A man presents himself to pick up his parcel at a Russian Post office in Moscow (illustrative image), PHOTO: Kommersant Photo Agency / ddp USA / Profimedia Images
Since the beginning of this year alone, around 5,000 postmen, postal operators and branch managers have resigned from Russian Post, Russian online newspaper Mash reports, cited by The Moscow Times.
According to Mash's sources, the Russian state-owned company is facing a staff shortage and is forced to delay deliveries and close branches due to the situation. The mass departures are due to low salaries and the ever-growing list of responsibilities for staff and managers.
In Moscow, branch employees earn an average of 43,000 rubles (about $556) per month, while postal workers earn up to 30,000 rubles (388 rubles). In the regions, wages barely reach the guaranteed minimum wage of 27,000 rubles.
At the same time, Postal employees are required to sell additional merchandise and meet strict sales targets, and promised bonuses and allowances are often not paid. Branch managers must in turn meet strict key performance indicators and are required to report customer complaints. Mash points out that if the current pace of departures continues, Russian Post could lose up to 60,000 employees by the end of the year.
The Russian Post is one of the largest employers in the country
Valentina Matviyenko, the chairwoman of the Federation Council (the upper house of the Russian parliament), recently said that Post employees may “run away soon” due to low wages and poor working conditions. She said post offices in small towns and villages are even more vulnerable. She called on the government to help Russia's national postal operator solve the problems it faces to prevent a “negative scenario”.
Russian Post has 38,000 branches across the country, of which approximately 27,000 are located in rural and remote communities. The company has more than 200,000 employees. According to Mash, about 40,000 employees left Russian Post in 2025. Following the outbreak of full-scale war against Ukraine in February 2022, the state-owned company was subject to sanctions and faced a significant drop in both incoming and outgoing international mail. From 2022 to 2024, Russian Post suffered net losses of 68 billion rubles ($88 million).
During its 2025 audit of Russian Post, the Moscow Accounts Chamber found numerous problems. Among other things, the auditors accused Russian Post of excessive spending on self-promotion and large-scale support for sports and other organizations.
Following the audit, the Chamber of Accounts sent requests to the General Prosecutor's Office and the Federal Tax Service of Russia “for appropriate response measures”. However, no such measures have been announced, according to The Moscow Times.
