October 8 2008, Moscow: COMSTAR – United TeleSystems (COMSTAR-UTS, LSE: CMST), the leading provider of integrated telecommunication services in Russia and the CIS, announces two new positions: Vice President for HR and Vice President for Enterprise Management and Legal Affairs.

Dmitry Karmanov, the former HR Director of COMSTAR-UTS, is assigned to Vice President for HR, while Kirill Andreychenko, the former Enterprise Management and Legal Affairs Director, is assigned to Vice President for Enterprise Management and Legal Affairs.

COMSTAR-UTS is a fast-growing and effective company that becomes a nation-wide telecom operator. "Today we run assets in 68 Russian cities with population of 48 million people. The company like ours needs a clear-cut management framework", said Sergey Pridantsev, COMSTAR-UTS President. "We are an employer for a great number of people throughout Russia. That is why a uniform streamlined HR policy at the Group level is one of our priorities. No less important is to enhance the Enterprise Management department, which means our liabilities to stockholders. These were the reasons to introduce the positions for two more Vice Presidents, who not only would have larger power, but also larger liability to parties concerned within the limits of their authority".

  Kirill Andreychenko was born in Moscow in 1975. Graduated from Moscow State Industrial University in 1997.

In 1994 he started his career as an expert in Moscow Science and Technology Committee; from 1995 through 1997 held a position of a legal adviser for Rosiko CJSC; from 1997 through 1999 – a legal adviser for Centr-Telko CJSC. In 1999 he moved to Sistema JSFC, where held consecutive posts of a legal adviser, Head of Contract Department, and Deputy Administrator of Legal Department. The next stage of his career was Sistema-Telecom CJSC, where he was the Head of Legal Department and later the Deputy CEO for Enterprise Management. From 2007 till assigned to Vise President, he was the Enterprise Management and Legal Affairs Director at COMSTAR-UTS OJSC.

  Dmitry Karmanov was born in Shakhty, Rostov Region, in 1975. In 1997 graduated from Perm Command and Engineering Military Academy, majoring "Management and Information Technology in Engineering Systems". In 2002 took a postgraduate HR training course at the Regional Inter-Industry Retraining Center under Perm State Engineering University. From 1997 to 2001 served with armed forces and a Department of Justice agency.

Dmitry Karmanov started his career in telecom with Uralsvyazinform OJSC, where he was promoted from an HR expert to the HR department head. From 2006 through 2007, he held the post of the Deputy CEO – HR Director at Central Telco OJSC. In June 2007, he moved to COMSTAR – United TeleSystems and was assigned to HR Director. Since October 1 he has been the Vice President for HR with COMSTAR-UTS OJSC.