Beginning with one of his covert pieces of street art on a heavily damaged wall in Borodianka, Ukraine, Banksy’s mural has now become an official Ukrainian stamp. Featuring a young child throwing Vladimir Putin to the ground in a Judo move, the artwork symbolizes the country’s outrage at the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the Russian leader’s illegal and deadly war.
The stamps come one full year after the invasion on February 24, 2022. And despite Russia believing they could take the Ukrainian capital in a number of days, the world has seen the resilience, power, and might of Ukraine and its proud people.
The official stamp has Cyrillic text in the lower left that says “FCK PTN”, showing the sentiment of the country. The stamp immediately caused a surge in visits to post offices, with civilians getting their own piece of history.
“It was painted by the British street artist on a demolished wall in the town of Borodianka, north-west of Kyiv, where many buildings were reduced to rubble by Russian aircraft at the start of the invasion.
The image draws inspiration from the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, known to be a black belt in judo, and depicts a young judoka representing Ukraine knocking down a grown man.
The phrase “FCK PTN” in Cyrillic has been added to the lower left part of the new stamp.
Residents of the capital flocked to buy the new stamps on Friday from Kyiv’s main post office.”
