Ukrraine and mail/postal service

[ladystar]

I was wondering if anyone out there has any information about Ukraine and it's postal service. I have a friend in Ukraine who recently emailed me telling me that the most recent letters he sent me (in the United States) would not arrive because the postal service went on strike against the government. He has very limited access to email, and I would really like to be able to be in contact with him more than once every two months. I don't know if this is true about the strike or not, because I have absolutely no clue about how the mail service (especially international mail) is organized. If you know anything about this, please do respond. Thank you very much! It is appreciated

[Irinka]

Where in Ukraine does your friend live?
The postal service in Ukraine has always been a bit untrustworthy and slow..to be mild
Do you know your friend's telephone number? Also he could easily use internet cafes if he lives in a large city..there are thousands of them and they are really cheap.

[ladystar]

Thank you for the input. My friend is in Kiev, but he doesn't own a telephone. He does have access to the Internet cafes, but I know he is very busy and doesn't have much time. I was just hoping though that I would be able to contact him more often, even though he might not be able to respond. But since the mail is so unreliable, would you suggest that I always use email, or maybe still send letters once in awhile although they might not reach him for quite some time? Thank you.

[vivandr]

It takes approximately two weeks for letters from Ukraine to arrive to States. I cannot say that postal service in Ukraine is not reliable; it is rare that letter would be lost or something like that. Problem is that letters are almost always searched, especially when they are from abroad.
Vitaliy