Russia's War on Ukrainian Mail
When armed conflict suddenly turns cities into battlefields, millions of people caught in the middle face the decimation of basic services. That includes, of course, necessities such as food, water, and electricity. Oft-overlooked services such as mail delivery are also disrupted, making it nearly impossible for people to send things like money and clothes to relatives in harm’s way. Against all odds, Ukraine’s national post (Ukrposhta) is still up and running despite postal workers being killed and mail trucks being destroyed. Yet, without basic cooperation from Russia, letters and parcels are likely to be caught in the chaos of war and fall short of their destination. It’s up to the taxpayer-funded Universal Postal Union (UPU) to help keep the mail flowing and hold Russia accountable for its crimes.
Russia’s despicable war against Ukraine involves wanton acts of violence against civilians. The victims include brave souls who were simply trying to deliver the mail to beleaguered Ukrainians. Ukrinform reports, “In Zaporizhia region, the Russian military opened fire on an Ukrposhta mail car, killing two postal service workers who were on their way to deliver pensions to local residents.” Local officials recounted, “[t]he mail car driver took a little to the right to let military hardware pass [on the road]. In response, Russian soldiers opened fire on the civilian vehicle from afar and then drove over it.” Yet, with the exception of post offices in Donetsk, Zhytomyr, Zaporizhia, and Luhansk, Ukrainian post offices are seemingly still operating in most of the country. Mail services, though, will only be as good as the ability of Ukrposhta employees to cross between the lines of battle. And, as this interactive map from The New York Times shows, vast swaths of the country are trapped between the front lines and the borders with Russia and Ukraine.
Unfortunately, hostile nations have historically not been keen on allowing wartime (and “cold conflict”) communication between their citizens. When South Vietnam and North Vietnam split into two countries in the lead-up to the Vietnam War, one of the first moves by South Vietnamese leader Ngô Đình Diệm was to cut off mail flowing in either direction. The Soviet Union had no issue confiscating mail to and from the outside world, despite their constitution supposedly protecting the inviolability of private correspondence. One could be forgiven for thinking these practices would come to an end following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the thirty-year, zig-zagging rise of liberalism following the fall of the Berlin Wall.
But, authoritarian regimes such as Russia are still up to their old tricks. Following Russia’s annexation of Crimea, Russia illegally seized Ukrposhta’s property and declared any postal facilities to be a part of the “Post of Crimea,” an illegitimate institution unrecognized by the UPU. And, without a legitimate post in the area, delivering mail in and out of Crimea became virtually impossible. A similar situation is bound to play out if Russia conquers more of Ukraine, carves out more fictitious “people’s republics,” and seizes additional Ukrposhta property to create faux posts. These posts are unlikely to cooperate with what remains of Ukrposhta, and the lack of UPU membership will make the pricing of international mail to and from these areas unworkable.
The UPU has already expressed its concern with the situation on the ground, and has stated it is “ready to assist Ukraine and work with other UPU member countries in order to ensure the continuation of such services, including the delivery of humanitarian and medical supplies to and from Ukraine.” But, the institution can likely take additional steps to hold Russia accountable for its actions, including punishing the country via unfavorable terminal dues and withholding data sharing and assistance in processing mail. Cutting people off from basic services such as mail will only make for a worse conflict laden with miscommunication.
Ross Marchand is a senior fellow for the Taxpayers Protection Alliance.
