Moscow – April 4, 2006 – Rostelecom (NYSE: ROS; RTS, MICEX: RTKM, RTKMP), Russia’s national long-distance telecommunications operator, today announced the acquisition of a controlling stake in Globus Telecom.

Rostelecom has completed the acquisition of 74.57% of Globus Telecom’s shares, a Moscow alternative fixed-line operator, for a total cash purchase price of approximately USD 30 million. 59.32% of shares were purchased from Synterra, and a further 15.25% from RTC-Leasing. The results of operations of Globus Telecom will be consolidated in the Company’s financial statements beginning from April 2006.

Dmitry Yerokhin, General Director of Rostelecom, commented: “The acquisition of a controlling stake in Globus Telecom is an important step towards further strengthening our competitive position in the retail market. It will enable the Company to increase its share of the Moscow corporate market and to expand the range of services to end-customers.”

Globus Telecom is a fixed-line operator with a modern telecommunications infrastructure enabling the provision of services in Moscow and the Russian regions. The company owns 100,000 direct Moscow-code lines and its customer base mainly includes corporate users and state authorities. Thanks to the network of high reliability, Globus Telecom can ensure due level of information security and offer its customers a full package of services, including local and intra-zone telephone services, data transmission as well as leased line services.

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Certain statements in this press release are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the U.S. federal securities laws and are intended to be covered by the safe harbors created thereby.

These forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.

These risks include the risk of changes the Company's operations and business prospects, the general financial and economic circumstances, relating to regulation of the Russian telecommunications industry and the Russian legislation; the competition and other risks.

For a more detailed discussion of these and other factors, see the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F for its most recently completed fiscal year and the Company's other public filings with The U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Many of these factors are beyond the Company's ability to control or predict. Given these and other uncertainties, the Company cautions not to place undue reliance on any of the forward-looking statements contained herein or otherwise.

The Company does not undertake any obligation to release publicly any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as maybe required under applicable the U.S. federal securities laws.