Reclaiming the East

Daria Tarasevych Creative Copywriter Postmen Olena Horobets Art Director Postmen Yegor Kadomtsev Editor Postmen Olga Mykhalets Creative Producer  Postmen Igor Bondarenko Sound Producer Postmen Olena Vedmid CEO Postmen Anna Seniuk Creative Director Postmen Vladyslav Kalenskyi Graphic Designer Postmen Olena Poliakova Project Manager Postmen Voice Over Yevhenii Stasinevych

Description The East of Ukraine is more than just a region; it’s a cultural heartland with deep traditions. With the Russian occupation, they aren’t just claiming land, they’re attempting to erase Ukrainian identity. To counter this, we revived the “Shakhtarsky” (Miner’s) cake, a beloved Luhansk specialty that disappeared after the 2014 occupation. Bringing it back not only offers displaced Ukrainians a taste of home, but also invites others to rediscover the richness of East Ukrainian culture. To mark this revival, we created a moving video manifesto, blending mixed media and authentic coal from the region in the visuals. Brief and Solution Our goal was to highlight the urgent need to reclaim and celebrate the cultural heritage of Ukraine’s occupied territories. In partnership with Honey Confectionery, we resurrected the historic “Shakhtarsky” cake, a symbol of Luhansk’s cultural identity. To spread the word, we launched a heartfelt video manifesto on Ukraine’s Miner’s Day. The video, crafted using a unique mixed media approach, garnered over 1 million organic views across Instagram and TikTok within just two weeks. Proceeds from the cake sales now go toward supporting the Ukrainian Armed Forces, funding electronic warfare equipment in the Luhansk region. Cultural Context Once a staple of Luhansk, the “Shakhtarsky” cake became a lost piece of East Ukrainian culture after the 2014 occupation. Its revival is a powerful act of resistance, a way to preserve and celebrate the cultural identity of a region under threat. Making Of We invited residents of Eastern Ukraine to share personal photographs of their homeland, blending these with historical archives and works by Ukrainian artists. The video’s mixed media approach pushed creative boundaries, incorporating real coal from Luhansk to enhance the illustrations and typography, symbolizing our unbreakable connection to the East.