The Russian government has cleared the national operator Rostelecom to acquire a stake in mobile operator Tele2 Russia from the bank VTB, reports Tass citing Sergey Ivanov, the chairman of Rostelecom's management board.
According to Ivanov, Tele2 Russia is already de facto managed by Rostelecom.
Rostelecom currently owns a 45 percent stake in Tele2 Russia, and Tele2 Russia Holding AB owns a 55 percent stake in the operator. VTB holds a 50 percent stake in the latter company, while the company Invitel BV, controlled by Russian businessman Aleksey Mordashov, owns 40 percent, and the bank Russia owns a 10 percent stake.
