The mail, the mail

Only believe half of what you hear about the mighty Russian post. Stories where parcels would arrive four months overdue and someone had taken a bite out of that precious block of Cadbury's chocolate your mother had sent you, are now thankfully infrequent. Mail does get detoured, but usually not lost. If you need to get something in or out of the country in a hurry, consider a courier service. A letter to Europe or to Australia takes around three weeks.