USPS, UPS, FedEx Service Alerts on Shipments to Ukraine, Russia and Belarus – Updated on 3/22/2024
KEY POINTS:
- The war between Russia and Ukraine continues to impact global shipping to Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine
- Mail and packages services had been reinstated since mid 2022, but are facing major challenges in areas under active military operations.
- DHL, FedEx and USPS have reinstated limited express shipping services to Ukraine, but may take extra time as commercial flights are still prohibited over Ukraine.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine continues to impact mail and cargo operations in the region. However, there have been some updates now that allow for select services to restart from the Kyiv region.
At the start of the conflict, Ukraine immediately closed its airspace to all commercial carriers for safety reasons. The air space restriction continues today, and most of the services that are resumed will likely be over land.
The Ukrainian postal service (Ukrposhta) has been collecting mail and parcels from neighboring countries for distribution within the country, where possible.
Ukrposhta also sent mail and packages the same way, via land routes, first to a neighboring country like Poland before being dispatched to the destination country.
Russia and Belarus (due to the country’s support of Russia) have been sanctioned by the EU, the United States, and many other countries globally following the attack on Ukraine. Currently, these sanctions continue to eliminate operations in these two countries, specifically from the United States.
Because of the war and sanctions, sending mail and small packages to Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus has been a challenge, but regular mail and packages destined for Ukraine have been possible in areas not controlled by Russia.
Keep in mind that Ukrposhta, Ukraine’s postal service that handles mail shipments in Ukraine on behalf of USPS, previously has advised that the country’s infrastructure has suffered severe damage from Russian missile and drone attacks on the power grid and other critical systems, and operations may be slowed.
Here is a rundown of USPS, FedEx, UPS, DHL, Amazon, and eBay service alerts following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The U.S. Postal Service announced on March 22, 2024, that it will again accept Global Express Guaranteed (GXG) service shipments to Ukraine, effective March 26, 2024.
While FedEx limited its resumption of service to the Kyiv metro region only, USPS made no such announcement and likely is having Ukrposhta make deliveries of GXG items outside the Kyiv area.
However, USPS continues its Suspension of Service notice for Russia and Belarus, and U.S. sanctions will unlikely change to allow the Postal Service to restart mail operations to these countries.
Previously, Ukrposhta also reiterated that in areas without active hostilities, all post offices remain open. In recently recaptured areas, the postal service tries to resume operations as quickly as possible.
Sorting and customs facilities are equipped with electricity generators to maintain operations, even during power outages, but could face delays.
FedEx reinstated its FedEx International Priority Service on February 16, 2024, for shipments up to 68kg outbound and inbound to Kyiv and the surrounding Kyiv region in Ukraine. No additional details were provided by FedEx about whether it planned to add additional areas in parts of western Ukraine that typically have been reasonably peaceful.
UPS has not revised its operations for Ukraine, and its Service Alert, which substantially suspended all operations in Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia, including inbound and outbound operations, continues to be in effect.
DHL issued a Service Alert in late 2022 that the carrier had resumed limited shipping services in select locations in Ukraine, and additional charges may apply as the carrier is operating under an elevated risk level.
For Belarus and Russia, DHL continues to suspend its outbound services and all domestic operations within Russia.
Due to sanctions, DHL-owned planes are not allowed to fly into or out of Russia and Belarus, suggesting that any outbound express shipments are being transported by commercial airlines that still have access to these markets from non-EU countries and others that have imposed sanctions. This likely means significant delays.
Major Marketplaces Status
eBay announced it suspended shipments to Ukraine and Russia, including offering eBay sellers additional seller protections for items in transit, even if they used another carrier.
The marketplace did not address shipments to Belarus, but considering the lack of available cargo transport to Belarus, sellers should refrain from selling to buyers in that country.
The eBay International Shipping program contracts with different cargo and mail operators to deliver packages globally.
Currently, eBay has issued this alert in the U.S., Canada, and Australia, but here again, we assume this applies to all eBay markets where the company operates its international shipping service.
Amazon announced it suspended shipments of retail products to customers in Russia and Belarus. The company is supporting Ukrainian-based sellers that ship from Ukraine and sell on its European stores by waiving referral fees.
It appears Amazon orders in and out of Ukraine would have to be shipped with a postal carrier as there are no other known commercial routes into the country.
Amazon’s digital services are also still operational in Ukraine, and the company has opened humanitarian aid hubs to assist the people of Ukraine with necessary goods.
Shipping to Ukraine and Russia
Unfortunately, more than two years after Russia invaded Ukraine, the war is not likely to be resolved any time soon.
Sellers worldwide who usually offer to send orders to Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus should be mindful of the transportation challenges.
The best practice for the moment is to avoid accepting orders from Russia and Belarus. However, shipping to Ukraine has been made easier, especially if you are sending packages to major cities such as Kyiv and to areas west of Kyiv bordering NATO countries.
Since most mail services use commercial airlines, flight suspensions and restrictions will continue to impact shipments to Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus.
Keep in mind that “act of war” exceptions in third-party insurance coverages may not cover lost or damaged shipments, and shipments may not be covered. Check with the carrier you plan to ship items to Ukraine if their own coverage may cover shipments and how long it may take to get reimbursed if your shipment is lost or damaged.
We will continue to monitor this situation and update this post with new relevant information when it becomes available. Also, please see our USPS International Service Disruptions page for updates on U.S. Postal Service operations globally.
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Richard Meldner
Richard is co-founder of eSeller365. He has over 17 years of experience on eBay which includes tens of thousands of sales to buyers in over 100 countries and even has experience with eBay’s VeRO program enforcing intellectual property rights for a former employer. And for about two years Richard sold products on Amazon using Amazon FBA in the US.
To “relax” from the daily business grind, for a few weekends a year, he also works for IMSA as a professional race official.
Any updated news about packages in transit still in Moscow from Moscow to the US?
We haven’t come across anything specific yet, it would be best to try and contact your mail handler of choice to see if they can offer any advice.
Same issue here. March 6 leaves moscow. No updates since. Rissia post says it could be on a plane or train lol
Packages from Russia to the USA effective March 3rd 2022 inquiry ?
Not exactly sure what you asking. Are you looking for specific information on shipments sent on that date? We are only tracking the overall situation. As far as mail shipments out of Russia, there is just not much available.
We are not even sure how much Russian Post is still providing updates to the UPU, the Universal Postal Union, that among many of activities provides a method for postal operators to inform others about operational restrictions and problems.
The official Russian Post site isn’t going to mention any such problems as Russia’s regime mostly hides bad news domestically that resulted from its invasion of Ukraine. Actually, the last time I tried accessing it, it didn’t even load (blocked, hacked, no idea…).
Richard
As there any method in existence for sending birth and holiday cards to friends and relatives in Russia.
I am not aware of any currently available options from the US.
Richard
I ordered an item from russia that was shipped yesterday, does this mean they can’t send anything internationally either?
The same transportation issues that impact shipments to Russia also impact sending items out of Russia. While Russia’s main airline Aeroflot has become a de facto domestic airline and Western airlines are effectively prohibited to fly to Russia due to sanctions, there are few international shipping options remaining on commercial carriers. There are still flights from Russia to Turkey which is not an EU country, but a member of NATO and this means outbound mail could be routed through them as they do not have to follow sanctions imposed by the EU. Also, there are some other international flights from Moscow to Asian and African countries, but if they are reasonable options to route mail is anyone’s guess. With the sanctions, available international air cargo space out of Russia is very limited and mail may not be a priority or too costly to send at the moment.
Richard
I have an order coming from the Ukraine that was given a tracking number on the 24th of Feb and it reached the sorting facility and has been scanned multiple times at the sorting facility. I’m relatively comfortable that the box will not be getting here given the current fighting in the Ukraine and quite frankly I’m not going to be upset about it given the fact that people are dying. I’m just curious as to if the Ukrainian postal service continued to function after the invasion and for how long if you know.
Thanks!
Hey Scott,
The Ukrainian post was doing its best to continue running to try and support businesses as best they could. This post gave the latest update on that situation. http://eseller365.com/mail-from-ukraine-will-continue-shipping-to-us/ They were trying to get mail over to Poland and onto a weekly flight to the US from there. We haven’t heard of the current delay time, or the backlog (if any) of parcels waiting to leave.
As the situation is constantly changing though we have no further updates that could help you sadly.
Dave
Dave,
I totally understand and appreciate your taking the time to answer my question. As I mentioned it’s a non issue for me in the current situation. Quite frankly I hope someone opens the box and is able to use the contents to good effect for them and their family. For people to be complaining at this point about $100 is just not reasonable. They are clearly fighting for their lives. I’m okay if I don’t recover at any level for the package.
Sincerely
Scott
Totally hear you Scott, I am definitely on the same page, breaks my heart seeing what is unfolding over there as the world seems to sit back and watch.
All the best
Dave
My package has been saying It was accepted at 4:44 pm on March 15, 2022 in UKRAINE. No update since, please help.
We only report on this situation. We can only suggest you contact Ukraine’s Postal service at https://www.ukrposhta.ua/en/kontakt-tsentr. But considering the situation in Ukraine, tracing packages is not likely to be a high priority with the limited resources they must be operating under. Frankly, I am amazed that they are even operational at all.
Richard
Arranged delivery from USA to Russia. USPS accepted the package on February 16, on March 10 the status was updated on Departed. Since then there is no information. How to understand where the package is now?((
That’s the problem with USPS and mail in generally when sending international as waypoints are rarely scanned. The only thing that can be done is to file a claim with USPS and request they trace the package. We know from Covid shutdown in 2020, many packages lingered at airports for months with no information online.
Richard
I bought a wedding dress on March 10 and have communicated with the dress maker reagsrding the garment through Etsy. On April 14 I received shipping notice through Etsy and the parcel was shown to have moved through several cities in Ukraine and then to Kiev. I had no idea I bought it from Ukraine up to this point. Truly, I am not upset over the money spent. I hope it helps the dress maker and her family. Your I should probably get a new dress in the US, right? The wedding is in June and I feel bad because other folks can’t have things like weddings, but should I assume the dress won’t move any further?
I bought some scopes and knifes plus side mount for AK47 and it was shipped from Makhachkala on February 24….. got to customs in Moscow on March 3rd and returned back to sender …. reason unknown possible to war with Ukraine…maybe because sender was trying to save on shipping cost and declared value at 0 Got to Makhachkala on March 6th and left their sorting facility same day in unknown direction then disappeared…sender filled out paperwork to track what happen but I am afraid it is lost for good… any suggestions is it stolen or was it shipped back to me in USA???
I am trying to send package(s) to Ukraine to the territorial defense with some clothes but also am looking into the way to send a drone as well.
Any advice on this?
How long will it take for package with clothes to get to Ukraine from US?
Thank you,
Hey Mikhail,
Unfortunately, we have no advice on this, your best bet would be to reach out to the various courier companies directly and see what they all advise.
Dave
I would like to send a care package to friends from Rivne, Ukraine postal code 33014. Western Ukraine. Can I still use the USPS?
The last update on this site was from March https://about.usps.com/newsroom/service-alerts/international/ukraine.htm you might be best contacting your local post office to see if they have any newer updates
Hi Dave, I am trying to send a few small gifts via USPS to a student I am tutoring in Rivne, but it has been returned twice to me with Rivne circled. It just says refer to Chapter 5 IMM nonpostal export Regs and Failed to meet export regulation’s Gift exceeds dest country regulations. The gifts are less than $65 in total and only 1.4 lbs, and no items are included any prohibited lists. Local post offices say they can’t help me…any ideas on how I might resolve this issue or who I might be able to call. Thank you for any guidance…Deb
Hey Deb,
I have tried looking online but not finding much information specific to this instance. My only advice would be to try and call a USPS helpline number and see if you can get clarity on how to send something to Rivne right now.
Dave
Im planning to mail and package to a friend in St Petersburgh Russia, should I wait till all the suspensions lifted? The guy at Usps told me as of today Nov 19 they still ship out to Russia but once it gets there its on their post office responsibility 🙁
The suspension started earlier in the year due to a lack of air transport which is rooted in the sanctions imposed. There has been no update from USPS on this suspension suggesting any change. It’s always up to the destination country’s postal system to deliver the mail from USPS.
Supposedly, mail bound for Russia will be returned to the sender. So, not sure what to suggest here if a postal service employee gave you different information.
Richard
Thank you for this info!! I sent a book to a friend in Kiev by USPS on 3/7/23. Understandably They couldn’t say if it would make it. I appreciate you posting what info you have.