Nova Poshta Closes Last Branches in Frontline City of Druzhkivka Amid Constant Russian Attacks

Ukraine’s largest private postal and logistics company, Nova Poshta, has announced the closure of its remaining physical branches in the frontline city of Druzhkivka in Donetsk Oblast. The decision comes as the city faces relentless bombardment from Russian forces, including FPV drones, guided aerial bombs (KABs), and artillery fire. While staffed locations will cease operations, the company has indicated that automated parcel lockers will continue to function in the embattled city, providing residents with limited but essential postal services.

Druzhkivka, a city with a pre-war population of approximately 60,000 people, has become increasingly dangerous as Russian forces continue their offensive operations in the Donetsk region. Located roughly 25 kilometers from the front lines, the city has experienced a dramatic escalation in attacks over recent months. The constant threat of FPV drone strikes, which have become a hallmark of modern warfare in Ukraine, poses particular dangers to civilian infrastructure and populated areas. These small, agile drones equipped with explosives can strike with little warning, making traditional business operations increasingly untenable.

Nova Poshta’s withdrawal from Druzhkivka reflects a broader pattern of civilian infrastructure retreat from frontline areas across eastern Ukraine. Founded in 2001, Nova Poshta has grown to become the dominant logistics provider in Ukraine, operating over 10,000 branches and employing tens of thousands of workers before the full-scale invasion. The company has played a crucial role in maintaining civilian life and even supporting humanitarian efforts throughout the war, often operating in dangerous conditions. However, the safety of employees must ultimately take precedence, and the company has been forced to make difficult decisions about which locations can reasonably remain operational.

The use of guided aerial bombs, known by their Russian acronym KABs, has particularly devastating effects on urban areas. These weapons, converted from Soviet-era unguided bombs with the addition of guidance kits, allow Russian aircraft to strike targets from distances that keep them safe from Ukrainian air defenses. The bombs carry massive payloads that can destroy entire buildings and have been responsible for widespread devastation in frontline cities throughout the Donetsk and Kharkiv regions. For businesses attempting to operate in these areas, the unpredictable nature of such attacks makes maintaining safe working conditions nearly impossible.

The decision to maintain automated parcel lockers while closing staffed branches represents a compromise that acknowledges both the ongoing needs of remaining residents and the unacceptable risks to human personnel. These self-service machines allow customers to send and receive packages without requiring staff to be present, reducing human exposure to the constant dangers of frontline life. For the estimated thousands of residents who remain in Druzhkivka, many of whom are elderly or unable to evacuate, these postal services provide a vital connection to the outside world and access to essential goods that may not be available locally.

Throughout the war, Nova Poshta has demonstrated remarkable adaptability, rerouting logistics networks, establishing new hubs in safer areas, and even continuing operations during the early days of the invasion when Russian forces threatened Kyiv. The company has delivered humanitarian aid, helped evacuate civilians, and maintained economic connections between different parts of the country. However, the intensification of Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure, which human rights organizations have documented as a deliberate strategy, has forced the company to accept that some areas have simply become too dangerous for normal commercial operations.

The situation in Druzhkivka mirrors conditions in numerous other frontline communities across Ukraine’s east and south, where the line between civilian and military spheres has been effectively erased by Russian targeting practices. International observers have noted that attacks on postal services, hospitals, schools, and other civilian infrastructure appear designed to make life untenable for Ukrainian citizens in contested areas. As winter approaches and military operations continue, residents of cities like Druzhkivka face increasingly difficult choices about whether to remain in their homes or join the millions of Ukrainians who have been displaced by the conflict. Nova Poshta’s partial withdrawal serves as another sobering indicator of the human cost of ongoing hostilities in eastern Ukraine.