OREANDA-NEWS. On 09 February 2009 COMSTAR – United TeleSystems (COMSTAR-UTS OJSC, LSE: CMST), a major operator of integrated telecommunications services in Russia and the CIS, announced that the general shareholders meeting of STREAM-TV CJSC, part of COMSTAR-UTS Group of Companies, adopted a resolution 11 January 2009 on the change of Board of Directors membership of STREAM-TV CJSC, part of COMSTAR-UTS Group of Companies. Sergey Pridantsev, the President of COMSTAR-UTS OJSC, has been elected the Chairman of STREAM-TV CJSC Board of Directors. Viktor Koresh has been appointed to the post of General Director of STREAM-TV CJSC.

The following persons were also made part of the new membership of STREAM-TV CJSC Board of Directors, with Sergey Pridantsev, the President of COMSTAR-UTS OJSC, becoming its Chairman: Viktor Koresh, Vice President for   Regional Development, COMSTAR-UTS OJSC; Irina Matveeva, Vice President for Economics & Finance, COMSTAR-UTS OJSC; Dmitry Karmanov, Vice President for HR Management, COMSTAR-UTS OJSC; Kirill Andreychenko, Vice President for Enterprise Management and Legal Affairs, COMSTAR-UTS OJSC; Sergey Shishkin, Director, Property Projects Department, AFK Sistema; Alexey Goreslavsky, Head, Special Projects Department, Telecommunications Assets Operating Unit, AFK Sistema.

In addition, STREAM-TV CJSC Board of Directors adopted a resolution on appointment of Viktor Koresh, Vice President for Regional Development, COMSTAR-UTS OJSC, to the post of General Director of STREAM-TV CJSC, effective 15 January 2009. Viktor Koresh’s post in COMSTAR-UTS will be overlapped with the position of the GD of STREAM-TV CJSC.

“Viktor Koresh has led the regional development process across COMSTAR-UTS Group of Companies for over two years now. He was in charge of the projects for deployment and expansion of the networks in the regions of presence; several subsidiary companies were interconnected, the Group’s Branches organized, construction of backbone lines commenced, DLD/ILD communications services area growing dynamically. Viktor Koresh is uniquely placed in all respects of COMSTAR-UTS’ regional business. Such expertise is essential in achieving the strategic goals of the Group of Companies,” said Sergey Pridantsev, the President of COMSTAR-UTS OJSC. “At the new stage, Victor Koresh has been allotted the tusks to conduct an all-out restructuring of all regional assets and setting-up of a unified efficient operating company.”

Sergey Pridantsev was born in 1967 in Moscow.

In 1993 he graduated from the Moscow Automobile and Road Institute, and then Stanford Executive Institute (2000) and the Russian Academy of Public Service under the President of the Russian Federation (2004).

He was awarded PhD in Economics.

From 1993 he headed the laboratory of transport and technological robotics of the Moscow Automobile and Roads Institute. From 1994 to 1995 he worked for Astelit, a telecommunications operator. In January 1995 he joined Hewlett-Packard where he was in a post of   technical adviser till May 1997.

In 1997 he was in charge of the customer service in Lucent Technologies for Moscow and Moscow region, and then was appointed First Deputy CEO (the Company’s Sales Director – Russia/CIS.)

From 2002 he worked for CenterTelecom OJSC (part of Svyazinvest OJSC) as an Adviser to the Company’s CEO. From April 2003 to January 2006 he held the position of Deputy CEO/Commercial Director of CenterTelecom OJSC. From January 2006 to June 2007 he was CEO of CenterTelecom OJSC.

Since June 2007 he has been President of COMSTAR-UTS.

He was awarded the Medal of Ushakov for personal courage.

Viktor Koresh was born in 1953. In 1976, he graduated from the Bonch-Bruevich Communications Electrotechnical Institute of Leningrad (LETIS) with qualification of ‘Telecommunications Engineer’.

In the years to 1997, he worked for the enterprises of the Ministry of Communications. In 1997, he took charge of the Sovintel JSC Saint Petersburg Branch. From 2001 to April 2007, he held the position of General Director of PeterStar CJSC.

Since April 2007, Viktor Koresh has been operating in the capacity of Vice-president for Regional Development, COMSTAR-United TeleSystems OJSC.