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VEON Ltd. – ‘20-F’ for 12/31/15

On:  Thursday, 3/31/16, at 11:34am ET   ·   For:  12/31/15   ·   Accession #:  1193125-16-525094   ·   File #:  1-34694

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  As Of                Filer                Filing    For·On·As Docs:Size              Issuer               Agent

 3/31/16  VEON Ltd.                         20-F       12/31/15   11:5.7M                                   Donnelley … Solutions/FA

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 2: EX-4.4      Instrument Defining the Rights of Security Holders  HTML    725K 
 3: EX-4.5      Instrument Defining the Rights of Security Holders  HTML    517K 
 4: EX-8        Opinion re: Tax Matters                             HTML     32K 
 7: EX-13.1     Annual or Quarterly Report to Security Holders      HTML      9K 
10: EX-99.1     Miscellaneous Exhibit                               HTML     11K 
11: EX-99.2     Miscellaneous Exhibit                               HTML     71K 
 5: EX-12.1     Statement re: Computation of Ratios                 HTML     13K 
 6: EX-12.2     Statement re: Computation of Ratios                 HTML     13K 
 8: EX-15.1     Letter re: Unaudited Interim Financial Information  HTML      7K 
 9: EX-15.2     Letter re: Unaudited Interim Financial Information  HTML      9K 

Table of Contents

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 20-F

OR

OR

OR

Commission File Number: 1-34694

VIMPELCOM LTD.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Bermuda

(Jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)

Claude Debussylaan 88, 1082 MD, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

(Address of principal executive offices)

Scott Dresser

Group General Counsel

Claude Debussylaan 88, 1082 MD, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Tel: +31 20 797 7200

Fax: +31 20 797 7201

(Name, Telephone, E-mail and/or Facsimile number and Address of Company Contact Person)

Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None.

Securities for which there is a reporting obligation pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Act: None.

Indicate the number of outstanding shares of each of the issuer’s classes of capital or common stock as of the close of the period covered by the annual report: 1,756,731,135 common shares, US$0.001 nominal value.

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act:    Yes  ¨    No  x

If this report is an annual or transition report, indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.    Yes  ¨    No  x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports) and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes  x    No  ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).    Yes  ¨    No  ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, or a non-accelerated filer. See definition of “accelerated filer and large accelerated filer” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

Large accelerated filer  x                  Accelerated filer  ¨                Non-accelerated filer  ¨

Indicate by check mark which basis of accounting the registrant has used to prepare the financial statements included in this filing:

Indicate by check mark which financial statement item the registrant has elected to follow.

Item 17  ¨              Item 18  x

If this is an annual report, indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).    Yes  ¨    No  x

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EXPLANATORY NOTE

References in this Annual Report on Form 20-F to “VimpelCom” and the “VimpelCom Group,” as well as references to “our company,” “the company,” “our group,” “the group,” “we,” “us,” “our” and similar pronouns, are references to VimpelCom Ltd., an exempted company limited by shares registered in Bermuda, and its consolidated subsidiaries. All section references appearing in this Annual Report on Form 20-F are to sections of this Annual Report on Form 20-F, unless otherwise indicated. This Annual Report on Form 20-F includes audited consolidated financial statements as of and for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013 prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards, or “IFRS,” as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board, or “IASB,” and presented in U.S. dollars. The company adopted IFRS as of January 1, 2009.

In this Annual Report on Form 20-F, references to (i) “U.S. dollars,” “US$” or “USD” are to the lawful currency of the United States of America, (ii) “Russian rubles,” “rubles” or “RUB” are to the lawful currency of the Russian Federation, (iii) “Algerian dinar” or “DZD” are to the lawful currency of Algeria, (iv) “Pakistani rupees” or “PKR” are to the lawful currency of Pakistan, (iv) “Bangladeshi taka” or “BDT” are to the lawful currency of Bangladesh, (v) “Ukrainian hryvnia,” “hryvnia” or “UAH” are to the lawful currency of Ukraine, (vi) “Kazakh tenge” or “KZT” are to the lawful currency of the Republic of Kazakhstan, (vii) “Uzbek som” or “UZS” are to the lawful currency of Uzbekistan, (viii) “Kyrgyz som” are to the lawful currency of Kyrgyzstan, (ix) “Armenian dram” are to the lawful currency of the Republic of Armenia, (x) “Tajik somoni” are to the lawful currency of Tajikistan, (xi) “Georgian lari” are to the lawful currency of Georgia, (xii) “Lao kip” are to the lawful currency of Laos and (xiii) “€,” “EUR” or “Euro” are to the single currency of the participating member states of the European and Monetary Union of the Treaty Establishing the European Community, as amended from time to time. In addition, references to “EU” are to the European Union, references to “LIBOR” are to the London Interbank Offered Rate, references to “EURIBOR” are to the Euro Interbank Offered Rate, references to “MosPRIME” are to the Moscow Prime Offered Rate, references to “KIBOR” are to the Karachi Interbank Offered Rate, references to “AB SEK” are to AB Svensk Exportkredit, references to “Bangladeshi T-Bill” are to Bangladeshi Treasury Bills and references to “Rendistato” are to the weighted average yield on a basket of Italian government securities produced and published by the Bank of Italy.

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This Annual Report on Form 20-F contains translations of certain non-U.S. currency amounts into U.S. dollars at specified rates solely for the convenience of the reader. These translations should not be construed as representations that the relevant non-U.S. currency amounts actually represent such U.S. dollar amounts or could be converted, were converted or will be converted into U.S. dollars at the rates indicated. Unless otherwise indicated, U.S. dollar amounts have been translated from Euro, Algerian dinar, Pakistani rupee and Bangladeshi taka amounts at the exchange rates provided by Bloomberg Finance L.P. and from Russian ruble, Ukrainian hryvnia, Kazakh tenge, Uzbek som, Armenian dram, Georgian lari and Kyrgyz som amounts at official exchange rates, as described in more detail under “Item 5—Operating and Financial Review and Prospects—Certain Factors Affecting our Financial Position and Results of Operations—Foreign Currency Translation” below.

The discussion of our business and the telecommunications industry in this Annual Report on Form 20-F contains references to certain terms specific to our business, including numerous technical and industry terms. Such terms are defined in Exhibit 99.1—Glossary of Terms.

Certain amounts and percentages that appear in this Annual Report on Form 20-F have been subject to rounding adjustments. As a result, certain numerical figures shown as totals, including in tables, may not be exact arithmetic aggregations of the figures that precede or follow them.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin. Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin are non-GAAP financial measures. VimpelCom calculates Adjusted EBITDA as profit for the year before depreciation, amortization, impairment loss, finance costs, income tax expense and the other line items reflected in the reconciliation table in “Item 3—Key Information—A. Selected Financial Data” below. Our consolidated Adjusted EBITDA includes certain reconciliation adjustments necessary because our Russia segment excludes certain expenses from its Adjusted EBITDA. As a result of the reconciliations, our consolidated Adjusted EBITDA differs from the aggregation of Adjusted EBITDA of each of our reportable segments. Adjusted EBITDA Margin is calculated as Adjusted EBITDA divided by total operating revenue, expressed as a percentage. Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for analyses of the results as reported under IFRS. Our management uses Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA margin as supplemental performance measures and believes that Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin provide useful information to investors because they are indicators of the strength and performance of the company’s business operations, including its ability to fund discretionary spending, such as capital expenditures, acquisitions and other investments, as well as indicate its ability to incur and service debt. In addition, the components of Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin include the key revenue and expense items for which the company’s operating managers are responsible and upon which their performance is evaluated. Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin also assist management and investors by increasing the comparability of the company’s performance against the performance of other telecommunications companies that provide EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) or OIBDA (operating income before depreciation and amortization) information. This increased comparability is achieved by excluding the potentially inconsistent effects between periods or companies of depreciation, amortization and impairment losses, which items may significantly affect operating profit between periods. However, our Adjusted EBITDA results may not be directly comparable to other companies’ reported EBITDA or OIBDA results due to variances and adjustments in the components of EBITDA (including our calculation of Adjusted EBITDA) or calculation measures. Additionally, a limitation of EBITDA’s or Adjusted EBITDA’s use as a performance measure is that it does not reflect the periodic costs of certain capitalized tangible and intangible assets used in generating revenue or the need to replace capital equipment over time. Reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to profit for the year, the most directly comparable IFRS financial measure, is presented in “Item 3—Key Information—A. Selected Financial Data” below.

Local currency financial measures. In the discussion and analysis of our results of operations, we present certain financial measures in local or “functional” currency terms. These non-GAAP financial measures include the results of operations of our reportable segments in jurisdictions with local functional currencies, and exclude the impact of translating the local currency amounts to U.S. dollars. We analyze the performance of our reportable segments on a functional currency basis to better measure the comparability of results between periods. Because changes in foreign exchange rates have a non-operating impact on the results of operations, our management believes that evaluating their performance on a functional currency basis provides an additional and meaningful assessment of performance to our management and to investors. For information regarding our translation of foreign currency-denominated amounts into U.S. dollars, see “Item 5—Operating and Financial Review and Prospects—Certain Factors Affecting our Financial Position and Results of Operations—Foreign Currency Translation” and Note 3 to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in their Annual Report on Form 20-F.

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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Annual Report on Form 20-F contains “forward-looking statements,” as this phrase is defined in Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the “Securities Act,” and Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the “Exchange Act.” Forward-looking statements are not historical facts and can often be identified by the use of terms like “estimates,” “projects,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “aims,” “seeks,” “believes,” “will,” “may,” “could,” “should” or the negative of these terms. All forward-looking statements, including discussions of strategy, plans, ambitions, objectives, goals and future events or performance, involve risks and uncertainties. Examples of forward-looking statements include:

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While these statements are based on sources believed to be reliable and on our management’s current knowledge and best belief, they are merely estimates or predictions and cannot be relied upon. We cannot assure you that future results will be achieved. The risks and uncertainties that may cause our actual results to differ materially from the results indicated, expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements used in this Annual Report on Form 20-F include:

These factors and the other risk factors described in “Item 3—Key Information—D. Risk Factors” are not necessarily all of the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in any of our forward-looking statements. Other unknown or unpredictable factors also could harm our future results. Under no circumstances should the inclusion of such forward-looking statements in this Annual Report on Form 20-F be regarded as a representation or warranty by us or any other person with respect to the achievement of results set out in such statements or that the underlying assumptions used will in fact be the case. The forward-looking statements included in this Annual Report on Form 20-F are made only as of the date of this Annual Report on Form 20-F. We cannot assure you that any projected results or events will be achieved. Except to the extent required by law, we disclaim any obligation to update or revise any of these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

PART I

Not required.

Not required.

A. Selected Financial Data

The following selected consolidated financial data for the five years ended December 31, 2015 has been derived from our historical consolidated financial statements which have been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers Accountants N.V., an independent registered public accounting firm, for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014 and Ernst & Young Accountants LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011. The data should be read in conjunction with our audited consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 20-F and the financial information in “Item 5—Operating and Financial Review and Prospects.” The data for 2014, 2013, 2012 and 2011 has been restated to reflect the classification of WIND Italy as a discontinued operation, and the restated data for 2012 and 2011 is unaudited. For more information, please see “Item 5—Operating and Financial Review and Prospects—Recent Developments and Trends—Italy Joint Venture” and Note 6 to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 20-F.

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Reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to profit before tax for the year

SELECTED OPERATING DATA

The following selected operating data as of and for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012 and 2011 has been derived from internal company sources. The selected operating data set forth below should be read in conjunction with our audited consolidated financial statements and their related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 20-F and the section of this Annual Report on Form 20-F entitled “Item 5—Operating and Financial Review and Prospects.”

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B. Capitalization and Indebtedness

Not required.

C. Reasons for the Offer and Use of Proceeds

Not required.

D. Risk Factors

The risks below relate to our company and our American Depositary Shares (ADS). Before purchasing our ADSs, you should carefully consider all of the information set forth in this Annual Report on Form 20-F and, in particular, these risks. If any of these risks actually occur, our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects could be harmed. In that case, the trading price of our ADSs could decline and you could lose all or part of your investment.

The risks and uncertainties below are not the only ones we face, but represent the risks that we believe are material. However, there may be additional risks that we currently consider not to be material or of which we are not currently aware, and these risks could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects.

Risks Related to Our Business

Substantial amounts of indebtedness and debt service obligations could materially decrease our cash flow, adversely affect our business and financial condition and prevent us from raising additional capital.

We have substantial amounts of indebtedness and debt service obligations. As of December 31, 2015, the outstanding principal amount of our external debt for bank loans, bonds, equipment financing, and loans from others amounted to approximately US$9.5 billion, excluding US$12.0 billion of indebtedness of WIND Italy. For more information regarding our outstanding indebtedness, see “Item 5—Operating and Financial Review and Prospects—Liquidity and Capital Resources—Financing Activities.” For more information on the Italy Joint Venture and the treatment of WIND Italy’s indebtedness and liabilities, see “Item 5—Operating and Financial Review and Prospects—Recent Developments and Trends—Italy Joint Venture” and Note 6 to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 20-F.

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Agreements under which we borrow funds contain obligations, which include covenants that impose on us certain operating and financial restrictions. Some of these covenants relate to our financial performance or financial condition, such as levels or ratios of earnings, debt and assets and may have the effect of preventing us or our subsidiaries from incurring additional debt. Failure to meet these obligations may result in a default, which could increase the cost of securing additional capital and lead to the acceleration of our loans and the loss of assets that secure the defaulted debts or to which our creditors otherwise have recourse. Such a default and acceleration of the obligations under one or more of these agreements (including as a result of cross default and cross acceleration) could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects, and in particular on our liquidity and our shareholders’ equity. In addition, covenants in our debt agreements could impair our liquidity and our ability to expand or finance our future operations. For a discussion of agreements under which we borrow funds, see “Item 5—Operating and Financial Review and Prospects—Liquidity and Capital Resources—Financing Activities” and Notes 17 and 27 to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 20-F. Please also see “—A disposition by one or both of our strategic shareholders of their respective stakes in VimpelCom or a change in control of VimpelCom could harm our business” for information regarding change of control provisions in some of our debt agreements.

Aside from the risk of default, given our substantial amounts of indebtedness and limits imposed by our debt obligations, our business could suffer significant negative consequences such as the need to dedicate a substantial portion of our cash flow from operations to payments on our debt, thereby reducing funds available for dividends, working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions, joint ventures and other purposes necessary for us to maintain our competitive position and to maintain flexibility and resiliency in the face of general adverse economic and industry conditions.

We may not be able to raise additional capital.

We may need to raise additional capital in the future, including through debt financing. If we incur additional indebtedness, the risks that we now face related to our substantial indebtedness and debt service obligations could increase. Specifically, we may not be able to generate enough cash to pay the principal, interest and other amounts due under our indebtedness. In addition, we may not be able to borrow money within the local or international capital markets on acceptable terms, or at all. The sanctions imposed by the United States, the European Union and other countries in connection with developments in Ukraine during 2014 and 2015, and additional sanctions which may be imposed in the future, may also negatively affect our ability to raise external financing, particularly if the sanctions are broadened. Our ability to raise additional capital may also be restricted by covenants in our financing agreements or affected by any downgrade of our credit ratings, even for reasons outside our control, which may materially harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. If we are unable to raise additional capital, we may be unable to make necessary or desired capital expenditures, to take advantage of investment opportunities, to refinance existing indebtedness or to meet unexpected financial requirements, and our growth strategy and liquidity may be negatively affected. This could cause us to be unable to repay indebtedness as it comes due, to delay or abandon anticipated expenditures and investments or otherwise limit operations, which could materially harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

We are exposed to foreign currency exchange loss and currency fluctuation and convertibility risks.

A significant amount of our costs, expenditures and liabilities are denominated in U.S. dollars and, until the completion of the Italy Joint Venture, Euros, including capital expenditures and borrowings, while a significant amount of our revenue is denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar and Euro. Thus, declining values of local currencies against the U.S. dollar or the Euro could make it more difficult for us to repay or refinance our U.S. dollar or Euro-denominated debt or purchase equipment and services. The values of the Russian, Ukrainian and Kazakh currencies, for example, have declined significantly in response to political and economic issues since December 31, 2013, and may continue to decline. The significant depreciation of the Russian ruble against the U.S. dollar in 2014 and 2015, in particular, negatively impacted our results of operations and resulted in a foreign currency exchange loss in these periods. In addition, the significant devaluation of the Ukrainian hryvnia in 2014 and 2015 (partly due to the National Bank of Ukraine’s decision in February 2015 to suspend its interventions to support the currency), the Kazakh tenge in 2014 and 2015 (in the absence of a currency stabilization policy in Kazakhstan) and the Algerian dinar in 2015 negatively impacted revenues in our Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Algeria segments, respectively, and our results of operations.

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Currency fluctuations and volatility may impact our results of operations and result in foreign currency transaction and translation losses in the future. For example, in 2015, total operating revenues in functional currency terms were relatively stable compared to 2014, but in U.S. dollar terms, total operating revenues decreased by 29%. For more information about foreign currency translation and our results of operations, see the sections entitled “Item 5—Operating and Financial Review and Prospects—Results of Operations” and “—Certain Factors Affecting our Financial Position and Results of Operations—Foreign Currency Translation.” Changes in exchange rates could also impact our ability to comply with covenants under our debt agreements. Exchange rate risks could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. We cannot ensure that our existing or future hedging strategies will sufficiently hedge against these risks.

In addition, exchange controls and currency restrictions in any of our geographic regions could materially harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. For example, the official currency in Uzbekistan is not convertible outside Uzbekistan due to local government or banking regulations, delays and restrictions on exchange rates. In addition, currency restrictions have made it difficult to acquire equipment produced outside of Uzbekistan for use in building and maintaining the company’s telecommunications network. We also face currency restrictions in some of our other countries of operation, including Ukraine, Algeria and Bangladesh. For more information on currency restrictions and exchange controls, see “—As a holding company, VimpelCom depends on the performance of its subsidiaries” and “—Risks Related to Our Markets—The banking systems in many countries in which we operate remain underdeveloped, there are a limited number of creditworthy banks in these countries with which we can conduct business and currency control requirements restrict activities in certain markets in which we have operations.” For more information about risks related to currency exchange rate fluctuations, see “Item 11—Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk” and Notes 5 and 17 to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 20-F.

We are subject to a DPA with the DOJ, a Consent with the SEC, and a settlement agreement with the OM. The agreements with the DOJ and the SEC require us to retain, at our own expense, an independent compliance monitor, and the DPA and the agreement with the OM require us to continue to cooperate with the agencies regarding their investigations of other parties. We will incur costs in connection with these obligations, which may be significant.

VimpelCom has reached resolutions through agreements with the DOJ, the SEC and the OM relating to the previously disclosed investigations under the FCPA and relevant Dutch laws pertaining to our business in Uzbekistan and prior dealings with Takilant Ltd. For more information regarding these resolutions, please see Note 24 to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 20-F.

On February 18, 2016, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York (the “District Court”) approved the DPA between VimpelCom Ltd. and the DOJ and the guilty plea of Unitel LLC. On February 22, 2016, the District Court issued a final judgment approving VimpelCom’s Consent in the SEC investigation. Under the DPA and the Consent, VimpelCom agreed to appoint an independent compliance monitor (the “monitor”). Pursuant to the DPA and the Consent, the monitorship will continue for a period of three years, and the term of the monitorship may be terminated early or extended depending on certain circumstances, as ultimately determined and approved by the DOJ and SEC. The monitor will assess and monitor VimpelCom’s compliance with the terms of the DPA and the Consent by evaluating factors such as VimpelCom’s corporate compliance program, internal accounting controls, recordkeeping and financial reporting policies and procedures. The monitor may recommend changes to our policies, procedures, and internal accounting controls that we must adopt unless they are unduly burdensome or otherwise inadvisable, in which case we may propose alternatives, which the DOJ and the SEC may or may not accept.

Under the DPA and pursuant to the Consent, VimpelCom also represented that it has implemented and agreed that it will continue to implement a compliance and ethics program designed to prevent and detect violations of the FCPA and other applicable anti-corruption laws throughout its operations. Further, VimpelCom represented that it has undertaken and will continue to undertake a review of its existing internal accounting controls, policies, and procedures regarding compliance with the FCPA and other applicable anti-corruption laws. As noted above, these obligations will be reviewed and tested by the monitor appointed under the DPA and the Consent. Due to the complexity of the markets in which VimpelCom operates, compliance with these obligations may occupy a significant portion of management’s time.

In connection with the company’s entry into the DPA, the Consent and the settlement agreement with the OM (the “Dutch Settlement Agreement”), the company was required to pay an aggregate of US$795 million in fines and disgorgement to U.S. and Dutch authorities. Additionally, the company has incurred significant costs in connection with its retention of legal counsel and other vendors/advisors and the internal investigation undertaken in connection with these matters. The company currently cannot estimate the additional costs that it is likely to incur in connection with compliance with the DPA, the Consent and the Dutch Settlement Agreement, including the ongoing obligations to cooperate with the agencies regarding their investigations of other parties, the monitorship, and the costs of implementing the changes, if any, to its policies and procedures required by the monitor. However, such costs could be significant.

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If we commit a breach of the DPA, we may be subject to criminal prosecution. Such criminal prosecution could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects.

Under the DPA, the DOJ will defer criminal prosecution of VimpelCom for the three-year term of the DPA. If the DOJ determines that VimpelCom has violated the DPA (including the monitoring provisions described in the preceding risk factor), the DOJ may in its sole discretion commence prosecution or extend the term of the DPA for up to one year. If VimpelCom remains in compliance with the DPA through its term, the charges against VimpelCom will be dismissed with prejudice after the conclusion of the DPA.

Failure to comply with the terms of the DPA could result in criminal prosecution by the DOJ, including (but not limited to) for the charged conspiracy to violate the anti-bribery and the books and records provisions of the FCPA and violation of the internal controls provisions of the FCPA that were included in the information that was filed in connection with the DPA. Under such circumstance, the DOJ would be permitted to rely upon the admissions we made in the DPA and would benefit from our waiver of certain procedural and evidentiary defenses.

Pursuant to the Consent, VimpelCom is permanently enjoined from committing or aiding and abetting any future violations of the anti-fraud, corrupt payments, books and records, reporting and internal control provisions of the federal securities laws and related SEC rules. Failure to comply with this injunction could result in the imposition of civil or criminal penalties, a new SEC enforcement action or both.

Any criminal prosecution by the DOJ as a result of a breach of the DPA or civil or criminal penalties imposed as a result of noncompliance with the Consent could subject us to penalties and other costs and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects.

We may face other potentially negative consequences relating to the investigations by, and agreements with, the DOJ, SEC and OM, including additional investigations and litigation.

We may face other potentially negative consequences relating to the investigations by, and agreements with, the DOJ, SEC and OM. For example, none of the DPA, the Consent or the Dutch Settlement Agreement prevents these authorities from carrying out certain additional investigations with respect to the facts not covered in the agreements or in other jurisdictions, or prevents authorities in other jurisdictions from carrying out investigations into, or taking actions with respect to the issuance or renewal of our licenses (for example, in Uzbekistan) or otherwise in relation to, these or other matters. Furthermore, the Norwegian Government has stated that it plans to hold parliamentary hearings concerning the investigations. Similarly, the agreements do not foreclose potential third party or additional shareholder litigation related to these matters. For example, since the announcement of our US$900 million provision in the third quarter of 2015, two class action lawsuits have been filed against VimpelCom in relation to our prior disclosure regarding the investigations by the DOJ, SEC and OM. We may incur significant costs in connection with these or future lawsuits. Any collateral investigations, litigation or other government or third party actions resulting from these matters could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects.

In addition, ongoing media and governmental interest in the investigations, settlements and lawsuits and any announced investigations and/or arrests of our former executive officers could impact the perception of us and result in reputational harm to our company.

Efforts to merge with or acquire other companies or product lines, or to otherwise form strategic partnerships with third parties, may divert management attention and resources away from our business operations, and if we complete a merger, an acquisition or other strategic partnership, we may incur or assume additional liabilities or experience integration problems.

We seek from time to time to merge with or acquire other companies or product lines, or to form strategic partnerships through the formation of joint ventures or otherwise, for various strategic reasons, including to acquire more frequency spectrum, new technologies and service capabilities; add new customers; increase market penetration or expand into new markets. In particular, on January 30, 2015, we completed the sale by our 51.9% owned subsidiary, Global Telecom Holding S.A.E. (“GTH”), of a non-controlling 51% interest in Omnium Telecom Algérie SpA (“OTA”) to the Fonds National d’Investissement, the Algerian National Investment Fund (“FNI”) (see “Item 5—Operating and Financial Review and Prospects—Recent Developments and Trends—Algeria Transaction and Settlement”); on August 6, 2015, we entered into an agreement with Hutchison, which owns indirectly 100% of Italian mobile operator 3 Italia, to form an equal joint venture holding company that will own and operate our telecommunications businesses in Italy (see “Item 5—Operating and Financial Review and Prospects—Recent Developments and Trends—Italy Joint Venture”); and on November 26, 2015, we entered into an agreement with WTPL, the parent company and majority shareholder of Warid Telecom (Private) Limited (“Warid”), and Bank Alfalah to merge our telecommunications businesses in Pakistan (see “Item 5—Operating and Financial Review and Prospects—Recent Developments and Trends—Pakistan Merger”). Our ability to successfully grow through acquisitions or strategic partnerships depends upon our ability to identify, negotiate, complete and integrate suitable companies and to obtain any necessary financing and the prior approval of any relevant regulatory bodies or courts. These efforts could divert the attention of our management and key personnel from our business operations. As a result of any such merger, acquisition or strategic partnerships or failure of any anticipated merger, acquisition or strategic partnership to materialize (including any such failure caused by regulatory or third-party challenges), we may also experience:

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In addition, an acquisition or strategic partnership could materially impair our operating results by causing us to incur debt or requiring us to amortize merger or acquisition expenses and merged or acquired assets. We may not be able to assess ongoing profitability and identify all actual or potential liabilities or issues of a business prior to an acquisition, merger or strategic partnership. If we acquire, merge with or form strategic partnerships with businesses or assets which result in assuming unforeseen liabilities in respect of which we have not obtained contractual protections or for which protection is not available, this could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects. As we investigate industry consolidation, our risks may increase. Our integration and consolidation of such businesses may also lead to changes in our operational efficiencies or structure. For information about our acquisitions, please see Note 6 to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 20-F.

Further, we may not be able to divest some of our activities as planned, such as any intended towers sales (which could cause costs to be materially higher than anticipated), and the divestitures we carry out could negatively impact our business.

The Italy Joint Venture and the Pakistan Merger are subject to significant uncertainties and risks.

The Italy Joint Venture and the Pakistan Merger are subject to significant uncertainties and risks. For example, it is possible that each transaction does not complete due to a failure to obtain approvals from the relevant regulatory authorities or other consents in a timely manner, or at all. In the case of the Italy Joint Venture, EU competition approval may require the implementation of remedies by the parties, which may reduce or eliminate the expected cost synergies, be otherwise unacceptable to us, or which we may be unable to implement as required. In addition, in the case of the Pakistan Merger, we will not obtain control of Warid until completion, and, therefore, there can be no assurance that the counterparties will operate their business during the period prior to closing in the same way that we would, even though certain contractual restrictions will apply to the counterparties and Warid during the period between signing and closing.

Completion of the transactions is also subject to the satisfaction of other conditions, such as obtaining lender consents and the release of certain guarantees, as applicable. Even if the transactions do complete, there can be no assurance that we will not experience difficulties in integrating the operations of the respective companies, that we will realize expected synergies, or that we will not incur higher than expected costs. In addition, we expect that the completion of each of these transactions will require substantial time and focus from management, which could adversely affect their ability to operate the businesses.

Our strategic partnerships and relationships carry inherent business risks.

We participate in strategic partnerships and joint ventures in a number of countries, including Russia (Euroset), Kazakhstan (KaR-Tel LLP, TNS-Plus LLP, 2Day Telecom LLP, KAZEUROMOBILE LLP), Algeria (OTA), Uzbekistan (Buzton JV), Kyrgyzstan (Sky Mobile LLC, Terra LLC), Georgia (Mobitel LLC), Tajikistan (Tacom LLC), Laos (VimpelCom Lao Co., Ltd) and currently, Zimbabwe (Telecel Zimbabwe (Private) Limited), which is subject to an agreement for us to sell our stake in our equity investee in Zimbabwe. In addition, on August 6, 2015, we entered into an agreement with Hutchison, which owns indirectly 100% of Italian mobile operator 3 Italia, to form an equal joint venture holding company that will own and operate our telecommunications businesses in Italy (see “Item 5—Operating and Financial Review and Prospects—Recent Developments and Trends—Italy Joint Venture”).

We do not always have a controlling stake in our affiliated companies and even when we do, our actions with respect to these affiliated companies may be restricted to some degree by shareholders’ agreements entered into with our strategic partners. If disagreements develop with our partners, our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects may be harmed. Our ability to withdraw funds and dividends from these entities may depend on the consent of partners. Agreements with some of these partners include change of control provisions, put and call options and similar provisions, which could give other participants in these investments the ability to purchase our interests, compel us to purchase their interests or enact other penalties. If one of our strategic partners becomes subject to investigation, sanctions or liability, VimpelCom might be adversely affected. Furthermore, strategic partnerships in emerging markets are accompanied by risks inherent to those markets, such as an increased possibility of a partner defaulting on obligations, or losing a partner with important insights in that region. In addition, in Algeria and Laos our local partners are either government institutions or directly related to the local government which could increase our exposure to the risks described in “—Risks Related to Our Markets.”

As a holding company, VimpelCom depends on the performance of its subsidiaries.

VimpelCom is a holding company and does not conduct any revenue-generating business operations of its own. Its principal assets are the direct and indirect equity interests it owns in its operating subsidiaries. It is dependent upon cash dividends, distributions, loans or other transfers it receives from its subsidiaries to make dividend payments to its shareholders (including holders of ADSs), to repay debts, and to meet its other obligations. The ability of VimpelCom’s subsidiaries to pay dividends and make payments or

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loans to VimpelCom depends on the success of their businesses and is not guaranteed. Although VimpelCom has a global strategy set by leadership, management at each operation is responsible for executing many aspects of that strategy, and it is not certain local management will be able to execute that strategy effectively.

VimpelCom’s subsidiaries are separate and distinct legal entities. Any right that VimpelCom has to receive any assets of or distributions from any subsidiary upon its bankruptcy, dissolution, liquidation or reorganization, or to realize proceeds from the sale of the assets of any subsidiary, will be junior to the claims of that subsidiary’s creditors, including trade creditors.

The ability of VimpelCom’s subsidiaries to pay dividends and make payments or loans to VimpelCom, and to guarantee VimpelCom’s debt, will depend on their operating results and may be restricted by applicable covenants in debt agreements and corporate, tax and other laws and regulations. These covenants, laws and regulations include restrictions on dividends, limitations on repatriation of earnings, limitations on the making of loans and repayment of debts, monetary transfer restrictions and foreign currency exchange restrictions in certain agreements and/or certain jurisdictions in which VimpelCom’s subsidiaries operate. For example, VimpelCom’s subsidiaries operating under Wind Telecom S.p.A. are restricted from making dividend distributions and certain other payments to VimpelCom by existing covenants in their financing documents. For more detail on Wind Telecom S.p.A. financings, see “Item 5—Operating and Financial Review and Prospects—Liquidity and Capital Resources—Financing Activities.” In addition, our subsidiary Kyivstar cannot expatriate dividends to VimpelCom because of restrictions imposed by the National Bank of Ukraine to regulate money, credit and currency in Ukraine. For further details on the restrictions on dividend payments, see “—Risks Related to Our Markets—The banking systems in many countries in which we operate remain underdeveloped, there are a limited number of creditworthy banks in these countries with which we can conduct business and currency control requirements restrict activities in certain markets in which we have operations.” Furthermore, our ability to withdraw funds and dividends from our subsidiaries and operating companies may depend on the consent of our strategic partners where applicable. See “—Our strategic partnerships and relationships carry inherent business risks” and “Item 5—Operating and Financial Review and Prospects—Recent Developments and Trends—Algeria Transaction and Settlement.”

Our strategic shareholders may pursue diverse development strategies, and this may hinder our ability to expand and/or compete in such regions and may lead to deterioration in the relationship among our strategic shareholders.

As of March 15, 2016, our company’s largest shareholders, L1T VIP Holdings S.à r.l. (“LetterOne”) and Telenor East Holding II AS (“Telenor East”), and their respective affiliates, beneficially owned, in the aggregate, approximately 90.9% of our outstanding voting shares, with LetterOne beneficially owning approximately 47.9% of our voting shares and Telenor East beneficially owning approximately 43.0% of our voting shares. As a result, these shareholders, if acting together, have the ability to determine the outcome of matters submitted to our shareholders for approval. These two shareholders have sufficient voting rights to jointly elect a majority of our supervisory board, and could, alternatively, enter into a shareholders’ or similar agreement impacting the composition of our supervisory board. A new supervisory board could take corporate actions or block corporate decisions by VimpelCom with respect to capital structure, financings, dispositions and acquisitions and commercial transactions that might not be in the best interest of the minority shareholders or other security holders. For more information on our largest shareholders, see “Item 7—Major Shareholders and Related Party Transactions—A. Major Shareholders” below.

In the past, our strategic shareholders have had different strategies from us and from one another and have engaged in litigation against one another and our company with respect to disagreements over strategy. In addition, in Pakistan and Bangladesh, our subsidiaries directly compete with subsidiaries of Telenor ASA (“Telenor”), and we understand that LetterOne has an indirect minority interest in companies that compete with our subsidiaries in Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Georgia. It is possible that we will compete with Telenor and/or LetterOne in other markets in the future.

We cannot assure you that our relationship with LetterOne and Telenor or LetterOne’s and Telenor’s relationship with one another will not deteriorate as a result of differing or competing business strategies, which could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects.

Litigation and disputes among our two largest shareholders and us could materially affect our business.

In the past, our two largest shareholders have been involved in disputes and litigation regarding our group companies against one another and our company. Further disputes among our two largest shareholders and us could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects. For more information on our two largest shareholders, see “Item 7—Major Shareholders and Related Party Transactions—A. Major Shareholders” below.

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A disposition by one or both of our strategic shareholders of their respective stakes in VimpelCom or a change in control of VimpelCom could harm our business.

We derive benefits and resources from the participation of LetterOne and Telenor in our company. If LetterOne or Telenor were to dispose of their stake in our company, we would be deprived of those benefits, which could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects. On October 5, 2015, Telenor announced its decision to divest its shares in VimpelCom and stated that it will explore all options to effect such divestiture. While we intend to cooperate with Telenor to ensure a successful divestiture of its stake, significant uncertainty exists surrounding the timing and manner of its announced divestiture, which could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects.

On October 5, 2015, Telenor also announced that it will not convert its 305,000,000 VimpelCom voting preferred shares into VimpelCom common shares. If the preferred shares owned by Telenor are not converted by April 15, 2016, pursuant to the terms of VimpelCom’s bye-laws, the preferred shares will be immediately redeemed by VimpelCom at a redemption price of US$0.001 per share and will cease to be outstanding, with the effect of potentially increasing the percentage of voting shares held by other shareholders and decreasing Telenor’s percentage of voting shares. Some of our financing agreements (representing approximately US$1.4 billion in outstanding indebtedness) have “change of control” provisions that may require us to make a prepayment if a person or group of persons (with limited exclusions) acquire beneficial or legal ownership of or control over more than 50.0% of our share capital. If such a change of control provision is triggered and we fail to agree with lenders on the necessary amendments to the loan documentation and then fail to make any required prepayment, it could trigger cross-acceleration provisions of our other debt agreements, which could lead to our obligations being declared immediately due and payable. This could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects. For more information, see Note 5 to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 20-F.

We may not be able to successfully implement our strategic priorities.

In August 2015, we announced the six strategic priority areas on which we intend to focus going forward. These comprise (i) new revenue streams, (ii) digital leadership, (iii) performance transformation, (iv) portfolio and asset optimization, (v) world class operations and (vi) structural improvements. Under these priority areas, we plan to streamline our business processes, digitalize our business model (which may include internal restructurings), improve customer experience and optimize our capital structure. However, there can be no assurance that our strategic priority areas will be successfully implemented and will not cause changes in our operational efficiencies or structure. In addition, the implementation of our strategic priorities could result in increased costs, conflicts with stakeholders, business interruptions and difficulty in recruiting and retaining key personnel, which could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects. For more information on our strategic priority areas, see “Item 4—Information on the Company—Strategy.”

We may be adversely impacted by work stoppages and other labor matters.

Although we consider our relations with our employees to be generally good, there can be no assurance that our operations will not be impacted by unionization efforts, strikes or other types of labor disputes or disruptions. For instance, the implementation of internal operational and team adjustments necessary to implement our performance transformation strategy could result in employee dissatisfaction. For example, in February 2016 we experienced labor disruptions in Bangladesh in connection with internal restructurings. We may also experience strikes or other labor disputes or disruptions in connection with social unrest or political events such as the nationwide strikes in Bangladesh during the first quarter of 2015. Furthermore, work stoppages or slow-downs experienced by our customers or suppliers could result in lower demand for our services and products. In the event that we, or one or more of our customers or suppliers, experience a labor dispute or disruption, it could result in increased costs, negative media attention and political controversy, and harm our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects.

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Our majority stake in an Egyptian public company may expose us to legal and political risk and reputational harm.

Our 51.9% owned subsidiary in Egypt, GTH, is a public company listed on the Egyptian Stock Exchange and London Stock Exchange and is therefore subject to corresponding laws and regulations, including laws and regulations for the protection of minority shareholder rights. GTH is the holding company for a number of our assets in Africa and Asia, including Algeria, Bangladesh and Pakistan. GTH is exposed to the risk of unpredictable and adverse government action and severe delays in obtaining necessary government approvals stemming from unrest in Egypt during recent years. Furthermore, GTH is, and may in the future be, subject to significant tax claims under existing or new Egyptian tax law and this could expose GTH to increased tax liability. For more information on tax claims of the Egyptian authorities please see “—Legal and Regulatory Risks—We could be subject to tax claims that could harm our business” and Note 26 to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 20-F.

Risks Related to the Industry

The telecommunications industry is highly capital intensive and requires substantial and ongoing expenditures of capital.

The telecommunications industry is highly capital intensive, as our success depends to a significant degree on our ability to keep pace with new developments in technology, to develop and market innovative products and to update our facilities and process technology, which may require additional capital expenditures in the future. The amount and timing of our capital requirements will depend on many factors, including acceptance of and demand for our products and services, the extent to which we invest in new technology and research and development projects, and the status and timing of competitive developments. If we do not have sufficient resources from our operations to finance necessary capital expenditures, we may be required to raise additional debt or equity financing, which may not be available when needed or on terms favorable to us or at all. If we are unable to obtain adequate funds on acceptable terms, or at all, we may be unable to develop or enhance our products, take advantage of future opportunities or respond to competitive pressures, which could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects. For more information on our future liquidity needs, see “Item 5—Operating and Financial Review and Prospects—Liquidity and Capital Resources—Future Liquidity and Capital Requirements.”

Our revenue is often unpredictable, and our revenue sources are short-term in nature.

Future revenue from our prepaid mobile customers, our primary source of revenue, and our contract mobile customers is unpredictable. For instance, in the year ended December 31, 2015, over at least 88% of our customers in each of the jurisdictions in which we operate were prepaid customers. We do not require our prepaid mobile customers to enter into long-term service contracts and cannot be certain that they will continue to use our services in the future. We require our contract mobile customers to enter into service contracts; however, many of these service contracts can be canceled by the customer with limited advance notice and without significant penalty, pursuant to the contract terms and/or applicable legislation. The loss of a larger number of customers than anticipated could result in a loss of a significant amount of expected revenue. Because we incur costs based on our expectations of future revenue, failure to accurately predict revenue could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects.

We operate in competitive markets, and we may face greater competition as a result of market and regulatory developments.

The markets in which we operate are competitive in nature, and we expect that competition will continue to increase. Each of the items discussed immediately below regarding increased competition could materially harm our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects:

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For more information on the competition in our markets, see “Item 4—Information on the Company”.

Our failure to keep pace with technological changes and evolving industry standards could harm our competitive position and, in turn, materially harm our business.

The telecommunications industry is characterized by rapidly evolving technology, industry standards and service demands, which may vary by country or geographic region. Accordingly, our future success will depend on our ability to adapt to the changing technological landscape and the regulation of standards utilizing these technologies. It is possible that the technologies or equipment we utilize today will become obsolete or subject to competition from new technologies in the future for which we may be unable to obtain the appropriate license in a timely manner or at all. We may not be able to meet all of these challenges in a timely and cost-effective manner.

Further, we operate or are considering developing third generation mobile technologies (“3G”) networks or fourth generation/long term evolution mobile technologies (“4G/LTE”) networks in markets in which we operate. New network development requires significant financial investments and there can be no assurance that we will be able to develop 3G or 4G/LTE networks on commercially reasonable terms, that we will not experience delays in developing our networks or that we will be able to meet all of the license terms and conditions imposed by the countries in which we operate or that we will be granted such licenses at all. In addition, penetration rates for 4G/LTE compatible devices may not currently support the cost of 4G/LTE development in certain markets, such as Russia, and such rates will need to increase to be commercially viable. If we experience substantial problems with our 3G or 4G/LTE services, or if we fail to introduce new services on a timely basis relative to our competitors, it may impair the success of such services, or delay or decrease revenue and profits and therefore may hinder recovery of our significant capital investments in 3G or 4G/LTE services as well as our growth.

Our brand, business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may be harmed in the event of cyber-attacks or severe systems and network failures leading to the loss of integrity and availability of our telecommunications services and/or leaks of confidential information, including customer information.

        Our operations and business continuity depend on how well we protect and maintain our network equipment, information technology (“IT”) systems and other assets. Due to the nature of the services we offer across our geographical footprint, we are exposed to cybersecurity threats that could negatively impact our business activities through service degradation, alteration or disruption. Cybersecurity threats could also lead to the compromise of our physical assets dedicated to processing or storing customer information, financial data and strategic business information, exposing this information to possible leakage and unauthorized dissemination. These events could result in reputational harm, lawsuits against us by customers or other third parties, violations of data protection laws, adverse actions by telecommunications regulators and other authorities, loss of revenue from business interruption, loss of market share and significant additional costs. In addition, the potential liabilities associated with these events could exceed the cyber insurance coverage we maintain.

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Although we devote significant resources to the development and improvement of our IT and security systems, including the appointment of a Director of Cyber Security in 2015, we could still experience cyber-attacks and IT and network failures and outages, due to factors including:

From time to time we have experienced cyber-attacks of varying degrees to gain access to our computer systems and networks. As of the date of this Annual Report on Form 20-F, we have suffered minor direct and indirect cybersecurity incidents, that have been promptly contained by the response teams, generating limited or negligible impacts. However, such attacks may be successful in the future and may develop over long periods of time during which they can remain undetected.

Furthermore, we are subject to data protection laws and regulations of state authorities regarding information security in jurisdictions in which we operate. For example, data protection laws and regulations in Russia establish two categories of information with corresponding levels of protection – state secret and other data (personal data of customers, correspondence privacy and information on rendered telecommunication services), and operators must implement the required level of data protection. Operators are directly liable for actions of third parties to whom they forward personal data for processing. If severe customer data security breaches are detected, regulatory authorities could sanction our company, including suspending our operations for some time and levying fines and penalties. Violation of data protection laws is a criminal offense in some countries, and individuals can be imprisoned or fined. Our failure to comply with data protection laws and regulations, and our inability to operate our fixed-line or wireless networks, as a result of cybersecurity threats may result in significant expense or loss of market shares. These events, individually or in the aggregate, could harm our brand, business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

Our ability to provide telecommunications services depends on access to local and long distance line capacity and the commercial terms of our interconnect agreements.

Our ability to secure and maintain interconnect agreements with other wireless and local, domestic and international fixed-line operators on cost-effective terms is critical to the economic viability of our operations. Interconnection is required to complete calls that originate on our respective networks but terminate outside our respective networks, or that originate from outside our respective networks and terminate on our respective networks. A significant increase in our interconnection costs, or decrease in our interconnection rates, as a result of new regulations, commercial decisions by other fixed-line operators, increased inflation rates in the countries in which we operate or a lack of available line capacity for interconnection could harm our ability to provide services, which could in turn harm our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects.

Our existing equipment and systems may be subject to disruption and failure, which could cause us to lose customers, limit our growth or violate our licenses.

Our business depends on providing customers with reliability, capacity and security, which may be disrupted by computer viruses or other technical or operational issues. We cannot be sure that our network system will not be the target of a virus or subject to other technical or operational issues, or, if it is, that we will be able to maintain the integrity of our customers’ data or that a virus or other technical or operational issues will not disrupt our network, causing significant harm to our operations. Also, in recent years, during installations of new software, we have experienced network service interruptions. In addition, our technological infrastructure is vulnerable to damage or disruptions from other events, including natural disasters, military conflicts, power outages, terrorist acts, government shutdown orders, equipment or system failures, human error or intentional wrongdoings, such as breaches of our network or information technology security.

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In some regions, our equipment for provision of mobile services resides in a limited number of locations or buildings. Disruption to the security or operation of these locations or buildings could result in disruption of our mobile services in those regions.

Interruptions of services could harm our business reputation and reduce the confidence of our customers and consequently impair our ability to obtain and retain customers and could lead to a violation of the terms of our licenses, each of which could materially harm our business. In some of the markets in which we operate, we do not carry business interruption insurance to prevent against network disruptions.

We depend on third parties for certain services and products important to our business.

We rely on third parties for services and products important for our operations. We currently purchase the majority of our network-related equipment from a small number of suppliers, principally Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, Huawei, Nokia Solutions and Networks, Sirti and ZTE Corporation although some of the equipment that we use is available from other suppliers. The successful build-out and operation of our networks depends heavily on obtaining adequate supplies of switching equipment, radio access network solutions, base stations and other equipment on a timely basis. From time to time, we have experienced delays in receiving equipment. In addition, our suppliers could become the subject of export restrictions or other sanctions that could limit or prevent our suppliers from providing certain equipment to us. For example, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security recently imposed restrictions on exports and reexports of U.S. products, software and technology to ZTE Corporation and three of its affiliates. Our business could be materially harmed if we are unable to obtain adequate supplies or equipment from our suppliers in a timely manner and on reasonable terms.

Also, we may outsource all or a portion of our networks in certain markets in which we operate. For example, we entered into agreements with Mobile TeleSystems PJSC (“MTS”) in late 2014 and PJSC MegaFon (“MegaFon”) in late 2015 for the joint planning, development and operation of 4G/LTE networks in 36 regions of Russia and ten regions of Russia, respectively, and, in late 2015, we signed an amendment to the agreement with MTS to share 4G/LTE radiofrequencies in 20 of those 36 regions. In addition, in the first quarter of 2015, our wholly owned subsidiary, WIND Italy, sold 90% of the shares of its wholly owned towers subsidiary, Galata, to Cellnex, and WIND Italy has a tower services agreement with Galata for the provision of a broad range of services on the sites contributed to Galata by WIND Italy and the sites subsequently built by Galata hosting WIND Italy’s equipment. Our business could be materially harmed if our agreements with these or other third parties were to terminate or if negative developments (financial, legal, regulatory or otherwise) regarding such parties, or a dispute between us and such parties, causes the parties to no longer be able to deliver the required services or otherwise fulfill their obligations under our agreements with them. For more information regarding these agreements, see “Item 5—Operating and Financial Review and Prospects—Recent Developments and Trends—Network and Tower Sharing Agreements.”

In addition, we rely on roaming partners to provide services to our customers while they are outside the countries in which we operate and on interconnect providers to complete calls that originate on our networks but terminate outside our networks, or that originate outside our networks and terminate on our networks. We also rely on handset providers to provide the equipment used on our networks. In addition, many of our mobile products and services are sold to customers through third party channels. The third party retailers, agents and dealers that we use to distribute and sell products are not under our control and may stop distributing or selling our products at any time or may more actively promote the products and services of our competitors. Should this occur with particularly important retailers, agents or dealers, we may face difficulty in finding new retailers, sales agents or dealers that can generate the same level of revenue. Any negative developments regarding the third parties on which we depend could materially harm our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects.

Allegations of health risks related to the use of mobile telecommunication devices and base stations could harm our business.

There have been allegations that the use of certain mobile telecommunication devices and equipment may cause serious health risks. The actual or perceived health risks of mobile devices or equipment could diminish customer growth, reduce network usage per customer, spark product liability lawsuits or limit available financing. In addition, the actual or perceived health risks may result in increased regulation of network equipment and restrictions on the construction of towers or other infrastructure. Each of these possibilities has the potential to seriously harm our business.

Our intellectual property rights are costly and difficult to protect, and we cannot guarantee that the steps we have taken to protect our intellectual property rights will be adequate.

We regard our copyrights, service marks, trademarks, trade dress, trade secrets and similar intellectual property, including our rights to certain domain names, as important to our continued success. For example, our widely recognized logos, such as “Beeline” (Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Armenia, Tajikistan, Georgia, Laos and Kyrgyzstan), “Kyivstar” (Ukraine), “Djezzy” (Algeria), “Mobilink” (Pakistan) and “banglalink” (Bangladesh), have played an important role in building brand awareness for our services and products. We rely upon trademark and copyright law, trade secret protection and confidentiality or license agreements with our employees, customers, partners and others to protect our proprietary rights. However, intellectual property rights are especially difficult to protect in many of the markets in which we operate. In these markets, the regulatory agencies charged to protect intellectual property rights are inadequately funded, legislation is underdeveloped, piracy is commonplace and enforcement of court decisions is difficult.

In addition, litigation may be necessary to enforce our intellectual property rights, to determine the validity and scope of the proprietary rights of others, or to defend against claims of infringement. As the number of convergent product offerings and overlapping product functions increase, the possibility of intellectual property infringement claims against us may increase. Any such litigation may result in substantial costs and diversion of resources, and adverse litigation outcomes could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects.

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We depend on our senior management and key personnel.

Our ability to maintain our competitive position and to implement our business strategy is dependent to a large degree on our senior management team and other key personnel, including the local management teams of our subsidiaries. In the markets in which we operate, competition for personnel with relevant expertise is intense. There is sometimes limited availability of individuals with the requisite knowledge of the telecommunications industry, the relevant experience and, in the case of expatriates, the ability or willingness to accept work assignments in certain of these jurisdictions. The loss of any key personnel or an inability to attract, train, retain and motivate qualified members of senior management or key personnel could have an adverse impact on our ability to implement new business models and could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects.

Legal and Regulatory Risks

We operate in a highly regulated industry and are subject to a large variety of laws and extensive regulatory requirements.

As a global telecommunications company that operates in a number of markets, we are subject to different laws and regulations in each of the jurisdictions in which we provide services. Mobile, internet, fixed-line, voice and data markets are all generally subject to extensive regulatory requirements, including strict licensing regimes, as well as anti-monopoly and consumer protection regulations. The applicable rules are generally subject to different interpretations and the relevant authorities may challenge the positions that we take. Regulations may be especially strict in the markets of those countries in which we are considered to hold a significant or dominant market position, including Russia, Algeria, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Armenia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan. As we expand certain areas of our business and provide new services, such as mobile financial services (“MFS”), we may be subject to additional laws and regulations.

Certain regulations may require us to reduce roaming prices and mobile and/or fixed-line termination rates, require us to offer access to our network to other operators, and result in the imposition of fines if we fail to fulfill our service commitments. For example, a proposed regulation in the European Union may abolish end-user roaming charges in the European Union, and other jurisdictions in which we operate (including Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Armenia) are considering the regulation of roaming prices, which could negatively impact our roaming margins.

In some countries, we are required to obtain approval for offers and advertising campaigns, which can delay or thwart important business initiatives. We may also be required to obtain approvals for certain acquisitions, reorganizations or other transactions, and failure to obtain such approvals may impede or harm our business and our ability to expand our operations. Laws and regulations in certain of the jurisdictions in which we operate oblige us to install surveillance equipment to ensure that our networks are capable of allowing the government to monitor data and voice traffic on our networks.

Adverse regulations or regulatory actions could place significant competitive and pricing pressure on our operations, could result in fines or other penalties and could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects. For more information on the regulatory environment in which we operate, see Exhibit 99.2—Regulation of Telecommunications. For more information about the competition proceedings in which our subsidiaries are involved, see Notes 24 and 26 to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 20-F.

We are subject to anti-corruption laws.

We are subject to a number of anti-corruption laws, including the FCPA. Our failure to comply with anti-corruption laws applicable to us could result in penalties which could harm our reputation and harm our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects. The FCPA generally prohibits companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments to foreign officials for the purpose of obtaining or keeping business and/or other benefits. The FCPA also requires public companies to maintain accurate books and records and devise a system of sufficient internal accounting controls. We regularly review and update our policies and procedures and internal controls designed to provide reasonable assurance that we, our employees, distributors and other intermediaries comply with the anti-corruption laws to which we are subject. However, there are inherent limitations to the effectiveness of any policies, procedures and internal controls, including the possibility of human error and the circumvention or overriding of the policies, procedures and internal controls. There can be no assurance that such policies or procedures or internal controls will work effectively at all times or protect us against liability under these or other laws for actions taken by our employees, distributors and other intermediaries with respect to our business or any businesses that we may acquire.

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We operate in countries which pose elevated risks of corruption violations. If we are not in compliance with anti-corruption laws and other laws governing the conduct of business with government entities and/or officials (including local laws), we may be subject to criminal and civil penalties and other remedial measures, which could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects. Investigations of any actual or alleged violations of such laws or policies related to us could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects.

Please see also “Risks Related to Our Business—We are subject to a DPA with the DOJ, a Consent with the SEC, and a settlement agreement with the OM. The agreements with the DOJ and the SEC require us to retain, at our own expense, an independent compliance monitor, and the DPA and the agreement with the OM require us to continue to cooperate with the agencies regarding their investigations of other parties. We will incur costs in connection with these obligations, which may be significant”, “—If we commit a breach of the DPA, we may be subject to criminal prosecution. Such criminal prosecution could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects” and “—We may face other potentially negative consequences relating to the investigations by, and agreements with, the DOJ, SEC and OM, including additional investigations and litigation.”

We may not be able to detect and prevent fraud or other misconduct by our employees, joint venture partners, representatives, agents, suppliers, customers or other third parties.

We may be exposed to fraud or other misconduct committed by our employees, joint venture partners, representatives, agents, suppliers, customers or other third parties that could subject us to litigation, financial losses and sanctions imposed by governmental authorities, as well as affect our reputation. Such misconduct could include misappropriating funds, conducting transactions that are outside of authorized limits, engaging in misrepresentation or fraudulent, deceptive or otherwise improper activities, including in return for any type of benefits or gains or otherwise not complying with applicable laws or our internal policies and procedures. The risk of liability for fraud and other misconduct could increase as we expand certain areas of our business, such as MFS, which requires us to hold customer funds in e-accounts.

We regularly review and update our policies and procedures and internal controls which are primarily designed to provide reasonable assurance that we, our employees, representatives, agents, suppliers and other third parties comply with applicable law and our internal policies. Further, we conduct, as appropriate, assessments of, and due diligence on, our employees, representatives, agents, suppliers, customers and other third parties. However, there can be no assurance that such policies, procedures, internal controls and diligence will work effectively at all times or protect us against liability for actions of our employees, representatives, agents, suppliers, customers or other third parties.

New or proposed changes to laws or new interpretations of existing laws in the markets in which we operate may harm our business.

We are subject to a variety of national and local laws and regulations in the countries in which we do business. These laws and regulations apply to many aspects of our business. Violations of applicable laws or regulations could damage our reputation or result in regulatory or private actions with substantial penalties or damages. In addition, any significant changes in such laws or regulations or their interpretation, or the introduction of higher standards or more stringent laws or regulations, could have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. For example, in Pakistan, new regulations and draft laws have been proposed that could separately (i) require any mobile operator with over a 25% market share, such as our Pakistan subsidiary, to seek Pakistan Telecommunication Authority approval before changing its tariffs; and (ii) introduce obligations on telecommunications operators requiring them to upgrade systems and security as well as maintain backups and retain mobile data for a sufficient period of time as well as allow for real time recording of data for extended periods.

Following various terrorist attacks, the Government of Pakistan introduced Standard Operating Procedures (“SOP”) requiring all mobile operators to re-verify their entire prepaid unverified customer base through biometric verification. For our Pakistan subsidiary, this involved the re-verification of more than 38 million SIM cards, and SIM cards that could not be verified had to be blocked by the operators. As a result of the re-verification, our Pakistan subsidiary lost customers and retained 87% of its subscriber base. In Bangladesh, the regulator initiated similar SIM re-verification requirements to be completed between January 2016 and April 2016, as well as new SIM registration requirements with biometric verification starting from December 2015.

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Such requirements could result in customer losses and claims from legitimate customers that are incorrectly blocked, as well as fines, license suspensions and other liabilities for failure to comply with the requirements. To the extent re-verification and/or new verification requirements are imposed in the jurisdictions in which we operate, it could have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

In addition, certain jurisdictions in which we operate, including Russia (in 2014) and Kazakhstan (in 2015), have adopted data processing laws, which prohibit the collection and storage of personal data on servers located outside of the respective jurisdictions. Violation of these laws by an operator may lead to a seizure of the operator’s database and equipment and/or a ban on the processing of personal data by such operator, which, in turn, could lead to the inability to provide services to customers. See “—Risks Related to the Industry—Our brand, business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may be harmed in the event of cyber-attacks or severe systems and network failures leading to the loss of integrity and availability of our telecommunications services and/or leaks of confidential information, including customer information.”

In Ukraine, a law titled “On electronic communications” is expected to be adopted in 2016 to, among other things, increase the authority of the national regulatory authority to analyze communication services markets to determine significant market power operators. The draft legislation also includes a new list of regulatory restrictions for significant market power operators, including controls on wholesale and retail tariffs and infrastructure sharing.

Following amendments to the Pakistan tax laws in mid-2014, a requirement was imposed on operators to charge, collect and pay sales tax on the provision of SIM cards and the activation of handsets. In the given competitive environment, we are unable to pass on this expense to customers. These taxes could have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects in Pakistan and on our group.

In certain jurisdictions in which we operate, the relevant regulators set mobile termination rates (“MTRs”). If any such regulator set MTRs that are lower for us than the MTRs of our competitors, our interconnect costs may be higher and our interconnect revenues may be lower, relative to our competitors. In Algeria, for example, the MTRs set by the regulator are significantly lower for OTA than for our competitors. For a discussion of developments in the regulation of MTRs, and other important government regulations impacting our business, see Exhibit 99.2—Regulation of Telecommunications.

In addition, we are subject to certain sanctions and embargo laws and regulations of the United Nations, European Union, and certain other jurisdictions in connection with our activities and such laws and regulations may be expanded or amended from time to time in a manner that could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects. There can be no assurance that, notwithstanding our compliance safeguards, we will not be found in the future to have been in violation of applicable sanctions and embargo laws, particularly as the scope of such laws may be unclear and subject to discretionary interpretations by regulators, which may change over time. Moreover, certain of our financing arrangements include representations and covenants requiring compliance with or limitation of activities under sanctions laws of additional jurisdictions enumerated in the financing arrangements, as well as mandatory prepayment requirements in the event of a breach thereof. See “—Risks Related to Our Business—Substantial amounts of indebtedness and debt service obligations could materially decrease our cash flow, adversely affect our business and financial condition and prevent us from raising additional capital.”

Our licenses may be suspended or revoked and we may be fined or penalized for alleged violations of law, regulations or license terms.

We are required to meet certain terms and conditions under our licenses (such as nationwide coverage and network build-out requirements), including meeting certain conditions established by the legislation regulating the communications industry. If we fail to comply with the conditions of our licenses or with the requirements established by the legislation regulating the communications industry, or if we do not obtain or comply with permits for the operation of our equipment, use of frequencies or additional licenses for broadcasting directly or through agreements with broadcasting companies, the applicable regulator could decide to levy fines, suspend, terminate or refuse to renew the license or permit. Such regulatory actions could adversely impact our ability to carry out divestitures in the relevant jurisdictions.

The occurrence of any of these events could materially harm our ability to build out our networks in accordance with our plans and to retain and attract customers, could harm our reputation and could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects. For more information on our licenses and their related requirements, please see the sections of this Annual Report on Form 20-F entitled “Item 4—Information on the Company—Description of Operations of the Russia Segment,” “— Description of Operations of the Algeria Segment,” “—Description of Operations of the Pakistan Segment,” “—Description of Operations of the Bangladesh Segment,” “—Description of Operations of the Ukraine Segment,” “—Description of Operations of the Kazakhstan Segment,” “—Description of Operations of the Uzbekistan Segment,” “—Description of Operations in HQ and Others” and “—Description of Operations of the Italy Business Unit.”

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Our licenses are granted for specified periods and they may not be extended or replaced upon expiration.

The success of our operations is dependent on the maintenance of our licenses to provide telecommunications services in the jurisdictions in which we operate. Most of our licenses are granted for specified terms, and there can be no assurance that any license will be renewed upon expiration. All of the Russian telecommunication licenses up for renewal in 2015 have been successfully renewed, as well as all other material licenses for our operations. However, some of our licenses will expire in the near term, including certain licenses in Russia, Algeria, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, which are due for renewal in 2016. These licenses are also subject to ongoing review by the relevant regulatory authorities. If renewed, our licenses may contain additional obligations, including payment obligations (which may involve a substantial renewal or extension fee), or may cover reduced service areas or scope of service. Furthermore, the governments in certain jurisdictions in which we operate may hold auctions (including auctions for 4G spectrum) in the future. If we are unable to maintain or obtain licenses for provision of telecommunications services or if our licenses are not renewed or are renewed on less favorable terms, our business and results of operations could be materially harmed. See also “Risks Related to Our Business—We may face other potentially negative consequences relating to the investigations by, and agreements with, the DOJ, SEC and OM, including additional investigations and litigation.” For more information about spectrum allocations and our licenses, including their expiration dates, please see the section of this Annual Report on Form 20-F entitled “Item 4—Information on the Company.”

We face uncertainty regarding our frequency allocations and may experience limited spectrum capacity for providing wireless services.

To establish and commercially launch mobile telecommunications networks, we need to receive frequency allocations for bandwidths within the frequency spectrums in the regions in which we operate. There are a limited number of frequencies available for mobile operators in each of the regions in which we operate or hold licenses to operate. We are dependent on access to adequate frequency allocation in each such market in order to maintain and expand our customer base. In addition, frequency allocations may be issued for periods that are shorter than the terms of our licenses, and such allocations may not be renewed in a timely manner, or at all. For instance, we have in the past been unable to obtain frequency allocations necessary to test or expand our networks in Russia. If our frequencies are revoked or we are unable to renew our frequency allocations or obtain new frequencies to allow us to provide mobile services on a commercially feasible basis, our network capacity and our ability to provide mobile services would be constrained and our ability to expand would be limited, which could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects.

We may be subject to increases in payments for frequency allocations under the terms of some of our licenses.

Legislation in many countries in which we operate, including Russia, requires that we make payments for frequency spectrum usage. As a whole, the fees for all available frequency assignments, as well as allotted frequency bands for different mobile communications technologies, have been significant. Any significant increase in the fees payable for the frequencies that we use or for additional frequencies that we need could have a negative effect on our financial results. We cannot assure you that the fees we pay for radio-frequency spectrum use will not increase, and any such increase could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects. For more information on the payment requirements relating to frequency allocation, see Exhibit 99.2—Regulation of Telecommunications.

It may not be possible for us to procure in a timely manner the permissions and registrations required for our telecommunications equipment.

The laws of the countries in which we operate generally prohibit the operation of telecommunications equipment without a relevant permit from the appropriate regulatory body. Due to complex regulatory procedures, it is frequently not possible for us to procure in a timely manner the permissions and registrations required for our base stations, including construction permits and registration of our title to land plots underlying our base stations, or other aspects of our network before we put the base stations into operation, or to amend or maintain the permissions in a timely manner when it is necessary to change the location or technical specifications of our base stations. At times, there can be a number of base stations or other communications facilities and other aspects of our networks for which we are awaiting final permission to operate for indeterminate periods. This problem may be exacerbated if there are delays in issuing necessary permits.

We also regularly receive notices from regulatory authorities in countries in which we operate warning us that we are not in compliance with aspects of our licenses and permits and requiring us to cure the violations within a certain time period. We have closed base stations on several occasions in order to comply with regulations and notices from regulatory authorities. Any failure by our company to cure such violations could result in the applicable license being suspended and subsequently revoked through court action. Although we generally take all necessary steps to comply with any license violations within the stated time periods, including by switching off base stations that do not have all necessary permits until such permits are obtained, we cannot assure you that our licenses or permits will not be suspended and not subsequently be revoked in the future. If we are found to operate telecommunications equipment without an applicable license or permit, we could experience a significant disruption in our service or network operation, which could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects.

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We are involved in disputes and litigation with regulators, competitors and third parties.

We are party to lawsuits and other legal, regulatory and antitrust proceedings, the final outcome of which is uncertain. Litigation and regulatory proceedings are inherently unpredictable. For more information on these disputes, see “Item 4—Information on the Company—Legal Proceedings” and Notes 24 and 26 to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 20-F. An adverse outcome in, or any settlement of, these or other proceedings (including any that may be asserted in the future) could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects.

We could be subject to tax claims that could harm our business.

Tax audits in the countries in which we operate are conducted regularly. We have been subject to substantial claims by tax authorities in Russia, Italy, Algeria, Egypt, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Georgia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. These claims have resulted, and future claims may result, in additional payments, including fines and penalties, to the tax authorities.

Although we are permitted to challenge, in court, the decisions of tax inspectorates, there can be no assurance that we will prevail in our litigation with tax inspectorates. In addition, there can be no assurance that the tax authorities will not claim on the basis of the same asserted tax principles they have claimed against us for prior tax years, or on the basis of different tax principles, that additional taxes are owed by us for prior or future tax years, or that the relevant governmental authorities will not decide to initiate a criminal investigation in connection with claims by tax inspectorates for prior tax years.

The adverse resolution of these or other tax matters that may arise could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations. For more information regarding tax claims, and their effects on our financial statements, see “Item 4—Information on the Company—Legal Proceedings” and Notes 24 and 26 to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 20-F.

Unpredictable tax systems give rise to significant uncertainties and risks that could complicate our tax planning and business decisions.

The tax systems in the markets in which we operate may be unpredictable and give rise to significant uncertainties, which could complicate our tax planning and business decisions, especially in emerging markets in which we operate, where there is significant uncertainty relating to the interpretation and enforcement of tax laws. Any additional tax liability imposed on us by tax authorities in this manner, as well as any unforeseen changes in applicable tax laws or changes in the tax authorities’ interpretations of the respective double tax treaties in effect, could harm our future results of operations, cash flows or the amounts of dividends available for distribution to shareholders in a particular period. We may be required to accrue substantial amounts for contingent tax liabilities and the amounts accrued for tax contingencies may not be sufficient to meet any liability we may ultimately face. From time to time, we may also identify tax contingencies for which we have not recorded an accrual. Such unaccrued tax contingencies could materialize and require us to pay additional amounts of tax.

For example, significant tax reforms were implemented in Ukraine in 2015. The tax reforms, in part, changed the mechanism for the calculation of corporate profit tax and required the use and registration of electronic VAT invoices, and we may face fines for failure to comply with the new rules. In addition, a new tax law in Uzbekistan became effective on January 1, 2016, pursuant to which mobile telecommunications companies are subject to income tax rates based on profitability levels (7.5% tax for profitability levels up to 20%, and 50% tax for profitability levels exceeding 20%). In Bangladesh, a 3% supplementary duty was imposed on mobile usage from July 2015, and a 1% surcharge was implemented on mobile services from March 9, 2016. Such changes could have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows in these countries and on our group.

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The introduction of new tax laws or the amendment of existing tax laws, such as laws relating to transfer pricing rules or the deduction of interest expenses in the markets in which we operate, may also increase the risk of adjustments being made by the tax authorities and, as a result, could have a material impact on our business, financial performance and results of operations.

Repeated tax audits and extension of liability beyond the limitation period may result in additional tax assessments.

Tax declarations together with related documentation are subject to review and investigation by a number of authorities, which are empowered to impose fines and penalties on taxpayers.

In Russia, for example, tax returns remain open and subject to inspection by tax and/or customs authorities for three calendar years immediately preceding the year in which the decision to conduct an audit is taken. Laws enacted in Russia in recent years increase the likelihood that our tax returns that were reviewed by tax authorities could be subject to further review or audit during or beyond the eligible three-year limitation period by a superior tax authority.

Tax audits may result in additional costs to our group if the relevant tax authorities conclude that entities of the group did not satisfy their tax obligations in any given year. Such audits may also impose additional burdens on our group by diverting the attention of management resources. The outcome of these audits could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects. Under such review the relevant tax authorities may conclude that we had significantly underpaid taxes relating to earlier periods, which could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects.

In addition, in recent years, the Russian tax authorities have aggressively brought tax evasion claims relating to Russian companies’ use of tax-optimization schemes, and press reports have speculated that these enforcement actions have been selective and politically motivated.

CFC legislation in Italy could result in additional tax costs.

Italian legislation provides for taxation of foreign companies located in certain countries and territories with a privileged tax regime that are directly or indirectly controlled by Italian resident individuals, companies and entities. Foreign controlled companies which are resident outside the above mentioned countries may also be subject to taxation if generating passive income (e.g., interest, dividends, royalties, capital gains, etc.) and if their corporate tax in the country of establishment is lower than half of applicable tax in Italy. WIND Italy continues to analyze the possible application developments and interpretations of this legislation.

WIND Italy may be subject to a deferral or to a limitation of the deduction of interest expenses in Italy.

For taxpayers like WIND Italy, Italian tax law permits the deduction of some interest expense up to a specified limit. A further deduction of interest expense is permitted up to an additional threshold. The amount of unused interest expense deduction may be carried forward to future years. Based on these rules, WIND Italy currently is not able to deduct all of its interest expenses, though it is able to carry forward accrued and unused deductions to future fiscal years. Any future changes in current Italian tax laws or in their interpretation and/or any future limitation on the use of the foreign controlled entities may have an adverse impact on the deductibility of interest expenses for WIND Italy which, in turn, could harm WIND Italy’s and VimpelCom’s business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects.

We operate in uncertain judicial and regulatory environments.

In many of the emerging market countries where we operate, the application of the laws of any particular country is frequently unclear and may result in unpredictable judicial or regulatory outcomes.

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The uncertain judicial and regulatory environments in which we operate could result in:

If we are found to be involved in practices that do not comply with applicable laws or regulations, we may be exposed to significant fines, the risk of prosecution or the suspension or loss of our licenses, frequency allocations, authorizations or various permissions, any of which could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects.

Laws restricting foreign investment could materially harm our business.

We could be materially harmed by existing laws restricting foreign investment or the adoption of new laws or regulations restricting foreign investment, including foreign investment in the telecommunications industry in Russia or other markets in which we operate.

For example, Russian legislation, named “Russian Foreign Investment Law,” limits foreign investment in companies that are deemed to be strategic. Our subsidiary PJSC VimpelCom is deemed to be a strategic enterprise under the Russian Foreign Investment Law. As a result, any acquisition by a foreign investor of direct or indirect control over more than 50.0% of its voting shares, or 25.0% in the case of a company controlled by a foreign government, requires the prior approval of the Russian authorities pursuant to the Russian Foreign Investment Law. In the event of any future transactions resulting in the acquisition by a foreign investor of direct or indirect control over PJSC VimpelCom, such a transaction will require prior approval in accordance with the Russian Foreign Investment Law.

Additionally, under Russian law, companies controlled by foreign governments are prohibited from acquiring control over strategic enterprises, and the Government Commission on Control of Foreign Investment in the Russian Federation, or the “FAS,” has challenged acquisitions of our shares in the past. As a result, our ability to obtain financing from foreign investors may be limited, should prior approval be refused, delayed or require foreign investors to comply with certain conditions imposed by the FAS, which could materially harm our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects.

Risks Related to Our Markets

The international economic environment could cause our business to decline.

After late 2008, the economies in our markets were adversely affected by the international economic crisis, and economies in markets in which we operate continue to suffer. Among other things, the crisis led to a slowdown in gross domestic product growth, increase of inflation, devaluations of the currencies in Russia and other markets in which we operate and a decrease in commodity prices. In addition, because Russia, Kazakhstan and Algeria, currently three of our larger markets, produce and export large amounts of oil, their economies are particularly vulnerable to fluctuations in the price of oil on the world market. Since June 2014, global oil prices have been falling and are currently at relatively low levels. The timing of a return to sustained economic growth and consistently positive economic trends is difficult to predict. The recessionary effects, debt crisis and Euro crisis in Europe and low oil prices continue to pose potentially significant macroeconomic risks to our group.

Moreover, economic sanctions imposed in 2014 and 2015 are impacting Russia. Low oil prices, together with the impact of economic sanctions and the significant devaluation of the ruble, have negatively impacted and continue to have an adverse effect on the Russian economy and economic outlook and may also negatively impact our ability to raise external financing, particularly if the sanctions are broadened. The current difficult economic environment and any future downturns in the economies of markets in which we operate or may operate in the future could diminish demand for our services, increase our costs, constrain our ability to retain existing customers and collect payments from them and prevent us from executing our strategies. Adverse economic conditions could also hurt our liquidity and prevent us from obtaining financing needed to fund our development strategy, to take advantage of future opportunities to respond to competitive pressures, to refinance existing indebtedness or to meet unexpected financial requirements, which could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects.

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The countries in which we operate have experienced periods of high levels of inflation, including certain cases of hyperinflation. Our profit margins could be harmed if we are unable to sufficiently increase our prices to offset any significant future increase in the inflation rate, which may be difficult with our mass market customers and our price sensitive customer base. Inflationary pressure in the countries where we have operations could materially harm our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects.

Deterioration of macroeconomic conditions in the countries in which we operate and/or a significant difference between the performance of an acquired company and the business case assumed at the time of acquisition could require us to write down the value of the goodwill. In addition, the different possible developments as a result of a financial and economic crisis, in particular related to customer behavior, competition reaction in this environment in terms of offers and pricing or in response to new entrants, regulatory adjustments in relation to reductions in consumer prices and our ability to adjust costs and investments in keeping with possible changes in revenue may adversely affect our forecasts and lead to a write-down in tangible and intangible assets.

A write-down in tangible and intangible assets could impact covenants under our debt agreements and could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects. For further information on the impairment of tangible and intangible assets and recoverable amounts (particularly key assumptions and sensitivity), see Note 10 to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 20-F.

Our operations may be adversely affected by ongoing developments in Russia and Ukraine.

The current situation in Russia and Ukraine, and the related responses of the United States, member states of the European Union, the European Union itself and certain other nations, have the potential to materially adversely affect our business in Russia and Ukraine where we have significant operations, which in turn could materially harm our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects.

In connection with the situation in Russia and Ukraine, the United States, the European Union and a number of countries have imposed (i) sanctions that block the property of certain designated businesses, organizations and individuals, (ii) sectoral sanctions that prohibit certain types of transactions with specifically designated businesses operating in certain sectors of the Russian economy, currently financial services, energy and defense, and (iii) territorial sanctions restricting investment in and trade with Crimea. The U.S. and EU sanctions (including the sectoral sanctions) apply to entities owned and/or controlled by sanctions designated entities and individuals and, accordingly, may extend beyond Russia and Ukraine. In addition, the United States and the European Union have implemented certain export control restrictions related to Russia’s energy sector and military capabilities. Ukraine has also enacted sanctions with respect to certain Russian entities and individuals. Russia has responded with countermeasures to such international and Ukrainian restrictions and sanctions, currently including limiting the import of certain goods from the United States, the European Union, Ukraine and other countries, imposing visa bans on certain persons, and imposing restrictions on the ability of Russian companies to comply with sanctions imposed by other countries. Russia recently announced sanctions against Turkey in response to an incident involving Russian and Turkish military aircraft in November 2015, including imposing a ban on Russian companies hiring Turkish workers and the imposition of visa requirements, as of January 1, 2016. Further sanctions, export controls and/or other measures, including sanctions on additional persons or businesses (including vendors, joint venture and business partners, affiliates and financial institutions) imposed by the United States, the European Union, Ukraine, Russia, and/or other countries, could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects.

Ukraine has assigned a “temporary occupied territories” status to Crimea and an “anti-terrorist operation zone” status to certain Eastern Ukraine regions which are currently not under the Ukrainian government’s control, and has imposed certain restrictions and prohibitions on trade in goods and services in such territories. Kyivstar shut down its network in Crimea in 2014 as well as its network in certain parts of Eastern Ukraine in 2015 and, in each case, has written off the relevant assets. Under terms of its telecommunications licenses, Kyivstar is obliged to provide services throughout Ukraine. Kyivstar has notified the regulatory authorities that Kyivstar has stopped providing services in these areas and has requested clarification from such authorities regarding telecommunications operations in such areas. Since September 2014, legislation has been in effect in Ukraine that authorizes the cancellation of telecommunications licenses for sanctioned parties. There can be no assurance that the escalation of the current situation will not lead to the cancellation or suspension of, or other actions under, certain or all of our Ukrainian telecommunications licenses, or other sanctions, which could have a material adverse effect on our business in Ukraine, which in turn could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects.

The situation in Crimea and Eastern Ukraine has resulted, and may in the future result, in damage or loss of assets, disruption of services, and regulatory issues which has, and may in the future, adversely impact our group. In addition, if there were an extended continuation or further increase in conflict in Crimea, Eastern Ukraine or in the region, it could result in further instability and/or worsening of the overall political and economic situation in Ukraine, Russia, Europe and/or in the global capital markets generally, which could adversely impact our group. Moreover, the instability in Crimea and Eastern Ukraine specifically, and in the region more generally, economic sanctions and related measures, and other geopolitical developments (including with respect to the current conflict and international interventions in Syria) could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects. In particular, we could be materially adversely impacted by a continued decline of the Russian ruble against the U.S. dollar or the Euro and the general economic performance of Russia.

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Investors in emerging markets, where most of our operations are located, are subject to greater risks than investors in more developed markets, including significant political, legal and economic risks and risks related to fluctuations in the global economy.

Most of our operations are in emerging markets. Investors in emerging markets should be aware that these markets are subject to greater risks than more developed markets, including in some cases significant political, legal and economic risks. Emerging market governments and judiciaries often exercise broad, unchecked discretion and are susceptible to abuse and corruption and rapid reversal of political and economic policies on which we depend. Political and economic relations among the countries in which we operate are often complex and have resulted, and may in the future result, in conflicts, which could materially harm our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects. The economies of emerging markets are vulnerable to market downturns and economic slowdowns elsewhere in the world. As has happened in the past, financial problems or an increase in the perceived risks associated with investing in emerging economies could dampen foreign investment in these markets and materially adversely affect their economies. These developments could severely limit our access to capital and could materially harm the purchasing power of our customers and, consequently, our business.

Further, the nature of much of the legislation in emerging markets, the lack of consensus about the scope, content and pace of economic and political reform and the rapid evolution of the legal systems in emerging markets, place the enforceability and, possibly, the constitutionality of, laws and regulations in doubt and result in ambiguities, inconsistencies and anomalies. The legislation often contemplates implementing regulations that have not yet been promulgated, leaving substantial gaps in the regulatory infrastructure. Any of these factors could affect our ability to enforce our rights under our licenses or our contracts, or to defend our company against claims by other parties.

Many of the emerging markets in which we operate are susceptible to significant social unrest or military conflicts. In some of the countries in which we operate, the local authorities may order our subsidiaries to temporarily shut down their entire network or part or all of our networks may be shut down due to actions relating to military conflicts or nationwide strikes. For example, in 2015, our subsidiary in Pakistan was ordered to shut down parts of its mobile network and services on a regular basis due to the security situation in the country. In addition, our subsidiary in Ukraine shut down its network in Crimea in 2014 as well as its network in certain parts of Eastern Ukraine in 2015. Governments or other factions, including those asserting authority over specific territories in areas of conflict, could make inappropriate use of the network, attempt to compel us to operate our network in conflict zones or disputed territories and/or force us to broadcast propaganda or illegal instructions to our customers or others (or face consequences for failure to do so). Forced shutdowns, inappropriate use of our network and/or compelling us to operate our network and/or broadcast propaganda or illegal instructions could materially harm our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects.

Generally, investment in emerging markets is only suitable for sophisticated investors who fully appreciate the significance of the risks involved and investors are urged to consult with their own legal, financial and tax advisors.

Social instability in the countries in which we operate could lead to increased support for centralized authority and a rise in nationalism, which could harm our business.

Social instability in the countries in which we operate, coupled with difficult economic conditions, could lead to increased support for centralized authority and a rise in nationalism. These sentiments could lead to restrictions on foreign ownership of companies in the telecommunications industry or nationalization, expropriation or other seizure of certain assets or businesses. In most of the countries in which we operate, there is relatively little experience in enforcing legislation enacted to protect private property against nationalization or expropriation. As a result, we may not be able to obtain proper redress in the courts, and we may not receive adequate compensation if in the future the governments decide to nationalize or expropriate some or all of our assets. If this occurs, our business could be harmed.

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In addition, ethnic, religious, historical and other divisions have, on occasion, given rise to tensions and, in certain cases, military conflict. The spread of violence, or its intensification, could have significant political consequences, including the imposition of a state of emergency, which could materially adversely affect the investment environment in the countries in which we operate.

The physical infrastructure in many countries in which we operate is in poor condition and further deterioration in the physical infrastructure could harm our business.

In many countries in which we operate, the physical infrastructure, including transportation networks, power generation and transmission and communications systems, is in poor condition. In some of the countries in which we operate, including Ukraine, the physical infrastructure has been damaged by military conflict. In some of the countries in which we operate, including Russia, the public switched telephone networks have reached capacity limits and need modernization, which may inconvenience our customers and will require us to make additional capital expenditures. In addition, continued growth in local, long distance and international traffic, including that generated by our customers, and development in the types of services provided may require substantial investment in public switched telephone networks. Any efforts to modernize infrastructure may result in increased charges and tariffs, potentially adding costs to our business. The deterioration of the physical infrastructure harms the economies of these countries, disrupts the transportation of goods and supplies, adds costs to doing business and can interrupt business operations. Further deterioration in the physical infrastructure in many of the countries in which we operate could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects.

The banking systems in many countries in which we operate remain underdeveloped, there are a limited number of creditworthy banks in these countries with which we can conduct business and currency control requirements restrict activities in certain markets in which we have operations.

The banking and other financial systems in many countries in which we operate are not well developed or regulated, and laws relating to banks and bank accounts are subject to varying interpretations and inconsistent applications. Such banking risk cannot be completely eliminated by diversified borrowing and conducting credit analyses. A banking crisis in any of these countries or the bankruptcy or insolvency of the banks from which we receive, or with which we hold, our funds could result in the loss of our deposits or negatively affect our ability to complete banking transactions in these countries, which could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

In addition, central banks and governments in the markets in which we operate may restrict or prevent international transfers or impose foreign exchange controls or other currency restrictions, which could prevent us from making payments, including the repatriation of dividends and payments to third party suppliers. For example, in Pakistan, foreign currency financing agreements must be registered with the State Bank of Pakistan, and if there is a default, any default interest payment may require regulatory approval. In Bangladesh, strict foreign exchange regulations require regulatory approval before a company can engage in certain foreign exchange transactions. In Ukraine, our subsidiary Kyivstar cannot expatriate dividends to VimpelCom because of restrictions imposed by the National Bank of Ukraine to regulate money, credit and currency in Ukraine. For more information about currency restrictions in our countries of operations, see “Risks Related to Our Business—We are exposed to foreign currency exchange loss and currency fluctuation and convertibility risks.” Furthermore, local banks have limitations on the amounts of loans that they can provide to single borrowers, which could limit the availability of local currency financing in these countries. There can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain approvals under the foregoing restrictions or limitations, each of which could harm our business, financial condition, cash flows, results of operations and prospects.

Risks Related to the Ownership of our ADSs

The possible sale of additional shares could adversely affect the market price of our ADSs.

There are currently 305,000,000 VimpelCom convertible preferred shares outstanding which may be converted into VimpelCom common shares at the option of the shareholder (presently Telenor) any time between October 15, 2013 and April 15, 2016 at a price based on the NASDAQ price of VimpelCom ADSs. If convertible preferred shares are converted into common shares they will also become available for trading in the public market, subject to certain limitations under U.S. securities laws. The sale of any of the VimpelCom shares on the public markets or the perception that such sales may occur, commonly called “market overhang,” may adversely affect the market for, and the market price of, VimpelCom’s ADSs. See “—Risks Related to Our Business—A disposition by one or both of our strategic shareholders of their respective stakes in VimpelCom or a change in control of VimpelCom could harm our business” for more information about Telenor’s announcement on October 5, 2015 that it will not convert its VimpelCom preferred shares.

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Various factors may hinder the declaration and payment of dividends.

The payment of dividends is subject to the discretion of VimpelCom’s supervisory board and VimpelCom’s assets consist primarily of investments in its operating subsidiaries. In 2014, the VimpelCom supervisory board approved a new dividend policy that reduced the annual dividend target to US$0.035 per share. Various factors may cause the supervisory board to determine not to pay dividends or not to increase dividends from current levels. Such factors include VimpelCom’s financial condition, its earnings and cash flows, its leverage, its capital requirements, contractual restrictions, legal proceedings and such other factors as VimpelCom’s supervisory board may consider relevant. For more information on our policy regarding dividends, see “Item 8—Financial Information—Consolidated Statements and Other Financial Information—Policy on Dividend Distributions.” See also “—Risks Related to Our Business—As a holding company, VimpelCom depends on the performance of its subsidiaries” and “—Our strategic partnerships and relationships carry inherent business risks.”

VimpelCom is a Bermuda company governed by Bermuda law, which may affect your rights as a shareholder or holder of ADSs.

VimpelCom is a Bermuda-exempted company. As a result, the rights of VimpelCom’s shareholders are governed by Bermuda law and by VimpelCom’s bye-laws. The rights of shareholders under Bermuda law may differ from the rights of shareholders of companies incorporated in other jurisdictions. In addition, holders of ADSs do not have the same rights under Bermuda law and VimpelCom’s bye-laws as registered holders of VimpelCom’s shares. Substantially all of our assets are located outside the United States. It may be difficult for investors to enforce in the United States judgments obtained in U.S. courts against VimpelCom or its directors and executive officers based on civil liability provisions of the U.S. securities laws. Uncertainty exists as to whether courts in Bermuda will enforce judgments obtained in other jurisdictions, including the United States, under the securities laws of those jurisdictions, or entertain actions in Bermuda under the securities laws of other jurisdictions.

We are not subject to certain corporate governance requirements under the NASDAQ rules.

Our ADSs are listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market; however, as a Bermuda company, we are permitted to follow “home country practice” in lieu of certain corporate governance provisions under the NASDAQ listing rules that are applicable to a U.S. company. The primary difference between our corporate governance practices and the NASDAQ rules relates to NASDAQ listing rule 5605(b)(1), which provides that each U.S. company listed on NASDAQ must have a majority of independent directors, as defined in the NASDAQ rules. Bermuda law does not require that we have a majority of independent directors. As a foreign private issuer, we are exempt from complying from this NASDAQ requirement, and we do not have a majority of independent directors, as defined in the NASDAQ rules. Accordingly, VimpelCom’s shareholders will not have the same protections as are afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to all of the NASDAQ corporate governance requirements. For more information on the significant differences between our corporate governance practices and those followed by U.S. companies under the NASDAQ listing rules, see the section of this Annual Report on Form 20-F entitled “Item 16G—Corporate Governance.”

Overview

VimpelCom is an international communications and technology company committed to bringing the digital world to each and every customer. Currently, the company provides voice and data services through a range of traditional and broadband mobile and fixed-line technologies and operates in Russia, Algeria, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, Tajikistan, Georgia, Laos, Zimbabwe and Italy. The operations of the VimpelCom Group covered a territory with a total population of approximately 732 million as of December 31, 2015. We provide services under the “Beeline,” “Kyivstar,” “banglalink,” “Mobilink,” “Djezzy” and “WIND” brands. As of December 31, 2015, we had 217.4 million mobile customers (on a combined basis, including Italy) and 59,125 employees. For a breakdown of total revenue by category of activity and geographic segments for each of the last three financial years, see “Item 5—Operating and Financial Review and Prospects.”

VimpelCom Ltd. is an exempted company limited by shares registered under the Companies Act 1981 of Bermuda, as amended (the “Companies Act”), on June 5, 2009, and our registered office is located at Victoria Place, 31 Victoria Street, Hamilton HM 10, Bermuda. The VimpelCom Group’s headquarters are located at Claude Debussylaan 88, 1082 MD, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Our telephone number is +31 20 797 7200. VimpelCom Ltd. is registered with the Dutch Trade Register (registration number 34374835) as a company formally registered abroad (formeel buitenlandse kapitaalvennootschap), as this term is referred to in the Dutch

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Companies Formally Registered Abroad Act (Wet op de formeel buitenlandse vennootschappen), which means that we are deemed a Dutch resident company for tax purposes in accordance with applicable Dutch tax regulations.

History and Development

Our predecessor PJSC “Vimpel-Communications” (formerly OJSC “Vimpel-Communications”) was founded in 1992. Since then, VimpelCom has a rich history of adapting to shifts in the marketplace. Prior to 2014, VimpelCom focused on development and expansion throughout Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (“CIS”), then into Asia, Europe and Africa through a combination of organic growth and acquisitions. More recently, VimpelCom has turned its focus to enhancing its operations in its core markets and investing in high-speed networks.

The most significant events in the development of our business include the following:

Our capital expenditures include purchases of licenses, new equipment, new construction, upgrades, software, other long-lived assets and related reasonable costs incurred prior to intended use of the non-current assets, accounted at the earliest event of advance payment or delivery. Long-lived assets acquired in business combinations are not included in capital expenditures. For more information on our principal capital investments and investing activities, including acquisitions and divestitures of interests in other companies, and method of financing, see the sections entitled “Item 5—Operating and Financial Review and Prospects—Factors Affecting Comparability of Prior Periods” and “—Liquidity and Capital Resources—Investing Activities” and “Item 5—Operating and Financial Review and Prospects—Liquidity and Capital Resources—Future Liquidity and Capital Requirements.”

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Leadership

During 2015 and the beginning of 2016, VimpelCom made a number of strategic management appointments to lead the company in its next phase of development. New appointments included:

For more information on our directors and senior management, see “Item 6—Directors, Senior Management and Employees—A. Directors and Senior Management” below.

Organizational Structure

VimpelCom Ltd. is the holding company for a number of operating subsidiaries and holding companies in various jurisdictions. In the third quarter of 2015, we adopted a new regional structure, consisting of four strategic regions. Accordingly, our reporting structure is divided into the four following business units, all of which report to our headquarters in Amsterdam:

Notwithstanding the foregoing, in accordance with accounting rules, we disclose eight reportable segments, based on economic environments and stages of development in different geographical areas, requiring different investment and marketing strategies. On January 1, 2015, management decided to separately present certain operating units as separate reportable segments to enhance understanding of the business and better reflect the actual structure of the VimpelCom Group. Accordingly, our reportable segments consist of the eight following segments:

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Italy is no longer a reportable segment subsequent to its classification as an asset held for sale and discontinued operation following the signing of an agreement with CK Hutchison Holdings Ltd. to combine the company’s operations in Italy with 3 Italia in an equal joint venture. However, financial and operational information for Italy is included in this Annual Report on Form 20-F because completion of the Joint Venture in Italy has not occurred and operations in Italy is a significant part of our business. For more information please see Note 6 to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on
Form 20-F.

The table below sets forth our operating companies and significant subsidiaries, including those subsidiaries that hold our principal telecommunications licenses, and our percentage ownership interest, direct and indirect, in each subsidiary as of March 15, 2016. Unless otherwise indicated, our percentage ownership interest is identical to our voting power in each of the subsidiaries.

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Description of Our Business

Our Mobile Telecommunications Business

The table below presents the mobile telecommunications services we offer to our customers and a breakdown of prepaid and postpaid subscriptions as of December 31, 2015.

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Our Fixed-line Telecommunications and Our Fixed-line Internet Business

We offer voice, data and internet services to corporations, operators and consumers using a metropolitan overlay network in major cities throughout Russia, Italy, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. In Italy, we also use local loop unbundling (“LLU”), which allows us to use connections from Telecom Italia’s local exchanges to the customers’ premises.

In our fixed-line/mobile integrated business structure in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, fixed-line telecommunications use inter-city fiber optic and satellite-based networks.

In Italy, our fixed-line business uses an integrated network infrastructure with over 22,300 kilometers of fiber optic cable backbone and 1,636 LLU sites for direct customer connections.

Our fixed-line business in Pakistan includes internet and value added services (“VAS”) over a wide range of access media, covering major cities of Pakistan. In Armenia, our fixed-line business offers a wide range of services, including PSTN-fixed and IP telephony, internet, data transmission and network access, domestic and international voice termination and TCP/IP international transit, over our national networks. In addition, for international mobile operators, we provide voice call termination to our network in Georgia.

We do not offer fixed-line services in Algeria, Bangladesh, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan or Laos.