COMSTAR – United TeleSystems JSC (COMSTAR-UTS, LSE: CMST) announced Viktor Shmytinsky was appointed OJSC COMSTAR-UTS Saint-Petersburg branch Director.

Earlier, V.Shmytinsky was General Director First Deputy of ZAO "Metrokom". V.Shmytinsky was appointed to change Tatyana Pasynkova, the former COMSTAR-UTS Saint-Petersburg subsidiary Director.

"There is quite a number of tasks to be solved in order to achieve the strategic goal, gaining 8% of Saint-Petersburg telecom market share by the year 2011", says OJSC COMSTAR-UTS Regional Development Vice President Viktor Koresh. "V. Shmytinsky is in Saint-Petersburg telecom business for many years already, having a profound knowledge of all day-to-day telecom business peculiarities in this city, we rely on his extensive experience in operations management of multi-service operator and global communication networks," Viktor Koresh added.

Viktor Shmytinsky was born in 1954. He graduated from Leningrad Institute of Railway Engineers in 1976 majoring in Automation, Teleautomatics, and Railway Communication Facilities. In 1986 he got his Candidate Degree (Tech.) specializing in Networks, Communication Systems, and Data Distribution in Leningrad Electric Engineering Communications Institute named aft. V.V. Bontch-Bruyevitch.

V.Shmytinsky started his career in telecom operator business since 1994, when he appointed Technical Director of ZAO "Metrokom". In 1996 V.Shmytinsky was appointed General Director Deputy of ZAO "Metrokom". At the same time, V.Shmytinsky was advisor and head design engineer for digital primary communications network of RF Railway Transportation Ministry until 1998. In 2004 he joined ZAO "Peterstar", being its Strategic Development Director until 2005. In the beginning of 2006 V.Shmytinsky became General Director of OOO "Opten-Stroy". From mid 2007 until his joining COMSTAR-UTS V.Shmytinsky was General Director First Deputy of ZAO "Metrokom".

V. Shmytinsky is an International Communications Academy academician since the year 2003. He has two governmental awards.