Russia: Federal Antimonopoly Service of Russia opened an investigation into MTS over alleged breach of settlement agreement on mobile tariffs

On 26 January 2026, the Federal Antimonopoly Service of Russia (FAS) opened an investigation into MTS concerning compliance with a previously concluded settlement agreement and an enforceable order of the authority on mobile communications tariffs. The investigation follows a notification by MTS of an average tariff increase of 15.6%, scheduled for February 2026, affecting approximately 18 million subscribers, including subscribers who had previously been informed by the company of options to reduce the cost of communication services pursuant to the FAS order and the settlement agreement. FAS issued a formal letter to MTS stating that applying the tariff increase to this category of subscribers constitutes a breach of the settlement agreement and required the company to report, within two working days of receipt, on the outcome of its internal review. FAS stated that, should the tariff increase be applied to the specified subscriber categories, it will adopt measures under applicable competition legislation. FAS also indicated that it will assess the economic justification for tariff increases applied to other subscribers and will initiate antitrust enforcement measures if violations are identified.