Ukraine has launched a new stamp to show its support for its Olympic athletes. It sent the smallest national team ever to the Paris Games, despite the ongoing war with Russia.

The number of Ukrainian athletes competing at the Olympic Games is the lowest in history.

The Russian invasion caused the deaths of athletes and coaches and forced many others to flee from the conflict. It also damaged sports facilities. Russian bombardments cause frequent air raid warnings and prolonged power blackouts, which disrupt training.

"We spent countless hours in darkness, heat, cold and without water. "I think we've been through everything", said Vlada Kharkova a fencer as she and the other athletes gathered in Kyiv centre to launch Ukraine Olympic postage stamp late Friday.

"These conditions have made us stronger, and we're ready to prove to the world that we are Ukrainians and unbreakable in our nation.

Six stamps feature sports for which Ukraine has won medals and awards, including tennis, judo and canoeing.

The Ukrainian Sports Ministry has released data showing that since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, 479 athletes and coaches were killed. Over 500 sports facilities, including 15 Olympic Training Bases, have been destroyed.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC), following Russia's invasion into Ukraine, recommended that athletes from Russia or Belarus, its ally country, be banned from competing in international competitions. However it allowed them to qualify as neutrals for the Paris Games.

The Paris Olympics open this Friday. A total of 25 Russian and Belarussian athletes have been cleared for competition. (Reporting and writing by Yurii Kvalenko; editing by Clare Fallon).