The Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation considers it necessary to renew state subsidies for Russian Post to ensure the provision of socially important postal services to residents. Minister Maksut Shadayev stated this in the State Duma. Interfax.
State support for Russian Post’s activities was stopped in 2014. But, as Shadayev noted, the business continues to perform an important social function, providing a guaranteed range of services throughout the country. In a number of remote settlements, Russian Post remains the only operator serving the local communications infrastructure.
“And this social function is important both in terms of accessibility (in terms of the presence of post offices in the most remote settlements) and in terms of tariffs for regulated services. So we cannot release these tariffs and make these services fully affordable for the Post,” explained the head of the Ministry of Digital Development.
According to him, closing post offices is not an acceptable solution. Therefore, the only option to ensure the operation of the network is to return to direct state subsidies.
Without government support, Post will not be able to develop. Moreover, this support should not be one-time; it is necessary to constantly subsidize the social function,” Shadayev emphasized.
Currently, the Ministry of Digital Development is assessing the amount of subsidies needed to cover Russian Post’s losses from the provision of unprofitable social services. Upon completion of the calculations, the ministry plans to make a proposal to continue financing this area of activity of the enterprise from the state budget.
Meanwhile, according to Shadayev, government subsidies do not eliminate the need for Russian Post to increase the efficiency of operations, introduce digital solutions and improve logistics.
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