The Lviv Regional Military Administration held a special cancellation of the “We Are Waiting!” postage stamps, dedicated to Ukrainian prisoners of war, missing persons and their families. The event took place on 24 August to mark Ukraine’s Independence Day.
The ceremony was attended by the Head of the Lviv Regional Military Administration Maksym Kozytskyi, the representative of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights in Lviv region, deputy of the Lviv Regional Council Taras Podvirnyi, representatives of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, JSC “Ukrposhta”, the civic movement “Free Everyone”, the NGO “Remember Ukraine”, families of missing Defenders of Ukraine and service personnel released from captivity.
“I thank Ukrposhta for turning an ordinary postage stamp into a symbol of remembrance. A stamp is a small piece of paper thanks to which a letter travels thousands of kilometres, crosses the front line and even the barbed wire of captivity. It is proof that our defenders are remembered. This stamp is a reminder to all of us: as long as there is at least one defender or civilian in captivity, our work is not finished. I thank the families for their resilience. I believe the day will come when all our people return home,” — Taras Podvirnyi
The special postal issue “We Are Waiting!” was prepared by JSC “Ukrposhta” together with the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War. It is dedicated to prisoners of war, missing Ukrainians and their loved ones.
The issue consists of two stamps. The first — “Stork. Freedom” by the artist Nikita Titov. It depicts a stork with wings in the colours of the Flag of Hope — a symbol of support for prisoners of war and the missing. The second stamp — “Bearer of Good News” by the artist Andriy Yermolenko — shows the hand of a prisoner of war reaching through bars towards a tit, which embodies good tidings.
The print run of each stamp is 360,000 copies. Ukrainians chose the sketches for this issue through an open vote in the Diia app, in which almost 328,800 people took part.