Under a dedicated humanitarian aid service introduced in March, private individuals in Estonia could mail humanitarian aid, including medicines, consumer goods and other basic necessities, in packages of up to 30 kilograms directly to Ukraine free of charge.

Since mid-March, Estonian residents have used the service to send packages with more than 77 tons of humanitarian aid to Ukraine, the Estonian postal service provider said in a press release.

"Considering growing package volumes, transport expenses and the lengthening time horizon, it's necessary to price the cost of sending a package," explained Marita Mägi, director of International Package and Letter Services at Omniva. "It's still a much cheaper price compared with typical international postage fees for packages, meant first and foremost to cover transport costs."

Mägi also acknowledged that it's gotten increasingly more difficult to find a carrier willing to take on the responsibility of delivering packages to a country at war, which is why transportation costs for the humanitarian aid service have increased several times since the service was first introduced.

"Omniva will continue to contribute to the organization of the service free of charge," she stressed.

To send a humanitarian aid package to Ukraine, visit an Omniva post office, fill out the relevant package slip and customs form and pack the package on site.

The package cannot exceed 30 kilograms in weight or the dimensions of a maxi-sized package.

Omniva noted that only items intended for humanitarian aid may be sent to Ukraine via the humanitarian aid package service, such as medicines, nonperishable food, menstrual products and clothes; perishable foodstuffs, fragile items, alcohol and weapons are prohibited.

Estonian stamp honors Ukraine

Estonia's "Glory to Ukraine!" stamp was first released on March 24, exactly one month after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

With a nominal price of €1.90, which means it can be used to send mail worldwide, the stamp depicts a dove of peace against a background in the colors of the Ukrainian flag. It also includes the messages "Glory to Ukraine!" in Ukrainian and "Estonian supports Ukraine" in Estonian.

The stamp was issued in an edition of 50,000, or twice the circulation of a traditional Estonian-themed postage stamp.

"Glory to Ukraine!" stamps can be purchased either online from Omniva's online store or in post offices across Estonia.

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