Ukraine 2002 "The Crimean bridge for an encore!"

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Issue Date	04.11.2022
ID	Michel: Scott:
Design	Yuriy Shapoval
Stamps in set	1
Value	"M" - "The Crimean bridge for an encore!" "M" = 18 Hryvna = domestic letter with weight up to 250gr. rate.
Emission	commemorative
Size (width x height)	stamps: 28mm x 40mm
Layout	Mini-Sheet of 7+2 coupons
Products	FDC x1, PC x1
Paper
Perforation
Print Technique	Offset lithography
Printed by	Integrated Printing Plant Ukraina For Securities
Quantity	2.100.000
Issuing Authority	Ukrposhta

On November 4^th, 2022, the Post Authority of Ukraine - Ukrposhta - issued the commemorative stamp - "The Crimean bridge for an encore!", with the face value "M".
"M" = 18 Hryvna = domestic letter with weight up to 250gr. rate.
The stamps was designed by Yurii Shapoval, an Ukrainian artist-painter, who works in the technique of painting, graphics and installation. He graduated from Poltava National Technical University named after Yurii Kondratiuk. Participant of all-Ukrainian and international exhibitions and plein airs.

Official press release ^[R1] of the stamp:

"Following the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which were the first to congratulate Putin on his 70^th birthday by presenting him with a fire show on the Crimean Bridge, Ukrposhta announced its gift to the head of the terrorist state.
The postal operator announced the release of “The Crimean bridge encore!" postage stamp.
Since millions of experts, diplomats, politicians and ordinary people from all over the world are focused on the theatre of war in Ukraine, and not all of them understand the sacred significance of the Crimean bridge for Russia and the importance of its damage for the course of the Ukrainian-Russian war, it was decided to use a scene from a famous movie. In the same way that the myth of the unsinkability of the steamship spread, so Russia built the myth that the Crimean bridge is a symbol of the eternal connection of the Ukrainian Crimea with Russia.
In addition to the main plot, the stamp contains several interesting details and hints: a cigarette butt in the hands of the heroine, as evidence that recently the occupiers suffer a lot from smoking in prohibited places ^[2] , passenger car of the occupiers, which drove into the abyss, losing looted washing machines and other goods, Bayraktar that "accidentally" flew over the bridge, a broken enemy tank, which was transported to the front by the occupiers as part of a convoy.
The Crimean bridge, which connects the temporarily occupied Crimean peninsula with Russia, is an illegal construction (illegally built), which, as part of the full-scale war started by Russia on February 24, 2022, is actively used by the occupiers to reinforce their army."

After the annexation of the Crimea Peninsula in 2014, Russian officials looked at various options for connecting Crimea to the Russian mainland, in order to strengthen its control over the Crimea region. It was decided to build a bridge and was called the “Project of the Century” in Russia.
The bridge was named the "Crimean Bridge" after an online vote in December 2017, while "Kerch Bridge" and "Reunification Bridge" were the second and third most popular choices, respectively.
The bridge, is a pair of parallel bridges, one for a four-lane road and one for a double-track railway, spanning the Kerch Strait between the Taman Peninsula of Krasnodar Krai in Russia and the Kerch Peninsula of Crimea in Ukraine.
The bridge length is over 18 km. making it the longest bridge in Europe and the longest bridge ever constructed by Russia.
In January 2015, the multibillion-dollar construction contract for the bridge was awarded to Arkady Rotenberg's (close friend of Vladimir Putin) Stroygazmontazh. Construction began in February 2016. The road bridge was inaugurated by Russian President Vladimir Putin on 15 May 2018. The bridge opened on May 16, 2018 for non-truck vehicles, and opened to traffic on October 1.

Crimean Bridge on stamp of Russia. Issued on 6th Novemeber 2018. MiNr.: 2620, Scott: 7965.

On December 18, 2019, the railway bridge was deemed ready, and President Putin officially opened the bridge on December 23. The first timed passenger train crossed the bridge on December 25, 2019, and the bridge was opened for freight trains on June 30, 2020.

Ukraine and almost all countries of the world, never accepted the anexion of the Crimean peninsula and consider it as temporarily occupied territory.

Ukrainian map, including Crimea Peninsula on self-adhesive stamp of Ukraine 2019 - "Glory to Ukraine!" MiNr.: 1808, Scott: 1217

The Russian bridge crosses the sole access point for ships travelling to and from Ukraine's eastern port cities, including Mariupol and Berdiansk through which Ukraine exported steel and agricultural products. Following completion of the bridge various restrictions were imposed on Ukrainian shipping which affect their operating costs, which Ukraine and others alleged was part of a creeping hybrid blockade of Ukrainian ports in the Azov Sea.
These restrictions, including Russian inspections of ships, had risen sharply since the bridge opened in May 2018, some being forced to wait for three days before being allowed through. Additionally, due to the height limits of the main span of the bridge (33 to 35 metres above sea level) the Ukrainian maritime authority said many ships are too big to pass safely under the bridge, that reduced Ukrainian shipping from its Sea of Azov ports by about 25%.

The bridge became the symbol of Russian power and proud of its president Vladimir Putin. It also became the most important transport road for the Russian army who increased its forces very significantly and tried to make "impregnable fortress" from the Peninsula.
Russians claimed, the bridge is the one of the most protected objects in the country and it is absolutely impossible to damage it.
In the middle of July 2022, Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia, promised to give the Kyiv authorities a “judgment day” if they try to attack Crimea. He stated this at a meeting with veterans of the Great Patriotic War during a trip to the Volgograd region.
On 24^th February 2022, these forces invaded the South of Ukraine.

On 8 October 2022, an explosion occurred on the roadway leading from Russia to Crimea, starting a large fire and causing parts of the road bridge to collapse, with repairs ordered to be completed by end of July 2023.
The damage reduced the transport capacity of the bridge, which is being used to supply Russian troops in occupied Crimea during the invasion of Ukraine. The explosion occurred the day after the 70th birthday of Russian President Vladimir Putin and one week after the announcement of the annexation of four Ukrainian regions by Russia. No one claimed responsibility for the explosion. Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the Ukrainian government "did not order" it.
Russia was quick to suggest this was a truck (lorry) bomb, but didn't say who orchestrated it. The BBC however claimed it was more likely caused by a maritime drone.



After the explosion Putin called the bridge attack "act of terrorism", but nothing similar to the “judgment day” happened. Few days after the explosion Russian army started to massive missile attack on the critical civil infrastructure of Ukraine, with the hope Ukrainian people will go on the streets to force their government to make a "piece" with Russian (on the Russian conditions) to stop the missile attacks.
The missile caused, however, an opposite reaction of the Ukrainian population - nobody gone to protest against Ukrainian government, but consolidated in support of their Army. Many European and North American countries, as well as Australia, Japan and even some countries in Asia, sent many electricity generators and repair equipment to Ukraine, in order to compensate the damage. Ukraine also received many Anti-Missile and Air-Defence systems, from USA and European countries.
The massive missile attacks on the critical civil infrastructure of Ukraine was continued for many months, but didn't reached the goal.

Products

FDC (clean and sent as registered letter)		Postmark [1]
Official Commemorative Envelope	Mini-Sheet	Official Postcard
Circulated covers and postcard (sent to Germany from Lviv city)
Covers and Postcard signed by the artist, Yuriy Shapoval

Notes:

[1] Distinguished from many other stamps issued in 2022, there is only one commemorative postmark related to the stamp.

[2] Since beginning of the Russian invasion to Ukraine in February 2022, Russian military always denied to confirm Ukrainian military forces were responsible for attacks on Russian military bases. One of the common excuse for the explosion was the "fire accidence", as they believed it is the better explanation to the public, as to confirm on their disability to defence Ukrainian attacks.
Ukrainian military forces didn't took responsibility too, in order to "not provoke Russians", especially when the explosion was happened on the Russian territory or in Crimea Peninsula, which Russians said they will defence with all available weapons, including nuclear, as the Russian native territory.
The Ukrainian common explanation was "Russian soldiers smoked in the prohibited places, caused to the explosion".



References:

•   [R1] Technical details and press release: Philatelic Newsletter of Ukrposhta, Ukrposhta.
•   [R2] The Crimean Bridge: Reduper, Wikipedia.
•   [R3] Explosion of the Crimean Bridge: BBC, Wikipedia, News unrolled,

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