Ukraine's postal workers deliver lifeline under Russian fire
Every morning Igor Smelyansky looks at a vast map of Ukraine on his office wall and decides where he should put his people in harm's way.
But Smelyansky is no military commander. He is the head of Ukraine's state postal service, Ukrposhta.
"If it's too dangerous to go today, we won't go," Smelyansky told us. "We'll go tomorrow, or we'll go somewhere else. The key is to be as agile as you can."
As such, it offers a lifeline to millions of poor and elderly Ukrainians living in remote villages where shops are rare and trips to the city are expensive and dangerous. In a vast rural nation wracked by war, Ukrposhta is part of the glue that holds the country together.
That has made the service a target for Russia - which in recent months has stepped up not only its attacks on postmen and women but also sorting offices and logistical hubs. The Kremlin has claimed strikes like this are retaliation for Ukrainian attacks on Russian online retailers like Wildberries.
There are many risks. If a post van turns up unannounced, a crowd can form, creating a target for an opportunistic Russian drone operator. But if they call ahead, information could leak.
If Smelyansky chooses not to send a van in, he faces criticism. "You get messages from people from those villages: 'You betrayed us. You didn't come...' But if I go, I may risk the life of the driver."
"It's not an accident, it's deliberate," he said. "By attacking Ukrposhta, you put pressure on people… who are depending on the truck coming in." Russia denies targeting civilians.
A file photo of a Ukrposhta post office damaged during strikes in Kyiv in April
We travelled with Kateryna Marynych, a 38-year-old postmistress, near Zaporizhzhia - a city not too far from the southern frontlines.
After her van drew up, a steady queue of elderly folk formed. She sat in the front passenger seat, window open, handing out cash, taking payments.
Ukraine's post office provides a vital lifeline for people near the front, delivering pensions and medicine
Dive deeper
- Every morning Igor Smelyansky looks at a vast map of Ukraine on his office wall and decides where he should put his people in harm's way.
- But Smelyansky is no military commander. He is the head of Ukraine's state postal service, Ukrposhta.
- "If it's too dangerous to go today, we won't go," Smelyansky told us. "We'll go tomorrow, or we'll go somewhere else. The key is to be as agile as you can."
- As such, it offers a lifeline to millions of poor and elderly Ukrainians living in remote villages where shops are rare and trips to the city are expensive and dangerous. In a vast rural nation wracked by war, Ukrposhta is part of the glue
- That has made the service a target for Russia - which in recent months has stepped up not only its attacks on postmen and women but also sorting offices and logistical hubs. The Kremlin has claimed strikes like this are retaliation for Ukra