Ekaterinburg – January 27, 2005 – Uralsvyazinform (RTS and MICEX: URSI/URSIP) the leading carrier of fixed-line and mobile services in Urals region reports on the assignment of Anatoly UFIMKIN to the position of General Director (CEO), approved by today’s session of the Board of Directors.

Vadim Belov, the Board’s Chairman and Deputy General Director of OAO "Svyazinvest" commented on the assignment: "Mr Ufimkin is a genuine professional with an experience of over 30 years in the industry, and he enjoys the deserved respect of his colleagues. The Board has agreed that Mr Ufimkin is the most appropriate person for the CEO’s job, being a key person of Uralsvyazinform’s management team since 2002. I am sure that with Mr Ufimkin as CEO, Uralsvyazinform will keep up the pace and retain its leadership in the industry".

Anatoly Ufimkin, CEO responded to the nomination: "I realize how great the responsibility is for me as CEO at one of the industry leaders, I am thankful to the shareholders and the Board for their trust. Today’s telecom sector is a high growth area where it’s hard to gain the lead, but keeping the lead is even harder. I’m also aware of the tremendous potential of Uralsvyazinform, which makes me positive about the company’s prospects as one of the key players in Russia’s telecommunications sector".

The Board of Directors has assigned Mr Ufimkin to the position of CEO for the term of two years.

Biographical data
Anatoly Ufimkin is Honoured Telecommunications Worker of RF, full Member of International Telecommunications Academy (ITA).
He was born in 1951 in Kaisarovo, Ulyanovsk region. After his graduation from Kyubyshev Institute of Telecommunications (currently Volga State Academy of Telecommunications and Information Science) in 1973 he worked as workshop engineer at Fotogazeta-2, Chelyabinsk. His further positions include Head of Telegraph Station, Chelyabinsk, and Chief Engineer at Regional Production and Technical Administration for Communications. Since 1993 he worked as General Director at OAO "Svyazinform" of Chelyabinsk region (one of MRT’s merged companies).
In 2002, after the merger of 7 regional operators in the Urals and Western Siberia into joint Uralsvyazinform, Mr Ufimkin was nominated Senior Deputy General Director. Mr Ufimkin is married, and has two daughters.
He is awarded with 2nd Grade Order "For the Service to the Fatherland".