OREANDA-NEWS. On 19 June 2009 Southern Telecommunications Company (UTK) [(RTS: KUBN, KUBNP; МICEX: UTEL, UTELP; ADR OTC: STJSY, KUE FRA)], the largest fixed line operator in the Southern Federal District of Russia, announced that in accordance with a decision of the Board of Directors of UTK (minutes # 28 dated June 8, 2009), the powers of UTK’s general director Alexander Vladimirovich Andreev have been prematurely terminated.

By decision of the Company’s Board of Director, as of June 9, 2009 Alexander Petrovich Shipulin is appointed as General Director of UTK with a 2-year contract.

Alexander Petrovich Shipulin was born on July 9, 1953 in the town of Eysk in the Krasnodar region. In 1978 he graduated from the correspondence division of the All-Soviet Electro-mechanical Engineering Institute for Telecommunications with a major in Multi-Channel Telecom Equipment.

From 1991 until 2003 he worked as deputy head of GPSI Rosssvyazinform (Kubanelektrosvyaz), and as deputy general director of Southern Telecommunications Company. From 2003 until 2007 he held the position of first deputy general director of Mobicom-Kavkaz (Krasnodar).  From 2007 until June 2009 he was general director of Telika (Krasnodar).  He has extensive managerial experience and in-depth knowledge of all the company’s business processes.