Dnipropetrovsk Post Office terminates contract to distribute the newspaper “Litsa”

The Chief Editor of the Dnipropetrovsk newspaper “Litsa” [Faces or People] Olena Harahuz has reported that the post office has severed its agreement with the editorial office.

Ms Harahuz commented that this step had been preceded by the events of 27 December when an issue of the newspaper carrying an article about a criminal investigation against the City Mayor Ivan Kupichenko had been withdrawn from sale in all Ukrainian Postal Service kiosks.

She said that she had asked the management of the Dnipropetrovsk post office and of the Ukrainian Postal Service for an explanation, but had been told that the newspaper had not been withdrawn. On receiving the second formal request for information, Ms Harahuz added, the central post office which organizes the newspaper’s circulation within the city terminated the agreement reached a fortnight ago.

The Dnipropetrovsk post office confirms that the agreement has been terminated, but claims that the newspaper is now being distributed through an agreement concluded with the regional directorate of the Ukrainian Postal Service.

In the last few days Dnipropetrovsk’s Mayor Ivan Kupichenko confirmed that a criminal investigation nhas been launched against him and other officials on suspicion of spending money from the city budget on building a sanatorium “Tavriya” in the Crimea.  It was this that the newspaper was reporting in the issue which was withdrawn from sale.