Emissions of state valuable postal matter in July

On July 7, a souvenir sheet dedicated to the 250th Anniversary of the Tsaritsyno palace and park ensemble will go into postal circulation

Late in May of 1775, Empress Catherine II purchased the Chornaya Gryaz estate and the surrounding villages. That same summer, a Decree was issued renaming the village of Chornaya Gryaz to Tsaritsyno. The design and construction of the new imperial residence were entrusted to court architect Vasily Bazhenov. For more than 20 years, outstanding Russian architects Vasily Bazhenov and Matvey Kazakov worked on the residence construction. After the Empress's death in 1796, all works were ceased.

At the beginning of the 19th century, the park was landscaped and stone pavilions were built. In 1860, Emperor Alexander II made a profitable decision to lease the dilapidated palace buildings and land plots. By the end of the 19th century, Tsaritsyno had become a well-maintained and prestigious dacha village. After the October Revolution, Tsaritsyno along with the surrounding areas was renamed as settlement Lenino, and communal apartments appeared in the old buildings. In 1927, the Tsaritsyno Historical, Art, and Local History Museum opened in one of the buildings, which in the 1930s, was renamed as the Lenin Local History Museum of the Garden and Horticultural District.

In the late 1960s, large-scale housing development began in the Orekhovo-Borisovo district. A security zone covering more than 1,000 hectares was established around the Tsaritsyno ensemble. In 1984, the State Museum of Decorative and Applied Arts of the Peoples of the USSR opened in Moscow. Work was underway to restore old buildings and the park and pavilions were reconstructed.

On September 2, 2007, the Tsaritsyno palace complex was officially opened.

Today, Tsaritsyno is one of the most beautiful and frequented attractions in Russia.

The stamp features the Grand Palace of the Tsaritsyno Museum-Reserve (18th century); the margins of the souvenir sheet show the panorama of the park.

In addition to the issue of the souvenir sheet, JSC Marka will produce First Day Covers and a special cancel for Moscow.


Design Artist: M. Bodrova.
Face value: 250 rubles.
Souvenir sheet size: 122×98 mm, stamp size in the souvenir sheet: 65×32.5 mm.
Quantity: 15 thousand souvenir sheets.


On July 8, a souvenir sheet dedicated to the 100th Anniversary of the All-Russian Society of the Blind will go into postal circulation

The official date of the foundation of the All-Russian Society of the Blind is considered to be July 8 of 1925, when A. Rykov, the Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR, on behalf of the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR, approved the resolution of the Small Council of People's Commissars on the establishment of the All-Russian Society of the Blind to improve the living conditions of the blind, their material security, cultural and political education, training in crafts accessible to them, as well as providing them with the opportunity to use their knowledge in the fields of science, technology and art.

Today, the Society operates throughout the Russian Federation. As of January 1 of 2025, the Society numbers more than 185,000 people. The structure of the Society incorporates 743 local organizations and 81 regional organizations including those operating in the following territories: regions — 8, republics — 23, autonomous districts — 1, provinces — 46, as well as organizations in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Sevastopol.

The postage stamp features the logo of celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the All-Russian Society of the Blind; the margins of the souvenir sheet feature images of the monument The Blind Listener — Defender of the Sky of Blockaded Leningrad by sculptor M. Tretyakova, a blind man with a guide dog, the Society's motto Equal Rights and Equal Opportunities, and the name of the theme in Braille.

In addition to the issue of the souvenir sheet, JSC Marka will produce First Day Covers and special cancels for Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Chelyabinsk.


Design Artist: A. Povarikhin.
Face value: 200 rubles.
Souvenir sheet size: 150×98 mm, stamp size in the souvenir sheet: 50×50 mm.
Quantity: 22 thousand souvenir sheets.


On July 10, a souvenir sheet dedicated to the 150th Birth Anniversary of painter Konstantin Yuon will go into postal circulation in the Russian Academy of Arts series

Konstantin Yuon (1875-1958) was a Russian and Soviet painter, a master of landscape painting, a stage designer, an art theorist, an educator and a professor. He was an Honored Artist of the RSFSR (1926), a People's Artist of the RSFSR (1945), an Academician of the Academy of Arts of the USSR (1947), a People's Artist of the USSR (1950) and a Winner of the Stalin Prize, First Class (1943).

Since 1907, he worked in the field of theater decoration, designing the set for the Boris Godunov opera in Paris within Sergei Diaghilev's Russian Seasons. Before the revolution, the main subject of his creative work was urban landscapes of Russian cities (Moscow, Sergiev Posad, Nizhny Novgorod, etc.) performed in a distinctive style imbued with light and broad perspectives, featuring churches, women in folk costumes, and traditional Russian household items. For example, far-famed is his painting Domes and Swallows (1921–1922).

In 1925, Yuon became a member of the Association of Artists of Revolutionary Russia (AARR). From 1948 to 1950, he was the Director of the Research Institute of Theory and History of Fine Arts of the Academy of Arts of the USSR.

From 1952 to 1955, he lectured as a professor at the Surikov Art Institute in Moscow, as well as at a number of other educational institutions (the Repin Institute in Leningrad, the Correspondence People's University of Arts in Moscow).

The postage stamp provides a fragment of painting Domes and Swallows (1921–1922) from the collection of the Yaroslavl Art Museum; the margins of the souvenir sheet feature a portrait of the painter. The background design makes use of a fragment of painting The Interior (1907) from the collection of the Kroshitsky Sevastopol Art Museum.

In addition to the issue of the souvenir sheet, JSC Marka will produce First Day Covers and special cancels for Moscow and St. Petersburg, as well as illustrated covers for the souvenir sheet with a label and a First Day Cover with a cancel for St. Petersburg, and for the second emission type: an imperforated souvenir sheet made on canvas-type design paper.


Design Artist: O. Savina.
Face value: 250 rubles.
Souvenir sheet size: 130×101 mm, stamp size in the souvenir sheet: 50×50 mm.
Quantity: 16 thousand souvenir sheets (the 1-st emission type); 3.5 thousand souvenir sheets (the 2-nd emission type*).
* To be on sale as part of an illustrated cover.


On July 16, a postage stamp dedicate to the 50th Anniversary of the City of Novy Urengoy of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug will go into postal circulation

Novy Urengoy is a city in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug of Russia. It has the status of a city of regional significance and forms the urban district of the same name. It is located on the banks of the Evoyakha river, a tributary of the Pur river, 579 km east of Salekhard. Being the production center of the largest gas-bearing area, Novy Urengoy is an unofficial gas capital of Russia.

A settlement of Novy Urengoy was officially registered on August 18 of 1975. In 1975, the construction of the airport started, and in 1976, the first school opened. In January of 1978, the Urengoygazdobycha production association was formed, and on May 30, the first billion cubic meters of Urengoy gas was produced. The settlement developed rapidly, gas production grew in volume, and on June 16 of 1980, it was granted city status under the name of Novy Urengoy. In September of 1982, the city was connected to the rest of the country by means of rail service. In 1983, the construction of the Urengoy–Pomary–Uzhgorod gas pipeline was completed, and in 1984, gas began to be supplied to Western Europe.

The city economy is shaped by enterprises directly involved in the extraction of gas, condensate, and oil. The city is the most important and largest transport hub in the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. The Korotchayevo microdistrict is home to the Urengoy River Port, which accounts for about 80% of local river freight traffic. The port operates dozens of self-propelled and non-self-propelled vessels, including floating crane mechanical aid.

The postage stamp provides images of the R-2 Exploratory Well pylon sign against the backdrop of the cityscape, the Epiphany Cathedral, and the coat of arms of the city.

In addition to the issue of the postage stamp, JSC Marka will produce First Day Covers and special cancels for Moscow and Novy Urengoy of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug.


Design Artist: I. Ulyanovsky.
Face value: 50 rubles.
Stamp size: 37×37 mm, sheet size: 131×137 mm.
Emission form: a sheet with formatted margins with 9 (3×3) stamps.
Quantity: 67.5 thousand stamps (7.5 thousand sheets).


On July 17, a postage stamp dedicate to the Potsdam Conference will go into postal circulation in the History of Russian Diplomacy series

The Potsdam Conference held in the suburbs of Berlin from July 17 to August 2 of 1945 was the last meeting of the heads of governments of the USSR, the USA, and the UK during the war. The Soviet delegation was led by Joseph Stalin, the American delegation by President Harry Truman, and the British delegation by Prime Minister by Clement Attlee (from July 28 0f 1945). The Conference, which took place at the Cecilienhof Palace, was also attended by the heads of foreign ministries of major powers and military representatives.

The main focus of the Potsdam Conference was on the problem of Germany: the basic principles of joint policy were agreed upon, and the disarmament and demilitarization of the country were envisaged. The procedure for exercising control over its territory required complete denazification, demilitarization, demonopolization, and democratization (the four Ds). The need to eliminate military and paramilitary formations and repeal Nazi laws was emphasized. War criminals were brought to justice. The country's industry was to be converted exclusively to peaceful purposes. Discussions broke out concerning the issue of reparations. Ultimately, the area-by-area principle of collecting reparations by each country in its zone of occupation was approved. The American and British delegations also confirmed their agreement to transfer the city of Königsberg (presently Kaliningrad) and its surrounding territories to the USSR.

The postage stamp presents images of the leaders of the three powers: I. Stalin, the Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, H. Truman, the President of the U.S.A., and K. Attlee, the Prime Minister of Great Britain - against the background of the Cecilienhof Palace.

In addition to the issue of the postage stamp, JSC Marka will produce First Day Covers and special cancels for Moscow, St. Petersburg and Kaliningrad.


Design Artist: S. Kapranov.
Face value: 80 rubles.
Stamp size: 50×50 mm, sheet size: 170×130 mm.
Emission form: a sheet with formatted margins with 6 (3×2) stamps.
Quantity: 48 thousand stamps (8 thousand sheets).


On July 22, two postage stamps dedicated to dolls will go into postal circulation in the Decorative and Applied Arts series in the framework of the Joint Issue of the Russian Federation and the Dominican Republic

Diplomatic relations between the USSR and the Dominican Republic were established on March 8 of 1945.

Tourism has traditionally been the driving force behind the development of bilateral relations. The success and popularity of the Dominican Republic as a tourist destination among Russians is largely due to the professional work and high quality of the local sector of recreation and tourism services. An important role in Russian-Dominican relations belongs to the cooperation in the field of higher education and professional training of citizens of this country in Russia.

Besides, the Russian Federation and the Dominican Republic share common cultural traditions in decorative and applied arts, one of which is traditional faceless dolls.

Such toys appeared in Russia in ancient times: people believed that evil spirits could not enter a faceless doll, and therefore could harm neither children nor adults. Today, faceless dolls are an important part of the country's cultural heritage.

In the Dominican Republic, according to one of the versions, a faceless doll appeared thanks to artist Liliana Mera, who decided to create a symbolic image of her native republic. Today, doll Lime (the name is composed of the first letters of the author's first and last names) is a national symbol that emphasizes the ethnic and cultural diversity of the country.

The postage stamps provide images of doll Lime (created by Mario Emilio Adams Diaz) and Russian folk dolls Girls and a Violinist (
Kursk region, created by Ekaterina Chernook).

In addition to the issue of the postage stamps, JSC Marka will produce First Day Covers and special cancels for Moscow and St. Petersburg, as well as maxi-cards and an illustrated cover with postage stamps, a label and a First Day Cover with a cancel for Moscow inside.


Design Artist: Kh. Betredinova.
Face value: 35 rubles.
Stamp size: 30×42 mm, sheet size: 170×110 mm.
Emission form: a sheet with formatted margins with (5×2) 8 stamps and 2 coupons.
Quantity: 96 thousand each stamp (24 thousand sheets).


On July 22, two postage stamps dedicated to Kyz-Aul and Set’navolok lighthouses will go into postal circulation in the Lighthouses of Russia series

The Kyz-Aul lighthouse is located at Cape Kyz-Aul in the south of the Kerch Peninsula in Crimea. In 1875, construction was completed on a tower with alternating black and white coloring on its eight sides, measuring 24.4 m in height and provided with a cast iron spiral staircase inside.

In the 1930s, the lighthouse was equipped with radio equipment for the first time, which was dismantled during the Great Patriotic War and the occupation of Crimea. After the War, the complex was restarted, modernized in 1960, and a two-story light-keeper's building was constructed. It continues to operate to this day.


The Set’navolok lighthouse was built in 1900 on Cape Set’navolok at the entrance of the Kola Bay where in strong winds and heavy swells from the northeast, the tidal current forms dangerous tide rips and pins ships against the capes of Pogan’navolok and Set’navolok.

In 1963, the lighthouse underwent major reconstruction: a stone technical building was built, combined with a 12-meter lighthouse tower, which houses a radio beacon, a radio navigation system station, a sound signaling device, and a rotating electric light-optical device with variable flashing red and green lights. The visibility range of the light is up to 22 miles.

The postage stamps provide images of the Kyz-Aul lighthouse against the background of the map of the Crimean Peninsula and the wind rose, and the Set’navolok lighthouse against the background of the map of the Kola Peninsula and the wind rose.

In addition to the issue of the postage stamps, JSC Marka will produce First Day Covers and special cancels for Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kerch of the Republic of Crimea and Murmansk, as well as maxi-cards.


Design Artist: M. Bodrova.
Face value: 50 rubles.
Stamp size: 42×30 mm, sheet size: 
146×175 mm.
Emission form: sheets with 15 (3×5) stamps.
Quantity: 97.5 thousand each stamp (6.5 thousand each sheet).


On July 23, a postcard with a commemorative stamp dedicated to Major General Vladimir Ponomarev, the founder and the first commander of the Internal Troops Aviation of the Federal Service of National Guard Troops of the Russian Federation, will go into postal circulation in the History of the Russian Law Enforcement Forces series

Vladimir Ponomarev (1935–2007) was the founder and the first commander of the Internal Troops Aviation, a Major General of Aviation

V. Ponomarev made an invaluable contribution to the formation, making and development of the first aviation military units of the internal troops. He headed operational and tactical research into the use of internal troops aviation, which resulted in the legal, operational, tactical, and administrative foundations for the long-term activities of internal troops aviation.

Under the command of V. Ponomarev, from 1978 to 1994, the law enforcement aviation grew from a single aviation squadron to a large state aviation formation. Under his leadership, the personnel of aviation military units and internal troops forces manifested courage and heroism in performing their combat duties during special operations and armed conflicts in Nagorno-Karabakh, the cities of Spitak, Fergana, Baku, and on the damage control and recovery after the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident.

The postcard shows: the commemorative stamp provides images of officers, the flag and the emblem of the Russian Guard Troops; the main illustration features a portrait of V. Pononmarev and aircraft Il-76 named after him.

In addition to the issue of the postcard with a commemorative stamp, JSC Marka will produce special cancels for Moscow and Rostov-on-Don.


Design Artists: S. Ulyanovsky and M. Podobed.
Quantity: 3.5 thousand postcards.


On July 24, a postage stamp dedicated to the Sirius Educational Center will go into postal circulation

Over the past ten years, the Sirius Educational Center, established by the Decision of Russian President Vladimir Putin on the basis of the infrastructure of the 22nd Winter Olympic Games, has come a long way from being an educational center for the most ambitious schoolchildren in the country to an innovative science and technology center, a science and technology university, and the only federal territory in Russia.

The postage stamp features a panorama of the Sirius Educational Center.

In addition to the issue of the postage stamp, JSC Marka will produce First Day Covers and special cancels for Moscow and the Sirius Federal Territory.


Design Artist: N. Karpova.
Face value: 65 rubles.
Stamp size: 58×26 mm, sheet size: 136×129 mm.
Emission form: a sheet with formatted margins with 8 (2×4) stamps.
Quantity: 80 thousand stamps (10 thousand sheets).


On July 25, four postage stamps dedicated to Full Cavaliers of the Order of Glory, Heroes of the Soviet Union Andrei Alyoshin, Ivan Drachenko, Pavel Dubinda, and Nikolai Kuznetsov, will go into postal circulation

The Order of Glory was instituted at the end of 1943 and was the highest soldiery award. There are significantly fewer full cavaliers of the Order of Glory (1st, 2nd, and 3rd Classes) than Heroes of the Soviet Union. Only four persons were awarded both the Gold Star and the Order of Glory of all three classes.


Andrey Alyoshin (1905–1974) was a participant in the Great Patriotic War, a gun commander, a Guard senior sergeant, a Full Cavalier of the Order of Glory, a Hero of the Soviet Union.

During the Great Patriotic War, he defended the approaches to Moscow and participated in the battles for the cities of Seredyna-Buda, Mendzy-Podlyaski, Dandsburg (now Ventsbrook, Poland), Szczecin, and many other battles. For his military achievements, he was awarded three Orders of Glory at various times. In 1945, he was demobilized. He lived in the village of Popelevo in the Kozelsk District of the Kaluga Region and worked as a chief accountant at the Krasny Plodovod state farm.

He was also awarded the Order of Lenin, the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st Class, and many medals.

The postage stamp provides a portrait of Andrey Alyoshin, a Hero of the Soviet Union, a Full Cavalier of the Order of Glory, against the backdrop of a battle scene reflecting the hero's kind of activity, a Gold Star medal, and Orders of Glory of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Classes.


Ivan Drachenko (1922–1994) was a fighter pilot, a Full Cavalier of the Order of Glory, a Hero of the Soviet Union.

During the Great Patriotic War, he performed 151 mission sorties, shot down five enemy aircraft in 24 air battles, crushed nine more at airfields, smashed four bridges, and annihilated a lot of enemy equipment and manpower.

After the War, I. Drachenko entered the Military Air Academy, but in 1947, due to health reasons, he was transferred from active duty with the rank of captain. In 1953, he graduated from the law faculty of Kiev State University, and then completed his postgraduate studies. He worked as a school principal, and later as a deputy director of the Palace of Culture in Kiev.

He was also awarded the Order of Lenin, the Order of the Red Banner, and other medals.

The postage stamp provides a portrait of Ivan Drachenko, a Hero of the Soviet Union, a Full Cavalier of the Order of Glory, against the backdrop of a battle scene reflecting the hero's kind of activity, a Gold Star medal, and Orders of Glory of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Classes.


Pavel Dubinda (1914–1992) was a senior sergeant of the 293rd Guards Rifle Regiment, a Full Cavalier of the Order of Glory, a Hero of the Soviet Union.

He was a participant in the Great Patriotic War from June of 1941. He took part in the defense of Odessa and Sevastopol. From March of 1944, he served in the 293rd Guards Rifle Regiment. During the battles for villages in Poland and East Prussia, he personally destroyed a large number of enemy soldiers, thereby ensuring the fulfillment of combat missions. In August of 1945, he was demobilized. After returning to his homeland, he worked as a boatswain on the ships of the Slava Antarctic whaling fleet.

He was also awarded the Order of Lenin, the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, 3rd Class, the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st class, and other medals.

The postage stamp provides a portrait of Pavel Dubinda, a Hero of the Soviet Union, a Full Cavalier of the Order of Glory, against the backdrop of a battle scene reflecting the hero's kind of activity, a Gold Star medal, and Orders of Glory of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Classes.


Nikolai Kuznetsov (1922–2008) was a senior sergeant, a gun commander, a Full Cavalier of the Order of Glory, a Hero of the Soviet Union.

From August of 1941, he fought on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War. He destroyed 11 German tanks, successfully hit several firing points, and annihilated a large number of enemy infantry. On June 24 of 1945, he participated in the Victory Parade in the composition of a combined battalion that threw captured banners at Lenin's mausoleum. After the War, he entered the Leningrad Electromechanical Technical School. After graduation in 1950, he worked on construction sites in the Far North. Subsequently, he moved to the city of Pestovo in the Novgorod Region and worked at the Pestovo Timber Industry Complex.

The postage stamp provides a portrait of Nikolai Kuznetsov, a Hero of the Soviet Union, a Full Cavalier of the Order of Glory, against the backdrop of a battle scene reflecting the hero's kind of activity, a Gold Star medal, and Orders of Glory of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Classes.


In addition to the issue of the postage stamps, JSC Marka will produce First Day Covers and special cancels for Moscow, Veliky Novgorod, Vologda, Genichesk, and Kaluga.


Design Artist: V. Beltyukov.
Face value: 80 rubles.
Stamp size: 42×30 mm, sheet size: 104×152 mm.
Emission form: a sheet with formatted margins with 8 (2×4) stamps.
Quantity: 20 thousand each stamp (10 thousand sheets).


On July 29, two postage stamps dedicated to the Gornalsky St. Nicholas Belogorsk Monastery and Rylsky St. Nicholas Monastery will go into postal circulation in the Monasteries of the Russian Orthodox Church series

The Gornalsky St. Nicholas Belogorsk Monastery was established in 1672. It is located near the town of Sudzha. Monks Feodosy, Lavrenty, and Elder Nektary relocated from the Ostrogozhsky Divnogorsky Monastery (Voronezh Province), which had been ruined by the Tatars. They brought with them the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, and in 1688, a small wooden church was built in his honor. Under hegumen Nestor, the foundation of a church dedicated to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was laid in the monastery, and in later years, a house church dedicated to the Protection of the Theotokos was consecrated. The foundation of the third cathedral church, dedicated to the Transfiguration of the Lord, was laid in 1888. In 1905, the monastery housed 85 monks and several dozens novices. The Belogorsky Nikolaevsky Monastery was closed by the authorities in 1922, but the monks continued to live there, hiding in the caves and preserving the Pryazhevskaya icon of the Mother of God. Since 1996, Metropolitan Juvenal of Kursk and Rylsk had been raising the issue of transferring the monastery complex to the church. The first divine worship in the returned monastery was held by the bishop on December 19, 2001, the Day of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. In 2008, the wall painting of the church was completely finished. The monastery's community consists of eight monks, as well as novices and laborers.

In 2024, during the hostilities in the Kursk Region, the monastery was severely damaged and was included in the state restoration program.

The postage stamp provides a general view of the Gornalsky St. Nicholas Belogorsk Monastery.


The Rylsky St. Nicholas Monastery is a monastery of the Kursk Eparchy of the Russian Orthodox Church located on a hill in the suburb of the village of Prigorodnyaya Slobodka in the Kursk region, on the bank of the Rylo River opposite the town of Rylsk. The exact date of the monastery foundation is unknown, the first mention in official documents is the year of 1505. During the Time of Troubles, the monastery was devastated by the Polish-Lithuanian army.

In 1733, the first stone Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross was laid, and in 1783, it was consecrated. The second stone Church of the Life-Giving Trinity was built in 1747, and the third, the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, was constructed in 1757 and is now the cathedral church of the Monastery. In the 1740s, a five-tiered bell tower was built, and at the same time, a gate tower with a 2.5-ton bell was constructed, which was demolished in 1949. In 1784, a theological school was opened at the Monastery. In 1794, another church was built in honor of the Akhtyrskaya Icon of the Mother of God (which was demolished in the early 20th century). In 1820, the theological school became a four-year school, and in 1876, it was moved to Rylsk. In 1824, Emperor Alexander I drive-by visited the monastery.

On the wave of struggle against the church in the USSR, the Monastery was closed in 1925. From October 5, 1941 to August 30, 1943, it was occupied by Nazi invaders.

On June 17 of 1991, the Monastery was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church, and already on October 16 of 1991, worship services started in the St. Nicholas Church. The restoration was overseen by Elder Archimandrite Hippolitus (Khalin).

The postage stamp provides a general view of the Rylsky St. Nicholas Monastery.


In addition to the issue of the postage stamps, JSC Marka will produce First Day Covers and special cancels for Moscow and Kursk.


Design Artist: S. Ulyanovsky.
Face value: 50 rubles.
Stamp size: 65×32.5 mm, sheet size: 154×190 mm.
Emission form: sheets with formatted margins with (2×5) 9 stamps and a coupon.
Quantity: 81 thousand each stamp (9 thousand each sheet).


On July 30, an envelope with a commemorative stamp dedicated to the 125th Birth Anniversary of Army General Ivan Fedyuninsky, a military commander, a Hero of the Soviet Union, will go into postal circulation in the On the 80th Anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945 series

Ivan Fedyuninsky (1900–1977) was a Soviet military commander, an Army General, and a Hero of the Soviet Union.

From November of 1940 and in the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, Colonel (Major General from August of 1941) I. Fedyuninsky was the commander of the 15th Rifle Corps of the Kiev Special Military District. Under his leadership, the corps units in the composition of the 5th Army of the Southwestern Front successfully repelled the enemy at the state border.

In September of 1941, he was appointed Deputy Commander of the Leningrad Front and simultaneously Commander of the 42nd Army. After G. Zhukov's departure in October of 1941, he temporarily commanded the front, and later was appointed Commander of the 54th Army, which took an active role in the Tikhvin defensive and offensive operations. In April of 1942, he became the Commander of the 5th Army on the Western Front, and in October of 1942, he was appointed Deputy Commander of the Volkhov Front. I. Fedyuninsky played a significant role in the Iskra offensive, which was held from January 12 to January 30 of 1943 with the aim of breaking the siege of Leningrad. For the success in the operation, the general, who had been badly wounded during the fighting, was awarded the Order of Kutuzov, 1st Class.

In 1943-1945, the troops under the command of I. Fedyuninsky participated in the Bryansk and Gomel-Rechitsa operations, as well as in battles of the 2nd Baltic, Belorussian, and the 2nd Belorussian Fronts. They also fought against the Nazis in the Krasnoselsk-Ropsha, Narva, Tallinn, and East Prussian operations. During the Berlin operation, the troops of the 2nd Shock Army successfully broke through the enemy's defenses north and south of the city of Stettin, made a forced crossing of the Oder River on May 5, 1945, and captured the city of Swinemünde, a large German port and naval base on the Baltic Sea.

After the War, I. Fedyuninsky commanded the troops of the Arkhangelsk Military District. In 1948, he graduated from the Higher Academic Courses under the Voroshilov Academy of the General Staff and was appointed commander of the 7th Guards Army. From 1951 to 1954, he served as Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany, from 1954, he commanded the troops of the Transcaucasian Military District, and from 1957, of the Turkestan Military District. Since 1965, he was a military inspector and advisor to the group of general inspectors of the Ministry of Defense of the USSR.

The envelope with a commemorative stamp provides a portrait of military commander I. Fedyuninsky against an illustration featuring the Iskra military operation; the commemorative stamp provides an image of the emblem for the 80th Anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War.

In addition to the issue of the envelope with a commemorative stamp, JSC Marka will produce special cancels for Moscow, St. Petersburg and Ekaterinburg.


Design Artists: A. Moskovets and R. Komsa.
Quantity: 500 thousand envelopes.


On July 30, a postage stamp dedicated to the 50th Anniversary of the joint flight of the Soyuz and Apollo spacecraft will go into postal circulation

On May 24, 1972, the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, A. Kosygin, and the President of the United States, R. Nixon, signed in Moscow the Agreement between the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the United States of America Concerning Cooperation in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space for Peaceful Purposes. The main objectives of the program were to create a promising universal rescue vehicle, to develop engineering systems and methods for joint flight management, and to conduct joint scientific research and experiments. A universal docking unit, known as a petal or androgynous unit, was specifically designed for the mission.

On July 15 of 1975, at 15:20 Moscow time, the Soyuz-19 spacecraft was launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome with cosmonauts Alexei Leonov and Valery Kubasov on board. Then, seven and a half hours later, the Apollo spacecraft was launched from Cape Canaveral (USA) with astronauts Thomas Stafford, Vance Brand and Donald Slayton. During the spacecraft approach phase, in the course of the preparation for each maneuver, the control was provided by the reaction system and digital autopilot of the Apollo spacecraft. On July 17 of 1975, at 18:14 Moscow time, the final phase of the approach began. The docking of the Soyuz-19 and Apollo spacecraft was registered at 19:09 Moscow time, and the joint compression was made at 19:12 Moscow time. The spacecraft docked, thereby becoming a prototype of the future international space station. After checking the air tightness on the Soyuz-19 spacecraft, the hatch between the descent module and the service module was opened, and a precise air tightness check started. Then, the tunnel between the Apollo docking module and the Soyuz service module was inflated up to 250 mmHg. The cosmonauts opened the hatch of the Soyuz service module. A few minutes later, the hatch of the Apollo docking module was opened. The symbolic handshake between the ship commanders took place at 22:19 Moscow time. The next day, the cosmonauts performed the second intravehicular transfer.

The docked flight of the spacecraft lasted 43 hours, 54 minutes, and 11 seconds. The spacecraft were undocked at 15:03 Moscow time on July 19. Having completed the flight programs, the crew of the Soyuz 19 successfully landed on July 21 of 1975 near the city of Arkalyk in Kazakhstan, while the Apollo command module alighted in the Pacific Ocean on July 25.

The stamp features the docking of the Soyuz-19 and Apollo spacecraft in outer space on July 15 of 1975, with the Earth in the background.

In addition to the issue of the postage stamp, JSC Marka will produce First Day Covers and special cancels for Moscow, St. Petersburg, Arkhangelsk, Barnaul, Baikonur, Vladimir, Yevpatoria of the Republic of Crimea, Ekaterinburg, Yenakievo of the Donetsk People's Republic, Kazan, Kaluga, Kemerovo, Kirov, Murmansk, Omsk, Orenburg, Penza, Samara, Sochi, Krasnodar Territory, Tomsk, Chelyabinsk, and Yaroslavl, as well as a maxi-card.


Design Artist: Kh. Betredinova.
Face value: 33 rubles.
Stamp size (diam): 30 mm, sheet size: 141×141 mm.
Emission form: a sheet with formatted margins with 9 (3×3) stamps.
Quantity: 216 thousand stamps (24 thousand sheets).

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