| The Russian postal service has reportedly spent some US$250 million upgrading their systems and technology (or are going to), but the reality is the postal system is backward and archaic to what you have in developed countries. Unless you are at a Central Post Office, you are not able to post written documents and papers with other things - even sending childrens reading books with clothes is not allowed and the books must be sent in a separate parcel. Most times you are able to include a greeting card with the other gifts, but some postal workers will even refuse that if they are in a grumpy "Soviet mood". When you post parcels (overseas or domestic) you are required to fill in declarations and forms several times (no carbon copies available) and to often stand in line for up to an hour or more to actually post the parcel (having first stood in another line to buy a Russia Post postal box to post the items in). Unless you are posting postcards or simple letters overseas or within Russia, the Russian postal service is not something that you should use - unless you wish to enjoy the cultural experience of how things were done back in the Soviet days (it has not changed). You should never use the normal postal service for any important documents or valuables and even using the international EMS service, which Russia is part of, can be very slow when the delivery actually arrives in Russia - 7 to 10 days to go from the EMS office in Moscow, to a Moscow address is not unheard of. Most Russia Post postal offices do carry a very good range of greeting cards and postcards (in Russian) and the Moscow Central Post Office has an excellent gift shop. |
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