'Russian warship go f**k yourself' stamps

Essential Information

Location	National Maritime Museum
Price	Free

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These stamps are a new acquisition to the National Maritime Museum collection, designed by Boris Groh and issued by Ukrpochta (Ukrainian Post Office) on 13 April 2022.

They are currently on display in the National Maritime Museum's Voyagers Gallery.

Ukrainian stamps — The commemorative stamps on display in the National Maritime Museum (© National Maritime Museum)

The postage stamps commemorate the refusal of Ukrainian border officers to surrender Zmiinyi (Snake) Island to the Russian warship Moskva within hours of Russia’s invasion in February 2022.

Recordings of officer Roman Hrybov’s message to the Moskva – ‘Russian warship, go f**k yourself!’ – were shared widely across social media, and set the tone for Ukraine’s defiance in the face of a much stronger adversary.

A day after the post office issued these commemorative stamps, the Moskva sustained severe damage and later sank. This is the first Russian flagship lost since 1906. The fate of most of the crew of around 400 remains unclear.

How was the stamp design chosen?

Ukrpochta (the Ukrainian post office) held a competition to produce a commemorative stamp immortalising the actions of the leader of 13 Ukrainian border guards on Zmiinyi Island, who had replied, ‘Russian warship, go f*** yourself’ when asked to surrender.

The recording quickly became viral, with reports that the border guards had been killed. Later reports confirmed that the border guards had, in fact, been taken prisoner by Russian forces. Subsequently all the guards were released unharmed as part of a prisoner swap.

Ukrainian stamp — The winning stamp design by Boris Groh (image via Wikimedia Commons, public domain)

The design entry by Boris Groh won the popular vote on Facebook. The stamp shows a Ukrainian soldier, with gun lowered, making an obscene gesture to a Russian warship.

The stamp was issued as the first stamp produced under martial law. Despite one million stamps being issued the design quickly sold out, with some people queuing for hours to purchase the stamps as a sign of support.

The Museum has also acquired a second set of stamps known as ‘Russia warship done’, which were issued on 23 May 2022.

The Ukrainian postal service has continued to operate during the conflict, and is a lifeline to many. There are reports of the service being directly targeted, with its workers being placed in danger.

The war in Ukraine: impact on seafarers

The strategic position of Snake Island, a small rocky outcrop, testifies to the importance of the sea to Ukrainian trade.

Over 100 foreign flagged vessels were stranded in Ukrainian waters at the start of the invasion, in direct line of fire, prompting calls for a humanitarian blue corridor. At least one man, 27-year-old Hadisur Rahman, was killed after a missile struck his Bangladesh flagged cargo vessel.

The safety of these waters has now been secured via an agreement between Turkey, the UN, Russia and Ukraine but the situation remains fragile. In addition, the area is heavily sea-mined, presenting a real danger to the safety of seafarers.

Ukrainians account for 4% of all seafarers and the Ukrainian crisis will have a long-lasting impact on global shipping. Much of the Ukrainian grain was destined for low to middle income countries, heightening concerns of a potential impending humanitarian crisis.