VimpelCom statement on regulatory filings

Amsterdam (April 2, 2016) - VimpelCom Ltd. (NASDAQ: VIP) made the statement below following recent regulatory filings:

We refer to Telenor's announcement on October 5, 2015 stating that it will divest its shares in VimpelCom and that it will not convert its 305,000,000 VimpelCom voting preferred shares into VimpelCom common shares.  Consistent with this announcement, Telenor has not given notice to VimpelCom of its intention to convert its preferred shares by the notice period (April 1, 2016).  Therefore, Telenor’s ability to convert its preferred shares has expired, and on April 15, 2016 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.

In order to maintain a continuous effective registration statement (in accordance with our obligations under a registration rights agreement dated October 4, 2009), VimpelCom filed two amendments to its F-3 registration statement (on March 31, 2016 and April 1, 2016, respectively).  As disclosed in our recently filed 20-F, the Company is no longer considered a "well-known seasoned issuer", and, as such, these amendments to the F-3 were necessary to maintain the effectiveness of our shelf registration statement.

On April 1, 2016, L1T VIP Holdings S.à r.l. and Letterone Investment Holdings S.A. filed an amendment to their Schedule 13D to announce the transfer of 145,947,562 VimpelCom American Depositary Shares (representing approximately 8.3% of VimpelCom’s total outstanding common shares and approximately 7.08% of VimpelCom’s voting capital) to Stichting Administratiekantoor Mobile Telecommunications Investor. Questions regarding LetterOne's share ownership should be addressed directly to LetterOne.

Beyond our public disclosure included in our recently filed 20-F and this announcement, we have no further comment at this time.

About VimpelCom
VimpelCom (NASDAQ: VIP) is an international communications and technology company driven by a vision to unlock new opportunities for customers as they navigate the digital world. Present in some of the world’s most dynamic markets, VimpelCom provides more than 200 million customers with voice, fixed broadband, data and digital services. VimpelCom’s heritage as a pioneer in technology is the driving force behind a major transformation focused on bringing the digital world to each and every customer. VimpelCom offers services to customers in 14 markets including Russia, Italy, Algeria, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Bangladesh, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Armenia, Georgia, Laos, and Zimbabwe. VimpelCom operates under the “Beeline”, “Kyivstar”, “WIND”, “Mobilink”, “banglalink”, “Telecel”, and “Djezzy” brands.

Follow us on Twitter @VimpelCom, visit our blog @ blog.vimpelcom.com or website @http://www.vimpelcom.com 

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