Group Company rated MTS-Ukraine as the best in Ukraine as regards participation in the telecommunication market. In 2008, and MTS-Ukraine's owner Mobile TeleSystems and Vodafone signed a strategic partnership. In 2011 MTS-Ukraine openly declared its interest in acquiring Utel, a subsidiary of Ukrtelecom, Ukraine's monopolist telephone company, after Ukrtelecom announced plans to divest its mobile business. Vasyl Latsanych was appointed as company general director this year. In October 2015 Mobile TeleSystems and Vodafone expanded their strategic partnership; this resulted in the rebranding of MTS Ukraine as "Vodafone Ukraine". On 11 and 12 January 2018, the company operations in Ukraine's separatist entities on the occupied territories of Luhansk Oblast (on 11 January) and Donetsk Oblast (on 12 January) were discontinued after a fibre optic line cut. This resulted in two million people losing mobile phone access. Until the Vodafone Ukraine line was repaired the remaining mobile phone carriers available in the region were the two operated by the separatist authorities. On 19 January the repair of the fibre optic line was completed and Vodafone Ukraine's services in territory controlled by the Luhansk People's Republic completely resumed. However, the territory controlled by the Donetsk People's Republic remained without a mobile connection; "the network does not work for reasons unknown to us" according to Vodafone Ukraine. On 23 March 2018, "Donetsk People's Republic" stated that Vodafone Ukraine could only resume operating in the territory controlled by it if it would start to pay taxes to the unrecognised state. Something Vodafone Ukraine refused. Mobile TeleSystems sold its Ukraine operations in 2019. NEQSOL Holding acquired 100% of Vodafone Ukraine shares in December 2019. NEQSOL Holding is an Azerbaijani Holding founded in the 1990s. War in Ukraine Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Vodafone Ukraine has been committed to helping civilians victims of the security situation on the ground. The company has been providing free national roaming in order to allow soldiers as well as civilians to remain connected, even in damaged areas. References External links Mobile phone companies of Ukraine Vodafone MTS (network provider) Telecommunications Telecommunications companies