The Donetsk Regional State Administration and Ukrposhta have presented a new philatelic project titled “Code of Donetsk Region,” created for the 35th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence. The regional administration announced the project on 22 August 2026 and described a ceremonial special cancellation of the commemorative block.

The block is based on paintings by Mariupol artist Oksana Hnatyshyn. Its visual programme brings together several places and traditions associated with eastern Ukraine: the salt galleries of Soledar, ancient steppe burial mounds, industrial landscapes, the Sea of Azov coast, the religious heritage of Sviatohirsk and the traditions of Bakhmut. These subjects give the issue a regional narrative extending beyond a single monument or event.

Vadym Filashkin, head of the Donetsk Regional Military Administration, and Maksym Sutkovyi, director of Ukrposhta’s Donetsk directorate, took part in the special-cancellation ceremony. The first struck impression of the special postmark was donated to the Donetsk Regional Art Museum, placing an example of the launch material in a public institutional collection.

The issue is significant for collectors of modern Ukraine because it combines local history, art and wartime regional identity in one postal block. Its references to Soledar, Bakhmut, Mariupol and the Sea of Azov also give it importance for thematic collections concerning industrial heritage, archaeology, sacred sites and the changing cultural geography of eastern Ukraine. The museum deposit creates a documented link between the postal release and regional cultural preservation.

The announcement does not state the block’s face value, print quantity, printer, printing process, dimensions, perforation, sheet configuration or general-sale arrangements. It also does not identify a separate official issue date from the presentation and cancellation ceremony. Those technical details therefore remain unconfirmed in the publicly available notice.