Andrii Ivanets’ curatorial tour of the exhibition “Stamps of the Ukrainian SSR: belated aid to the starving”

22 September 2023

On Sunday, September 24, we invite historian Andrii Ivanets to a curatorial tour of the exhibition “Stamps of the Ukrainian SSR: belated aid to the starving.”

In 1921, a large-scale famine gripped the Volga region, Kazakhstan, the North Caucasus, part of the South Caucasus, Crimea, the south, and part of Livoberezhzhia of the Ukrainian SSR. However, in accordance with the instructions of the Central Committee of the RCP(b) and the government of the RSFSR, in the Ukrainian SSR they collected the aid primarily for the starving Volga region. For several months, the Bolshevik authorities had blocked information about the scale of the famine in Ukraine.

Foreign aid also went only to Russian regions. Only at the beginning of 1922, the communist regime officially recognised the southern Ukrainian provinces as infertile, so foreign charitable organizations managed to de facto deploy aid to Ukrainians only at the end of the spring and summer of 1922.

At the same time, the authorities of the Ukrainian SSR decided to issue a series of charity postage stamps, “Aid to the Starving”, part of the profit from which was to go to charity. But, due to the opposition of representatives of the RSFSR, they appeared in circulation when the famine was mostly overcome.

During the curatorial tour of the leading researcher of the Holodomor Museum, candidate of historical sciences Andrii Ivanets, you will learn:

– about the causes and extent of the man-made famine of 1921-1923;

– why stamps did not become real help for starving Ukraine;

– what does double denomination on stamps mean;

– whose artwork was used for brand images;

– who and why printed fake stamps;

– what makes the “Aid to the Starving” series, released a hundred years ago, especially valuable.

When: Sunday, September 24 at 3:00 p.m

Where: Hall of Memory of the Holodomor Museum (3 Lavrska St., Arsenalna St.)

Cost: UAH 85, for students and pensioners – UAH 75.

We invite you!

Please register in advance: http://surl.li/ljlgh