to the anti-mine dog Patron, awarded by Zelensky, to the victory of the Kalush Orchestra at the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 and to the largest plane in the world, the Antonov An-225 ‘Mriya’, destroyed at the end of February in Hostomel, near Kiev. There are many initiatives in support of the Ukrainian resistance launched by Ukrposhta, the state postal service, which became “even more fundamental during the war – general manager Igor Smelyansk explains to Adnkronos – since many banks and shops have closed and some areas of the Country have been left without electricity and food, with people who need to receive basic necessities and money “. Delivering them to those in need is a commitment that Ukrposhta has made since the beginning of the conflict, making the Ukrainian postal service a strategic target for Moscow. “For many people we represent a lifeline. If they don’t receive pensions, for example, they may think the Ukrainian government doesn’t care about them. So it’s important for the Russians to target us, I understand that,” Smelyansk notes, reporting on the damage. newspapers caused by the bombing of the postal infrastructure. “The latest – he says – is yesterday, with the destruction of our department store in Mykolaiv”. The danger is also for postmen who work in areas where the fighting is hottest. “We lost about 10-15 people. Two while they were making deliveries in the Zaporizhia region. The others were killed in their homes. And we don’t know exactly how many died in Mariupol,” says the chief executive, explaining that “from the first attack, we have established stricter rules. Every morning we meet with the special forces of the army, to make sure that where we go is safe. Not only for us, but also for those who make the service possible, such as the military. ” However, there is always a margin of risk, “but we do our best. We always change the routes and every morning they start with a reconnaissance of the roads, which the Russians bomb. In fact, the decision whether or not to deliver to a place is taken the same day “. To the traditional attacks are added those hackers, “increased – says Igor Smelyansk – since we started selling the Moskva stamps. Now cyber attacks are something we have to deal with every day. better, no system is 100% impenetrable. What we can do is try to be smarter than them. ” Hence – reveals the number one of the Ukrainian postal service – the decision to transfer the sale of Moskva stamps online, so as not to make the many people lining up to buy them easy targets, and then to broaden the purchase channels to “eBay and Amazon, which are less penetrable than Ukrposhta. “The last 2 million stamps of the sunken Moskva will go on sale online on Friday 10 June, with the image of the soldier who on the Island of Snakes gives the Russian cruiser the middle finger and the word ‘done’. “After the episode – says the CEO – became famous, we thought it could become a subject for a postage stamp. Obviously we discussed it, because it was an unusual postage stamp and for this reason we decided to do it in an artistic way. launching a national competition, in which 800 people voted for the design which it then won. “Highly anticipated, the Moskva stamp went like hot cakes when” two days after we launched it, the ship sank. Everyone thought that even the our next stamp would have been ‘predictive’ and they asked us to make one about Putin, ”Smelyansk says with a smile. The next mark, on the other hand, the one with the word ‘done’, was dedicated to the sinking of the Moskva. Also because “we had produced a million copies of the first stamp, but they finished in 7-8 days. People asked us to print more, but by law the announced number cannot be exceeded”. Of the second stamp, 5 million copies have been announced. “To date – he explains – we have sold 3 million. On Friday we will launch the rest. And a part will also be sold abroad on eBay and Amazon”. You can also buy gadgets online, such as mugs, T-shirts, sweatshirts and hats with the Moskva stamp print. “For every 49.99 dollar international order, five dollars are donated for humanitarian purposes”, explains Smelyansk, specifying that “initially the funds were supposed to go to support our army, but international platforms do not allow this type of collection”. And so the proceeds, which according to the CEO has already exceeded 500,000 dollars, will be destined, depending on the stamp purchased, to different areas of intervention, from the reconstruction of schools, to animal assistance, up to the reconstruction of the postal infrastructure. After the last sale of the sunken Moskva stamp, the ‘Ukrainian dream’ stamp, with the child’s drawing of the destroyed Antonov, “will be launched by the end of June. Then the stamps for the dog Patron and ‘Goodevening from Ukraine’, which we plan to launch in the summer, in July and August “, says the head of Ukrposhta. We will have to wait a little longer for the stamp dedicated to the victory of the Kalush Orchestra at the Eurovision Song Contest 2022. “We are working on it, but there are times for the bureaucracy to be respected, to be sure of having the rights and respecting the rules. It’s not easy, “says Smelyansk.