The postmen, a key piece for a liberated Ukraine

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has given Ukrposhta, the Ukrainian public postal company, an unprecedented mission throughout its long history: to be the advance guard of the State in the territories that the Army freed from Russian occupation.

“We are the first company to enter the vacated territories, and it is essential to be prepared to do so as quickly as possible and return to paying pensions there and delivering international aid”says the CEO of Ukrposhta, Igor Smilianski, who returned from the United States in 2016 to take over the state postal company.

In addition to pensions, Ukrposhta provides the aid that the Kiev Government, the Red Cross and the International Organization for Migration pay to Ukrainians from Russian-occupied territories when they have been recovered by the Ukrainian Army.

“The Russians often destroy power lines and sometimes it takes up to a month and a half to repair them, so all the money is given in cash,” says Smilianski in his office at the Ukrainian ‘post’ headquarters in central kyiv.

The return of the grivna

The postmen, therefore, are in charge of reintroducing in the liberated towns and cities one of the most visible elements of a State’s sovereignty over its territory: currency.

“Until our arrival, the ruble (Russian currency) was used in those areas; the hryvnias (Ukrainian currency) brought by our postmen are the first to re-enter the local economy and in a few days the bazaars operate again with Ukrainian currency”, Smilianski account.

The currency is, in these circumstances, much more than a simple instrument to facilitate exchanges. “For the people in those areas it is a representation of the State; the return of the grivna is important for them to feel part of the Ukraine”says the CEO of the national postal service.

‘Reservists’ and a lot of audacity

To carry out this new mission and continue fulfilling the task of carrying mail to all corners of Ukraine, Ukrposhta has had to resort to ingenuity and challenge many of the operating rules of any company of its geographical scope and characteristics.

The company has instituted checks on postmen who lived under Russian occupation and does not reinstate those who have actively collaborated with enemy forces.

In order to have enough staff ready to resume services in the liberated areas, Ukrposhta staffs more people than it needs in locations near the front lines so that they can immediately start working from the portable offices they set up in these towns. and cities generally devastated by the fighting.

“When the war started, a night curfew was introduced and you couldn’t drive at night, but people want to receive their packages on time, so I met with the head of the Ukrainian railways and we started, in just 5 days, distribution by train”, says the CEO of Ukrposhta.

The speed with which the service – which now also serves international mail – got up and running was only possible because the company flouted risk assessment protocols.

“To get results you have to break the rules, and that’s what we did”says Smilianski, who sees in this very attitude one of the secrets of the ability to resist that Ukraine is demonstrating.

patriotic stamps

The release of patriotic and commemorative stamps of Ukrainian warfare milestones in this war is another example of the agility with which the country has responded to the Russian invasion.

“The philatelic series appear following plans approved two years in advance by commissions that take into account anniversaries of royal houses or pan-European campaigns focused on animals, the environment or other themes”explains the CEO of Ukrposhta.

The various installments of Ukrainian patriotic stamps have appeared just two weeks after being conceived. The most successful of these series, which in total have reported to the Ukrainian coffers about 12 million euros, has sold more than 8 million copies.

In addition to boosting the morale of part of the population, the initiative has allowed Ukrposhta to reduce the losses caused by Russian aggression and allocate one million euros to the national education system and the Army.

Source: EFE