SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

                             Washington, D.C. 20549

                             ----------------------

                                    FORM 6-K

                        REPORT of Foreign Private Issuer

                    Pursuant to Rule 13a-16 or 15d-16 of the
                         Securities Exchange Act of 1934

                             Date: December 23, 2002

                         Commission file number 1-14748

                           OPEN JOINT STOCK COMPANY OF
                         LONG DISTANCE AND INTERNATIONAL
                          TELECOMMUNICATIONS ROSTELECOM
                          Doing Business as Rostelecom
                 (Translation of registrant's name into English)

                             THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
                         (Jurisdiction of organization)

                         14 1ST TVERSKAYA-YAMSKAYA STR.
                              125047 MOSCOW, RUSSIA
                    (Address of principal executive offices)

          Registrant's telephone number, international: +7 095 973 9940

     Indicate  by check mark  whether the  registrant  files or will file annual
reports under cover Form 20-F or Form 40-F.

                       Form 20-F   X             Form 40-F   __
                                  ---

     Indicate by check mark whether the registrant by furnishing the information
contained  in this  Form is  also  thereby  furnishing  the  information  to the
Commission pursuant to Rule 12g3-2(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

                       Yes   __                  No   X
                                                     ---

     If  "Yes"  is  marked,  indicate  below  the file  number  assigned  to the
registrant in connection with Rule 12g3-2(b): 82-________





<PAGE>


     On  December  20,  2002,  Open Joint  Stock  Company of Long  Distance  and
International   Telecommunications  Rostelecom  (the  "Company")  announced  its
increase in domestic  long-distance  tariffs for budget-funded  organizations in
Moscow  become  effective  from  January  1, 2003.  A copy of the press  release
announcing tariff change is attached hereto as Exhibit 1.








<PAGE>



                                    SIGNATURE


     Pursuant to the  requirements  of the Securities  Exchange Act of 1934, the
registrant  has duly  caused  this  report  to be  signed  on its  behalf by the
undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.





Date:    December 23, 2002                  By: /s/  Vladimir I. Androsik
                                                ------------------------------
                                                Name:  Vladimir I. Androsik
                                                Title: Deputy General Director-
                                                       Finance Director





<PAGE>

                                  EXHIBIT INDEX



The following exhibit has been disclosed as part of this Form 6-K:


Exhibit Number      Description

    1.              English  translation  of  the  press  release  announced  an
                    increase in domestic long-distance tariffs for budget-funded
                    organizations  in Moscow  become  effective  from January 1,
                    2003.







<PAGE>


                                                                       Exhibit 1



PRESS RELEASE                                                         ROSTELECOM


Moscow,  December 20, 2002:  Domestic  long-distance  tariffs for budget -funded
organizations in Moscow to be raised effective from January 1, 2003

In accordance  with the  Resolution1  of the Russian  Ministry of  anti-monopoly
policy and support of entrepreneurship  (Anti-Monopoly Ministry) Rostelecom will
raise its peak-hours (from 8 am until 8 pm) domestic  long-distance  tariffs for
budget-funded organizations in Moscow by 20% on average.

This decision is another step aimed at liquidation  of one of the  cross-subsidy
forms in the Russian telecommunications sector - when revenues from one group of
subscribers  (commercial companies,  in this case) are used to subsidize another
group of subscribers (budget-funded organizations).

This step will allow  Rostelecom to pursue a more flexible  tariff policy in the
Moscow telecommunications market in the future.











For further details please contact

Dmitry Chukseyev                                    Anna Kareva
Head of PR                                          Head of IR
Tel.:+7 095 973 9973                                Tel.: + 7 095 973 9920
Fax.+7 095 787 2850                                 Fax: + 7 095 787 2850
e-mail: chukseyev@hq.rt.ru                          e-mail: kareva@hq.rt.ru



--------------------------
1 Order of Anti-Monopoly Ministry as of December 5, 2002 # 808 that approved the
Resolution of the  Anti-Monopoly  Ministry's  Management Board as of December 4,
2002 # 20/05-6 on the change in domestic long-distance tariffs.