OREANDA-NEWS. December 19, 2007. Open Joint Stock Company "Vimpel-Communications" ("VimpelCom" or the "Company") (NYSE: VIP), a leading provider of wireless telecommunications services in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) today announced that Company Director Jo Lunder received the “Independent Director of the Year” award from the Independent Directors Association (IDA) of Russia.  Out of 225 independent directors who are members of the board at Russian companies, Mr. Lunder was one of the six winners to receive this award.

David J. Haines, Chairman of the Board of VimpelCom, said, “On behalf of VimpelCom, I would like to congratulate Jo on receiving this important award and express our appreciation for his outstanding contribution to the Company.”  Further, he said, “Jo, as a professional and independent director has played a key role in the success of the Company.”

Mr. Lunder has been a Director at VimpelCom since May 2002 and serves as the Head of the Corporate Governance Committee and Head of the Finance Committee.  Mr. Lunder served as CEO of VimpelCom from 2001 to 2003 and as Chairman of the Board from 2003 to 2005.

The IDA is a professional organization comprised of Russian and international corporate directors and experts in corporate governance.  IDA was founded in 2002 and has more than 286 members.  The Association objective is to assist Russian public companies in improving their performance by implementing the best corporate governance practices.

The VimpelCom Group includes companies operating in Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Georgia and Armenia. The VimpelCom Group's GSM and 3G license portfolio covers a territory with a population of about 250 million. This includes the entire territories of Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Georgia and Armenia. VimpelCom was the first Russian company to list its shares on the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE"). VimpelCom's ADSs are listed on the NYSE under the symbol "VIP".