In 17–18 centuries, regular post and through transportation was carried out by Yamskoy Prikaz (Coachman Prikaz), which was a body of the central public administration. It was headed by a boyar, whose staff consisted of a noble and clerks in the Boyar Duma, postmen and other officials.
To enable regular postal communication between Moscow and Arkhangelsk, Peter the Great issued a Decree in 1693 on Establishing a Domestic Postal Service which regulated the terms of mail handling, staff selection practices, responsibility for shipment safety as well as infrastructure and equipment of guesthouses. A special uniform was introduced for coachmen and postmen.
1711 saw the first post offices in Moscow, and in 1714 they appeared in Saint Petersburg. Later on post offices opened in many cities across Russia. The newly established post offices were governed by the Post Chancellery and Moscow Central Post Office. In 1884 г. post and telegraph departments were incorporated into the Post and Telegraph Administration within the Ministry of Interior of the Imperial Russia. That was when the job as a telephone and telegraph operator started.
In 1923 the People’s Commissariat for Posts and Telegraphs was set up which was renamed the USSR Ministry of Communications in 1946. May 12, 2008 the Ministry of Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation was founded. At present the Ministry acts as Russia’s postal administration and communication board at the international level.
The postage stamps depict: — a clerk of the Yamskoy Prikaz and a postman (1671);
— a postman and an Huber-officer of the Post Chancellery (1767);
— a postmaster and a telegraphist (1870);
— a postman and telephone operator (1950).
An illustrated cover is to be prepared for the release with four postage stamps and an FDC with cancellation (Moscow) inside.
Design: S. Ulyanovsky.
Face value: 15 RUB.
Size of stamps: 32.5×65 mm, size of stamp and miniature sheets: 154×154 mm.
Form of issue: sheets with illustrated margins of 8 (4×2) stamps, miniature sheets of 8 (4×2) stamps.
Circulation: 336 thousand stamps of each value (42 thousand sheets), 60 thousand miniature sheets.
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