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: February 27, 2004

                         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  February  26,  2004,  Open Joint  Stock  Company of Long  Distance  and
International Telecommunications Rostelecom (the "Company") announced the launch
of a new fiber optic line between Kaliningrad, Gvardeisk and Sovetsk with access
to  the  digital  trunk  network  of  Russia,   and  the   commissioning  of  an
international switching centre in Kaliningrad. A copy of the corresponding press
release is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.





<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:    February 27, 2004                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

    EX-99                English translation of the press release announced
                         the launch of a new fiber optic line between
                         Kaliningrad, Gvardeisk and Sovetsk.




<PAGE>



                                                                   Exhibit 99


For immediate release                                              ROSTELECOM
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------


                    ROSTELECOM LAUNCHES NEW FIBER OPTIC LINE
             BETWEEN KALININGRAD, GVARDEISK AND SOVETSK WITH ACCESS
                     TO THE DIGITAL TRUNK NETWORK OF RUSSIA

     Moscow - February 26, 2004 -  Rostelecom  (NYSE:  ROS;  RTS,  MICEX:  RTKM,
RTKMP),  Russia's  national  long-distance  telecommunications  operator,  today
announced  the launch of a new fiber optic line between  Kaliningrad,  Gvardeisk
and  Sovetsk  with  access to the  digital  trunk  network  of  Russia,  and the
commissioning of an international switching centre in Kaliningrad.

     The  groundbreaking  ceremony  took  place in the  format  of  simultaneous
videoconferences between Kaliningrad,  Moscow and St. Petersburg. Included among
the  speakers  were  acting  Minister  of   Telecommunications  of  the  Russian
Federation,  Leonid D. Reyman, the Governor of the Kaliningrad region,  Vladimir
G. Yegorov,  General  Director of Rostelecom,  Dmitry Y.  Yerokhin,  and General
Director of North-West Telecom, Sergei Kuznetsov.

     The  Governor of the  Kaliningrad  region,  Vladimir G. Yegorov said in his
speech:  "The  low  level  of  digitalization  of  telecommunications  equipment
constrained  the  development  of  the  region's  information  systems  and  its
integration  into  Russia's  communications  network.  Construction  of the  new
fiber-optic line enables the Kaliningrad  region to implement  projects aimed at
the creation of an  information  society,  including  tracking the  trans-border
movement  of people and goods,  ensuring  widespread  access to  information  on
public   services,   development   of   telemedicine   and   remote   education,
implementation  of  which  is  provided  for in the  federal  Electronic  Russia
(E-Russia) program."

     Commenting on the  introduction of the new trunk  telecommunications  line,
Rostelecom's General Director, Dmitry Y. Yerokhin, said, "Implementation of this
project enabled us to digitalize  Kaliningrad's trunk network and to ensure high
quality  telecom  connections  between  this region and the rest of Russia.  The
introduction of the fiber-optic line and international  switching center creates
the opportunity for substantial domestic and international long-distance traffic
growth,  dynamic  development  of  the  Internet  network  and  more  aggressive
introduction of new services in the region."





For further details please contact

Anna Kareva
Director for Public and Investor Relations
Tel.: 973 9920
Fax: 787 2850
e-mail: kareva@hq.rt.ru