Alexander Provotorov, the CEO of Rostelecom, is set to lose his position as head of the country's biggest telecommunications company after the Communications and Press Ministry proposed Sergei Kalugin as his replacement, the Prime news agency reported Friday.
The ministry has drafted a directive suggesting that Provotorov be replaced with Kalugin, who headed the National Cable Network, a Rostelecom subsidiary.
Rostelecom's leadership reshuffle has yet to be approved by the government, which is currently considering the ministry's proposal, Kommersant cited sources as saying.
The government, which has a 53 percent stake in Rostelecom via state holding company Svyazinvest, has been critical of the management's plans to expand in the competitive mobile market, as well as the company's weak share price.
Communications and Press Minister Nikolai Nikiforov already attempted to oust Provotorov and replace him with Svyazinvest's CEO Vadim Semenov in fall 2012. But the initiative was blocked by the presidential administration, where former Communications and Press Minister Igor Shchegolev works as an aide to the president.
Provotorov was appointed CEO of Rostelecom when Shchegolev was minister.
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