‘Russian Warship Go…’ stamps

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.

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.

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.