Tiraspol, February, 15. /Novosti Pridnestrovya/. Today in the Tiraspol Joint Museum there was a special cancellation of a postal block and a first-day cover, dedicated to the 30th Anniversary of the Withdrawal of Soviet Troops from Afghanistan.
Five years ago was the last time that Pridnestrovian Mark Publishing House SUE called on the Afghan theme. Then the block, which was based on a photograph of the armored vehicles movement across the Amu Darya bridge with two stamps depicting a monument to Afghan soldiers at the Tiraspol Glory Memorial and the Black Tulip monument in Bendery, saw the light. This year it was duplicated with a medal-like gold overprint “30 Years of the Soviet Troops` Withdrawal from Afghanistan”.
“We had little time to issue new marks. Therefore, we decided to return to five years ago issuing, making an overprint” - Vsevolod Lavrentiev, director of the State Unitary Enterprise Pridnestrovian Mark said.
According to him, the overprint repeats the downside of the Russian jubilee medal, established in commemoration of today. It is also reproduced in the stamp of the special cancellation, which on this day was affixed both on the block and on the first-day cover. The latter shows a fragment of one of the battles of the Afghan war.
The circulation of the current post issue is very limited –there are only 300 copies. According to Vsevolod Lavrentiev, part of it is already transferred to the Pridnestrovian Association of War Veterans in Afghanistan.
This year, the State Unitary Enterprise Publishing House Pridnestrovian Mark will please collectors with several more historical issues. Among them are stamps dedicated to the 85th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin birth, which will be celebrated on March 9.
The special cancellation of the postal issue took place in the foyer of the museum, where an exhibition opened yesterday, also dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan. It presents documents of Pridnestrovians who fought there, their awards, samples of weapons, uniforms and equipment of both Soviet soldiers and Afghan mujahidin. The exhibition will run until March 10.
