SA Post Office suspends mail service to Russia, Ukraine & Belarus

As the Russia-Ukraine conflict continues without any indication of a truce, the South African Post Office (Sapo) has suspended the mail service to Russia, the Ukraine, and Belarus.

The suspension comes after Russia launched a land invasion into the Ukraine.

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The attack on Ukraine has forced many nations across the West to implement sanctions against Russia and allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin, while many companies including tech giant Apple, BP, Shell and Nike withdrew their services or halted operations.

Russia’s war with Ukraine has also had a massive impact on oil prices, with the spot price of crude oil soaring to a seven-year high to above the $110 a barrel mark on Wednesday, for the first time since July 2014.

Putin launched what he called a special military operation before dawn on Thursday, ignoring Western warnings and saying the “neo-Nazis” ruling Ukraine threatened Russia’s security.

Russia’s assault is the biggest on a European state since World War Two and threatens to upend the continent’s post-Cold War order.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Post Office said the air mail service remains available to almost 40 countries and the surface mail service to more than 51 countries.

The post office has provided general tips when sending or receiving mail from overseas.

It said customers who order items from other countries should include their cell phone number with their address details, so that it is able to send them an SMS when the item is ready for collection.

“Customers who send items to other countries must make sure they do not send anything that is not allowed in the mail, which includes any arms, ammunition, explosives, liquids or items that could break and leak.  No plant or animal material may be sent to other countries. “

The Post Office has encouraged customers to take care when packing items for dispatch abroad, as mail is transported in bulk.

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