Russian Post denounces Communist "attacks" on mail carriers

Russian Post is threatening lawsuit against the “unscrupulous” Communist Party for interfering with its mail carriers in the run-up to elections for the State Duma. The Post’s director general Alexander Kiselev has complained to election authorities and Russia’s Attorney General, claiming the Communists carried out illegal searches of mail trucks earlier this month.

Kiselev has written strongly-worded open letters to the Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov twice in recent days, seeking an official apology for attacks on mail staff an action against those officials involved in the searches.

The Communist Party has hit back with complaints that Russian Post has been illegally spreading “fake newspapers” that container anti-Communist material.

Russians go to the polls in two weeks’ time, with six parties seeking to win votes from Vladimir Putin’s ruling United Russia Party, including the Communists.

An incident in the Russian city of Samara on November 13 saw a mail truck blocked in by several cars, with Communist Party officials ordering carriers to open the vehicle to allow investigation of the international mail being transported, according to Kiselev.

After a three-hour stand-off, the mail truck was driven into a customs control site, where customs officials opened the vehicle in the presence of the Communist Party officials, but no anti-Communist materials were found inside, said the Post’s director general.

In his open letter to the Communist chief, Kiselev insisted that Russia’s constitution protects the rights of citizens to confidential mail services, requiring a court order to intervene in mail delivery.

“The national postal operator is a non-political organisation, and should not be a platform for political machinations. Russian Post is working in the interests of Russian citizens, and serves clients throughout the country, providing socially important services,” said Kiselev.

“Any attempt to disrupt the functioning of the company is a direct threat to compliance with the constitutional rights of citizens to obtain affordable postal services.”

“Slander”

Kiselev wrote a second open letter this weekend denying Communist Party allegations about political wrongdoing at the postal service, while denouncing a whistleblower as spreading “rumours and slander” and for not being an employee of the Russian Post as claimed.

The Russian Post chief said his organisation was working “strictly within the law”, including within 25 contracts in which mail was being delivered for the Communist Party itself, along with other political parties, within 14 regions.

“I repeat what has been said many times: To discredit the reputation of the Post will not succeed,” Kiselev insisted. “Nobody has the right to forcibly engage Russian Post in a political struggle, nobody has the right to put pressure on people and force them into particular political choices.

“Russian Post religiously observes this principle in respect of its employees, and will protect them from any attempts at pressure from external forces,” added the Russian Post director general.