Heroic Professions: Bread at the Cost of Life – Ukrainian Stamp Sheet, 2025

“Heroic Professions. Bread at the Cost of Life” is an official Ukrposhta postage stamp issue honoring the courage of Ukrainian farmers who continue working despite shelling, mined fields, and constant danger.

Even during the full-scale war, Ukrainian farmers remain on the land that feeds the country. They sow and harvest while explosions happen nearby, and in some cases they clear fields themselves without sappers or specialized equipment so they do not lose precious time before the next harvest. Ukrposhta describes these farmers as true heroes whose work has helped prevent a food crisis and supply Ukrainian troops, hospitals, and communities with food. 

The design is based on the story of Oleksandr Gordienko, a well-known farmer from the Kherson region. According to Ukrposhta, he cleared hundreds of hectares of mined farmland and used an anti-drone rifle to shoot down around one hundred enemy drones. On September 5, 2025, a Russian UAV struck his vehicle and killed him. 

The sheet features two powerful designs — “Battle for the Harvest” and “Fiery Harvest” — portraying the extraordinary risks faced by those who continue producing food in wartime.

A deeply meaningful collectible documenting the courage, sacrifice, and resilience of Ukraine’s agricultural community.

Stamp Details

• Official title: Heroic Professions. Bread at the Cost of Life
• Ukrainian: Героїчні професії. Хліб ціною життя
• Issuer: Ukrposhta
• Year: 2025
• Issue date: November 26, 2025
• Number of stamps: 6
• Denomination: U
• Stamp size: 52.2 × 25 mm
• Sheet size: 134 × 100 mm
• Print run: 600,000 stamps
• Series: Heroic Professions
• Artist: A. Bondarets
• Condition: New, unused
• Includes: One complete sheet of 6 stamps 

Story Behind the Stamp

Ukraine’s farmers have continued to work under conditions that would once have been unimaginable. Fields are mined, shelling can happen nearby, and agricultural machinery operates in areas exposed to drone attacks and fire.

Yet this work has remained essential. Ukrposhta notes that Ukrainian farmers helped prevent a domestic food crisis during the war, supplied food to the military, hospitals, and local communities, and helped Ukraine remain among the world’s ten largest wheat-producing countries. 

The story of Oleksandr Gordienko became the foundation of this postal issue. His work in the Kherson region represents the extraordinary risks taken by farmers who refused to abandon their land.

The two stamp designs, “Battle for the Harvest” and “Fiery Harvest,” turn that story into a visual record of one of Ukraine’s modern heroic professions.

Perfect For

• Ukrainian stamp and philately collectors
• Collectors of Ukrainian national symbols
• Ukrainians living abroad
• Collectors of modern Ukrainian history
• Supporters of Ukraine
• Meaningful patriotic gifts
• Collectors of contemporary Ukrainian art