USPS, UPS, FedEx Service Alerts on Shipments to Ukraine, Russia and Surrounding Countries

The Russian invasion of Ukraine will be impacting mail and cargo operations into Ukraine, inside Ukraine, parts of Russia, and potentially other neighboring countries. Here is what we know right now and how it impacts mail and parcel shipping.

On Thursday, Ukraine closed its entire airspace to all commercial carriers with neighboring Moldova also halting commercial flights.

In addition, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) issued a warning to commercial airlines to avoid Ukraine skies and airspace in Russia and Belarus within 100 nautical miles (about 115 miles) of Ukraine’s borders.

In response, several major European airlines stopped services to the region, but other European countries added further restrictions. “In particular, there is a risk of both intentional targeting and misidentification of civil aircraft,” the EASA warned.

The FAA has also banned US airlines and US pilots from overflying Ukraine, parts of Russia, and other areas in Eastern Europe.

“The FAA issued Notice to Air Missions (NOTAMs) expanding the area in Eastern Europe and Russia where US airlines and US pilots cannot operate. The expanded NOTAMs now cover the entire country of Ukraine, the entire country of Belarus, and a western portion of Russia. Prior to today’s restrictions, the FAA prohibited operations in an eastern region of Ukraine. These restrictions do not apply to military operations.”

FAA Statement

US passenger airlines have not been flying into the region, but this restriction will impact US-operated cargo airlines which could affect mail and air cargo operations.

USPS, FedEx and UPS have already issued alerts regarding Ukraine and Russia:

• The US Postal Service via the Ukraine Post advised that due to the conflict in the region international postal transit through Ukrainian territory has been suspended until further notice. Post offices will remain closed beginning February 24 and postal deliveries are suspended until further notice. As soon as the situation allows, the post will resume delivery of all international postal items.

  USPS has not issued a service suspension to Ukraine yet, but if this crisis continues, that is a very good possibility. USPS GXG is generally operated by FedEx, therefore shippers should be aware of the FedEx alert below.

• FedEx issued a service alert that it has suspended service to and from Ukraine. It made no mention of other operations in nearby countries.
• UPS issued an alert stating, it has suspended service to and from Ukraine and shipments to Russia. But the carrier said export services from Russia and domestic services in Russia are still operating.
• We did not find any service alerts issued by DHL Express. We suspect their operations are disrupted, but are trying to confirm.

Shipping to Ukraine and Russia

Sadly, this crisis does not look like it will be resolved soon and the situation continues to change by the hour.

Sellers around the globe that usually offer to send orders to Ukraine, Russia, and surrounding countries should be mindful of the transportation challenges that now exist.

The best practice for the moment is to avoid accepting orders to Ukraine, Russia (or at least western Russia), Belarus, and Moldova.

EASA, the European equivalent of the FAA will continue to guide airlines and cargo operators in Europe regarding safe routes to and through the crisis region.

Since most mail services are transported by commercial airlines, flight suspensions and restrictions are going to impact shipments to the affected region.

At this point, there is no word about what will happen with shipments already sent.

For USPS shippers, if the mailpiece is still in the US, it likely will be held at one of the five USPS International Service Centers. If it already traveled to Europe, it’s likely going to be stuck at one of the European airports for a while.

Tracking for USPS shipments is going to be sketchy at best. UPS and FedEx will offer much better information about the exact location of a shipment as their tracking service is just better than USPS.

This post was last updated on February 25, 2022. We will update this post with new relevant information when it becomes available as well as update our USPS International Service Disruptions page.

International Postal Advisories

Since we have a sizeable readership in Canada, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand, we added advisories to this post from the postal operators in those countries. Mostly, everyone is in the same situation.

Canada Post issued a full suspension for shipments going to Ukraine and said it would not accept any mail or parcels going to Ukraine. No other countries in the region were added to its advisory.

Royal Mail issued the same warning as USPS for Ukraine but also included Moldova. The postal service said it was still accepting mail to both countries but they are subject to unpredictable delays. No advisory was issued for Russia or Belarus.

Australia Post has not issued an advisory for Ukraine or other countries in the region. There is an existing restriction to Russia due to customs issues that have nothing to do with the conflict. However, Australian shippers should expect unpredictable delays.

New Zealand Post issued a service alert for Ukraine. Similar to UK’s Royal Mail, it will continue to accept mail and parcels, but shippers should expect delays. In addition, NZ Post said that shipments to military and security forces in Russia of any kind will not be accepted to comply with newly enacted New Zealand government sanctions.

Connect With Us And Other Small Business Owners

Please head over to our Facebook Group for Small Business Sellers and interact with other small business owners.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to stay up to date with relevant news and business insights for your online business.