A Russian court has blocked the proposed merger of Russian mobile operator Megafon and Turkcell, according to reports from local newswires. The merger was agreed last year by the two mobile operators' main shareholders, TeliaSonera and Altimo, putting an end to their struggle for management control. The deal was opposed by Russian metals tycoon Alisher Usmanov, owner of a 39 percent stake in Megafon. He filed the lawsuit in April, claiming that the mobile operator is a strategic enterprise which must remain in Russian hands. Had the merger gone through, Russian shareholders would have lost control of the company. An Altimo spokesman said the company will appeal. Usmanov has said he favours folding Megafon into the state telecoms holding company Svyazinvest. He also retiterated a proposal for his holding company Telekominvest to buy out Altimo and TeliaSonera in Megafon, Interfax reported.
