"Cities of Heroes. Okhtyrka"

On 24 February 2022, at about 12 o'clock, the russian occupiers entered the city of Okhtyrka and were stopped by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. For more than a month, the enemy tried to break through the defense and shelled the city with all kinds of weapons, including aircraft.

On 26 February, three thermobaric (vacuum) bombs were dropped on Okhtyrka, killing and injuring many residents, destroying the city utilities and lots of buildings. The enemy was destroying and courageous people, heroes-workers of the critical infrastructure facilities, were restoring water pipes, power grid, and communication networks under fire, inspiring the whole country to resist. On 27 March, the active phase of the battle for Okhtyrka ended. The demining of the city began.

For the mass heroism and resilience shown by citizens in the defense of the city, Okhtyrka, which became an irresistible outpost on the way of the russian army's advance into Ukraine, was awarded the honorary title of "Hero City of Ukraine" by Presidential Decree No. 164/2022.

The postage stamp depicts the building of the Okhtyrka City Council destroyed by an enemy attack.

"Cities of Heroes. Bucha. Irpin. Hostomel"

In the first days of russia's full-scale war against Ukraine, the cities of Kyiv region took the brunt of the enemy's attack aimed at the capital of Ukraine. 

Civilians faced the inhuman cruelty and arbitrariness of the invaders: the mass killing of the civilian population in Bucha, accompanied by torture and rape, was called the "Bucha Massacre." 

In the margins of the block, a panoramic photo of Irpin shows the extent of the city's destruction. 

The postage stamps of the block feature documentary photos of a destroyed column of enemy vehicles on Vokzalna Street in Bucha, a crossing over the Irpin River, which was the main evacuation route for the civilian population, and a drawing of the world's largest transport aircraft AN-225 "Mriya" destroyed by the enemy at the airfield in Hostomel. 

In March 2022, 10 Ukrainian cities, including Bucha, Irpin and Hostomel, were awarded the honorary title "Hero City of Ukraine".

"Cities of Heroes. Kharkiv Region"

On February 24, 2022, Kharkiv region, along with other regions bordering russia, was the first to meet the invaders not with flowers and hugs, but with weapons and fury: people of Kharkiv devotedly defended the city while the region locals and the military desperately resisted the invader in the territories captured by the enemy.

And in September 2022, the Armed Forces of Ukraine with the swift counterattacks liberated from the occupiers almost the entire region.

Kharkiv region survived owing to the courage of the military and ordinary people: due to those who laid an evacuation route, who shot down a russian attack aircraft in the skies of Kharkiv, who saved a priceless museum exhibit, who with their resistance and courage helped to liberate their native land.

The patriots of Slobozhanshchyna (Sloboda Ukraine) set an example of resilience and indomitability and they continue to defend their land against the aggressor's attacks.

The postal issue is dedicated to the Hero cities of Kharkiv region: Balakliia, Izium, Kupiansk, and Kharkiv.

As an emotional symbol of freedom, the stamps depict the moments when the Ukrainian flag was raised in these cities.