Ukrposhta revealed their upcoming stamp, “Crimean bridge for an encore!” “Кримський міст на біс!” the day the bridge was blown up.  The new stamp, by well-known Ukrainian artist Yuri Shapoval Юрій Шаповал includes a number of fascinating subtexts which are worth decoding. Along with the vivid view of the bridge’s destruction, the stamp shows other symbols of the Russian war and occupation that have been front and centre in the news. 

Artist Yuri Shapoval’s artwork for the new stamp

The stamp combines imagery from the movie Titanic and interweaves clues about the current war throughout the painting:

 “It was decided to use a scene from the famous film [Titanic] to sketch the [stamp]. Just as the myth of the ship’s unsinkability spread, so did Russia build the myth that the Crimean bridge is a symbol of the eternal connection of the Ukrainian Crimea with Russia.” Ukrposhta will issue a postage stamp with a destroyed Crimean bridge: it will be possible to get it in the first half of November. 

The FDC artwork takes up the bridge theme, showing it as handcuffs, chaining Ukraine to Russia. Viewers can spot more symbols in the stamp – broken and destroyed Russian military equipment, the letter Z, a destroyed bridge, Russian signs discarded (seen in the labels in the sheet of stamps) and more:

a cigarette butt in the hands of the heroine, [is] evidence that the invaders have recently suffered greatly from smoking in forbidden places, the occupiers’ passenger car, [falling into the deep water], destroys looted washing machines and other goods, Bayraktar [drones] “accidentally” [fly] over the bridge, a broken enemy tank, which as part of the [invasion is now trapped].
Ukrposhta will issue a postage stamp with a destroyed Crimean bridge: it will be possible to get it in the first half of November.

7 million copies of The Crimean bridge for an encore! will be released sometime in early November 2022. The set will include of one stamp, a sheet of 7 with 2 labels and a FDC. A postmark will likely be available as well, but it hasn’t been mentioned. 

Yuri Shapoval was an interesting choice for this stamp. He is known for tucking symbols into his paintings to comment on modern Ukrainian society (pre-war). Originally trained as an accountant, Shapoval found his voice through oil painting.  A 2015 interview with him, describes his works as depicting “the struggle of Ukrainian people for their freedom and democracy…” seems downright clairvoyant.  Yuri Shapoval (imaginepoint.gallery)

Shapoval has been busy documenting the war. His art is both intriguing and disturbing in the way he splices together the sometimes-banal aspects of daily life with the jarring realities of living in a war zone.  

Artist Yuri Shapoval’s artwork on Ukraine war

Ukraine child playing in a war zone

You can see more of his work here, Paintings about the war in Ukraine – artist Yuri Shapoval portrayed Ukrainians during the war – Telegraph (telegraf.com.ua).  The video below shows some of Shapoval’s earlier artwork. I’d recommending pausing the video periodically so you can look at the many details he scatters throughout.  

You can see all of the 2022 Ukraine stamps here Day of Unity – Ukraine’s 2022 stamps | Bitter Grounds Magazine