Ukrtelecom Crimean network disabled as recriminations fly

Ukrtelecom owner Rinat Akhmetov

Ukrtelecom Crimean network disabled: Ukrtelecom, which until yesterday boasted 80% of Crimea’s fixed-line subscribers as its customers,  last night had its services disabled and between $20 and $30m of its assets unilaterally transferred to Russia’s Krymtelekomu. A spokesperson for Ukrtelecom – which is owned by Ukrainian billionaire Rinat Akhmetov – described the move as “deliberate sabotage” and  “the illegal seizure of private property”, while the Crimean authorities insist that it was their counterparts in Kiev who disabled the service. Kommersant