By order of the Peaky Blinders: Ukrainian unit receives gifts from series creator Stephen Knight

The Ukrainian unit of the National Guard named after the hit TV show Peaky Blinders has received 30 “newsboy” caps from British screenwriter Stephen Knight, the creator and writer of the BBC series.

The unit, a special operations group of the Omega special forces detachment specialising in drone warfare, is based in Kharkiv and gained recognition for defending northern Kharkiv during Russia’s offensive. They got the symbolic gifts designed by Garrison Tailors as a tribute to their bravery - caps which are the same as those worn by the characters in the series. Minus the sewn-in blades.

The National Guard of Ukraine confirmed the gifts on Facebook, with one of the signature show items signed by the Oscar-winning actor Cillian Murphy, who plays Tommy Shelby in Peaky Blinders.

As reported by BBC, the soldiers previously sent their signed caps to Cillian Murphy, as they were fans of the show, with the volunteers identifying with some of the characters from Peaky Blinders.

The actor received the gift, kept one cap and signed the other, and returned it to the military.

According to The New Voice of Ukraine, Steven Knight reached out to the unit and sent the new caps.

Peaky Blinders is a period crime drama set in 1920s Birmingham which chronicles the life of a fictional gang after the First World War, with the plot revolving around the Shelby family. The first season was released in 2013, and the sixth and final season was broadcast in 2022.

In June 2024, Netflix announced the release of a film, titled The Immortal Man, in which Cillian Murphy will once again play Tommy Shelby. The film is set a few years after the end of the series, and it began filming in September. It will also star Rebecca Ferguson, Tim Roth and Barry Keoghan, and will be distributed by Netflix. No release date has yet been announced.

Currently, the soldiers of the special forces group Peaky Blinders are fighting the Russian forces on the most intense frontlines.

Additional sources • The New Voice of Ukraine