The Russian government announced Friday that it had sacked the head of the state postal company Russian Post owing to severe delays in international package delivery. Alexander Kiselyov, who has run the company since 2009, was replaced by telecoms executive Dmitry Strashnov, the Russian communications ministry said in a statement.
Russian Post has faced criticism in recent weeks for unusual delays to deliveries which the company blamed on problems with airport and customs logistics, and the need to expand capacities to accommodate a booming Internet commerce.
The company said this week that the delays had been caused by Moscow's Sheremetyevo international airport, which "dumped mail cargo in the yard instead of passing it on in the required procedure." Last year, Russian Post warned the government it needed new sorting facilities at other transportation hubs, but a decision was delayed by nine months, the company said. "If Russian Post had been listened to, there would not be this situation today," it complained. Strashnov, 46, was chief executive of Tele2 Russia, a former unit of Swedish mobile operator Tele2, for the past four years.
Tele2 Russia was sold to the Russian bank VTB last month.