Ukraine Issues Banksy Postage Stamp With ‘FCK PTN’ Message
Image via Ukrposhta
With its buildings crushed into rubble, Ukraine has been turning to other tangible means to eternalize this challenging moment in history for future reflection. Art has been both effective and cathartic, with one of the nation’s most successful efforts arriving in a small, surprising form: postage stamps. About 15 million of them were sold last year, Fast Company reports; that’s six times more than the number of stamps sold in 2021.
To commemorate the first anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Ukrainian postal service has released a new postage stamp that could be just as iconic as the design of a soldier giving the finger to a Russian warship. The new edition is a reproduction of a mural by Banksy, who was in Kyiv last year to make an artistic response to the war on damaged buildings.
The work depicts a David and Goliath situation where a little boy is seen slamming a grown man to the ground in a game of judo. The defeated character is a portrayal of Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, who has a black belt in judo.
Ukrposhta, the country’s postal office, has added the phrase “FCK PTN,” in Cyrillic, to the left side of the stamp.
“We believe that the Ukrainian postage stamp FCK PTN! will also become prophetic,” expresses Igor Smelyanskyi, Director General of Ukrposhta. “And in 2023, Ukraine, which is smaller in terms of territory but hundreds of times more motivated, will finally ‘pin Russia to the mat.’”
The issue of the Banksy-themed tribute stamp closely follows Ukraine’s release of a commemorative banknote marking a year of its fight and resilience against Russia.
According to a report by the Guardian, Kyiv residents rushed to their post office to order the new Banksy stamp. For some, the artwork is another piece of the time capsule to remember the war by. Others, like 26-year-old Maxime, love that they get to own a small Banksy chronicling the conflict.
The resident told reporters that the stamp is “a very cool gesture” to help raise international awareness of Ukraine’s situation and keep it in the spotlight.
Proceeds from the FCK PTN! stamp will go to humanitarian aid, in particular to help out academic institutions that have been devastated by Russian aggression.
[via The Guardian and Fast Company, images via Ukrposhta]
