There are exceptions. Generally distribution agencies are unresponsive.
Payment is usually slow and information on unsold issues is slow or non-existent.
It is extremely difficult to adjust numbers of copies delivered to various points. Subscriptions are usually handled by the country's post office which under Russian law owns every letter box in that country. Again, they are not particularly flexible or responsive. The newspapers do not know who the subscribers are as the post office has the list. The system seems to work better in some regions than others, even within various CIS countries.