SIMFEROPOL/MOSCOW/KIEV, March 2 – The parliament of Crimea has nationalized the property of the Ukrainian mobile communications operator Kyivstar in the region, Sergei Aksyonov, the head of the Republic of Crimea, said.

"They did not re-register as a Russian enterprise, they did not pay people wages, and the property was abandoned," Aksyonov told reporters on Friday, responding to a question from Interfax following the meeting of the Crimean state Council where the decision on the nationalization was made.