{"product_id":"city-of-heroes-volnovakha-stamps","title":"Cities of Heroes: Volnovakha – Ukrainian Collectible Stamp Sheet","description":"\u003cp\u003eA powerful piece of modern Ukrainian history, the “Cities of Heroes: Volnovakha” stamp sheet honors a city that was among the first to face the full force of Russia’s invasion on February 24, 2022.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe collectible sheet contains 6 Ukrainian postage stamps dedicated to Volnovakha — a city in Donetsk region whose people demonstrated their Ukrainian identity long before the full-scale war and whose resistance in 2022 came at an enormous cost.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Story Behind the Stamp Sheet\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVolnovakha has long been more than a dot on the map.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLocated at an important railway junction connecting Mariupol, Donetsk, and Zaporizhzhia, the city became strategically important from the first days of Russia’s full-scale invasion.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut the story of Volnovakha’s resistance began earlier.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 2016, more than 2,000 residents formed a human chain under the message “Donbas is Ukraine.” It was a public declaration of identity and unity from people living only a short distance from the frontline.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThat message would take on an even deeper meaning six years later.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA City That Took the First Blow\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn February 24, 2022, Volnovakha became one of the first Ukrainian cities attacked during the full-scale invasion.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHeavy fighting continued through February and March. Ukrainian defenders and local residents resisted, but after approximately two weeks of intense shelling, much of the city had been destroyed and thousands of residents were forced to leave their homes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn March 6, 2022, Volnovakha was awarded the honorary title “Hero City of Ukraine” in recognition of the courage and resilience shown by its residents and defenders.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor people who once called Volnovakha home, the city remains far more than destroyed buildings.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is their streets, schools, gardens, railway station, neighbors, childhood memories — and a home they hope to see Ukrainian again.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e“I Am Volnovakha”\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVolnovakha had already become a symbol of tragedy and solidarity in \u003cb\u003eJanuary 2015\u003c\/b\u003e, when a Grad rocket exploded beside a passenger bus stopped near a Ukrainian military checkpoint outside the city.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eTwelve civilians were killed and 17 wounded.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the aftermath, the words “I am Volnovakha. Je suis Volnovakha” became a message of remembrance and solidarity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA decade later, that phrase remains inseparable from the city's history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA City Waiting to Come Home\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe “Cities of Heroes: Volnovakha” stamp issue was released in February 2025, three years after the beginning of the full-scale invasion.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIts message is not only about destruction.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is about memory, Ukrainian identity, resistance, and return.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVolnovakha remains under Russian occupation, but for Ukrainians its identity is clear.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVolnovakha is Ukraine.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd the hope behind this collectible is equally simple:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ewe are waiting for Ukrainian Volnovakha to come home.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eStamp Sheet Details\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e6 collectible Ukrainian postage stamps\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSeries: Cities of Heroes\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDenomination: U\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIssue date: February 18, 2025\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eArtist: military artist “Dante”\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStamp size: 28 × 40 mm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSheet size: 129 × 91 mm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOriginal print run: 840,000 stamps\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOriginal Ukrainian postal issue\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMade in Ukraine\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe official specifications confirm the six-stamp format, catalogue No. 2148, dimensions, artist, issue date, and circulation of 840,000 individual stamps.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA Meaningful Collectible From Ukraine\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis stamp sheet is especially meaningful for:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUkrainian stamp collectors\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePeople from Volnovakha and Donetsk region\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUkrainian diaspora families\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSupporters of Ukraine\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCollectors of modern Ukrainian history\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePeople interested in the history of Ukraine’s occupied cities\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnyone looking for an authentic and meaningful gift from Ukraine\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Cities of Heroes: Volnovakha stamp sheet preserves the story of a city nearly destroyed, but not erased.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt remembers the people who resisted, those who were forced to leave, and the Ukrainian community that continues to wait for the day when Volnovakha can return home.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA small collectible carrying the memory—and the future—of a Ukrainian city.\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e🇺🇦\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cb\u003eAuthentic collectible from Ukraine, available from Gifts from Ukraine with fast shipping from Canada.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gifts From Ukraine","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48370235015401,"sku":null,"price":13.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/1904\/9193\/files\/city-of-heroes-volnovakha-ukrainian-stamps.jpg?v=1789499280","url":"https:\/\/giftsfromukraine.com\/fr\/products\/city-of-heroes-volnovakha-stamps","provider":"Gifts From Ukraine","version":"1.0","type":"link"}