The Communications and Press Ministry sacked the chief executive of Russian Post on Friday after a scandal-hit few weeks for the state-run postal service.
Alexander Kiselyov, who had headed Russian Post since February 2009, formally resigned from his position as CEO, in keeping with the standard procedure for sacked officials. He will be replaced by Dmitry Strashnov, former head of the Tele2 mobile operator, RIA-Novosti reported.
The change in leadership comes at a difficult time for Russian Post, with 70 percent of its 42,000 branches currently recording losses and unflattering media coverage hitting its reputation.
Despite making a profit of 813 million rubles ($25.8 million) in 2012, the bulk of the company's turnover is absorbed by staff salaries, according to the news agency.
Last week, Russian Post made headlines when a backlog of about 500 tons of parcels awaiting customs clearance built up in Moscow airports. Post officials explained the backlog by a dramatic uptick in online purchases and a shortage of customs staff.
In March, a video surfaced on YouTube showing seething Russian Post employees swearing at a customer, throwing him out of the post office, and then chasing him with a broom down a street in a town in the Moscow region. After that incident, Russian Post instructed its employees not to allow video recordings in post offices.
