Support The Moscow Times!

Russia’s Top Mobile Operator Sells Ukrainian Business

MTS backs out of Ukraine despite solid earnings, as analysts cite “higher political risk.”

MTS was operating in Ukraine under the Vodafone brand. Maxim Stulov / Vedomosti / TASS

Russia’s biggest mobile phone operator MTS said on Monday it had agreed to sell its Ukrainian business to Azerbaijan’s Bakcell for $734 million.

The company also said its board had approved a special dividend of 13.25 rubles ($0.21) per ordinary share, or 26.5 billion rubles ($420 million) in total.

“Given the small share of our Ukrainian operations in our overall business, we reaffirm our commitment to fulfilling our updated dividend policy and continuing to generate attractive returns for our shareholders,” MTS Chief Executive Officer Alexey Kornya said.

The transfer of shares in VF Ukraine to Bakcell-controlled Telco Solutions and Investments is expected to complete shortly, MTS said in a statement.

Ivan Kim, an analyst at Xtellus Capital Partners said MTS faced “higher political risk” of doing business in Ukraine, despite strong business performance.

In a research note published Monday, Kim said: “The Ukrainian business has been growing robustly of late. The country’s mobile market is structurally attractive, with three players, and the macro backdrop has improved — with lower inflation and interest rates, as well as full liberalisation of dividend upstream by foreign entities.”

“While MTS's Ukrainian business has been posting solid results, with double-digit revenue growth and an earnings margin above 50%, it contributes less than 10% of MTS's total revenues,” said Sberbank analyst Alexander Sychev.

Shares in MTS, which is a subsidiary of Russian conglomerate Sistema, were up 3% on the news in early morning trading.

Reuters contributed reporting to this article.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more