Why Was 'Viva-MTS' Sold Right Now: 'Zhoghovurd'

'Zhoghovurd' newspaper writes that 'MTS Armenia' CJSC, known as 'Viva-MTS', has been put up for sale under mysterious circumstances, according to 'CivilNet'. It is worth recalling that on June 22 of this year, the general director of 'Viva-MTS', Ralph Yirikian, unexpectedly left his position, and rumors suggest that there is a new director appointed from within, Armen Avetisyan.

This dismissal has certainly raised many questions, which we will address in the near future. However, yesterday 'Zhoghovurd' attempted to find out from 'MTS Armenia' why they are selling, how much the company's shares are worth, and who the likely buyer is, but ultimately received no response, though they promised to clarify today.

Until then, the expert community considers information regarding this sale to be mere speculation, primarily because, if a sale does occur, it is likely to be an artificial process. It should be noted that the shareholder of 'Viva-MTS' is Aramayo Investments Limited, registered in Cyprus. The other 80% shareholder, as per the company's ownership declaration (over 42% ownership), is Russian billionaire Vladimir Yevtushenkov through Allegrato Holding SARL, registered in Luxembourg.

Since Yevtushenkov has come under sanctions from the UK and Australia, and has also been delisted from the New York Stock Exchange, it appears he is attempting to evade sanctions through a fake sale. In any case, we are still awaiting clarifications from 'Viva-MTS'.

For more details, refer to today's issue of the newspaper.