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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549
 Form 10-Q QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF
THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2005 (Commission file number: 0-27423) Golden Telecom, Inc.  Delaware
    
    51-0391303(State of incorporation)
    
    (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
 Representation Office Golden TeleServices, Inc.
1 Kozhevnichesky Proezd
Moscow, Russia 115114
(Address of principal executive office) (011-7-501) 797-9300
(Registrants telephone number, including area code) Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed
by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or
for such shorter period that the registrants were required to file such reports), and (2) has been
subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes þ No o Indicate by checkmark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Exchange
Act Rule 12b-2). Yes þ No o At April 27, 2005 there were 36,324,490 outstanding shares of common stock of the
registrant.




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TABLE OF CONTENTS PagePART I.
    
    FINANCIAL INFORMATIONItem 1
    
    Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements of Golden Telecom, Inc. (unaudited)
    
    
    3Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2004 and March 31, 2005
    
    
    3Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2004 and 2005
    
    
    5Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2004 and 2005
    
    
    6Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
    
    
    7Item 2
    
    Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations *
    
    
    14Item 3
    
    Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
    
    
    27Item 4
    
    Controls and Procedures
    
    
    27Item 5
    
    Other information
    
    
    27PART II.
    
    OTHER INFORMATIONItem 6
    
    Exhibits
    
    
    28Signatures
    
    
    
    
    29
   *
    
    Please refer to the special note regarding
forward-looking statements in this section.Certification of PEO Pursuant to Section 302Certification of PFO Pursuant to Section 302Certification of CEO Pursuant to Section 906Certification of CFO Pursuant to Section 906 2




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PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION 
 Item 1. Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements of Golden Telecom, Inc. GOLDEN TELECOM, INC. 
 CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (In Thousands of US$, Except Share Data)
 December 31,
    
    
    March 31,2004
    
    
    2005(audited)
    
    
    (unaudited)ASSETSCURRENT ASSETSCash and cash equivalents
    
    $
    53,699
    
    
    $
    62,672Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of
$23,205 and $25,530 at December 31, 2004 and March 31, 2005, respectively
    
    
    89,177
    
    
    
    95,106VAT receivable
    
    
    19,022
    
    
    
    18,988Prepaid expenses and advances to suppliers
    
    
    13,793
    
    
    
    12,140Deferred tax asset
    
    
    7,863
    
    
    
    8,874Other current assets
    
    
    16,738
    
    
    
    20,848TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS
    
    
    200,292
    
    
    
    218,628Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation of $185,781
and $199,649 at December 31, 2004 and March 31, 2005, respectively
    
    
    347,891
    
    
    
    352,269Goodwill and intangible assets:Goodwill
    
    
    146,254
    
    
    
    146,254Intangible assets, net of accumulated amortization of $41,999 and $46,525 at
December 31, 2004 and March 31, 2005, respectively
    
    
    101,316
    
    
    
    97,866Net goodwill and intangible assets
    
    
    247,570
    
    
    
    244,120Restricted cash
    
    
    1,012
    
    
    
    1,016Other non-current assets
    
    
    9,003
    
    
    
    8,528TOTAL ASSETS
    
    $
    805,768
    
    
    $
    824,561
 See notes to condensed consolidated financial statements. 3




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GOLDEN TELECOM, INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(In Thousands of US$, Except Share Data) December 31,
    
    
    March 31,2004
    
    
    2005(audited)
    
    
    (unaudited)LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS EQUITYCURRENT LIABILITIESAccounts payable and accrued expenses
    
    $
    81,474
    
    
    $
    86,029VAT payable
    
    
    14,235
    
    
    
    15,322Current capital lease obligation
    
    
    2,301
    
    
    
    2,234Deferred revenue
    
    
    11,761
    
    
    
    12,856Due to affiliates and related parties
    
    
    3,199
    
    
    
    2,921Other current liabilities
    
    
    3,572
    
    
    
    3,228TOTAL CURRENT LIABILITIES
    
    
    116,542
    
    
    
    122,590Long-term debt, less current portion
    
    
    200
    
    
    
    253Long-term deferred tax liability
    
    
    24,244
    
    
    
    23,933Long-term deferred revenue
    
    
    23,124
    
    

    
    25,351Long-term capital lease obligations
    
    
    1,538
    
    
    
    972Other non-current liabilities
    
    
    2,001
    
    
    
    10TOTAL LIABILITIES
    
    
    167,649
    
    
    
    173,109Minority interest
    
    
    11,738
    
    
    
    12,284SHAREHOLDERS EQUITYPreferred stock, $0.01 par value (10,000,000 shares
authorized; none issued and outstanding at December 31, 2004
and March 31, 2005)
    
    
    
    
    
    
    Common stock, $0.01 par value (100,000,000 shares authorized;
36,322,490 and 36,324,490 shares issued and outstanding at December 31,
2004 and March 31, 2005, respectively)
    
    
    363
    
    
    
    363Additional paid-in capital
    
    
    669,777
    
    
    
    669,801Accumulated deficit
    
    
    (43,759
    )
    
    
    (30,996
    )TOTAL SHAREHOLDERS EQUITY
    
    
    626,381
    
    
    
    639,168TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS EQUITY
    
    $
    805,768
    
    
    $
    824,561
 See notes to condensed consolidated financial statements. 4




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GOLDEN TELECOM, INC. 
 CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (In Thousands of US$, Except Per Share Data)
 (unaudited)
 Three Months EndedMarch 31,2004
    
    
    2005REVENUE:Telecommunication services
    
    $
    132,580
    
    
    $
    155,598Revenue from affiliates and related parties
    
    
    594
    
    
    
    867TOTAL REVENUE
    
    
    133,174
    
    
    
    156,465OPERATING COSTS AND EXPENSES:Access and network services (excluding depreciation
and amortization)
    
    
    68,279
    
    
    
    79,997Selling, general and administrative (excluding
depreciation and amortization)
    
    
    26,393
    
    
    
    27,586Depreciation and amortization
    
    
    17,368
    
    
    
    19,721TOTAL OPERATING COSTS AND EXPENSES
    
    
    112,040
    
    
    
    127,304INCOME FROM OPERATIONS
    
    
    21,134
    
    
    
    29,161OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE):Equity in losses of ventures
    
    
    
    
    
    
    (98
    )Interest income
    
    
    269
    
    
    
    376Interest expense
    
    
    (195
    )
    
    
    (87
    )Foreign currency gain
    
    
    827
    
    
    
    364TOTAL OTHER INCOME
    
    
    901
    
    
    
    555Income before minority interest and income taxes
    
    
    22,035
    
    
    
    29,716Minority interest
    
    
    315
    
    
    
    546Income taxes
    
    
    7,069
    
    
    
    9,143NET INCOME
    
    $
    14,651
    
    
    $
    20,027Basic earnings per share of common stock:Net income per share  basic
    
    $
    0.41
    
    
    $
    0.55Weighted average common shares  basic
    
    
    36,045
    
    
    
    36,324Diluted earnings per share of common stock:Net income per share  diluted
    
    $
    0.40
    
    
    $
    0.55Weighted average common shares  diluted
    
    
    36,507
    
    
    
    36,575Cash dividends per common share
    
    $
    0.20
    
    
    $
    0.20
 See notes to condensed consolidated financial statements. 5




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GOLDEN TELECOM, INC. 
 CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (In Thousands of US$)
 (unaudited)
 Three Months Ended March 31,2004
    
    
    2005OPERATING ACTIVITIESNet income
    
    $
    14,651
    
    
    $
    20,027Adjustments to Reconcile Net Income to Net Cash Provided by
Operating Activities:Depreciation
    
    
    12,964
    
    
    
    15,182Amortization
    
    
    4,404
    
    
    
    4,539Equity in losses of ventures
    
    
    
    
    
    
    98Foreign currency gain
    
    
    (827
    )
    
    
    (364
    )Bad debt expense
    
    
    1,179
    
    
    
    2,609Other
    
    
    (827
    )
    
    
    (878
    )Changes in assets and liabilities:Accounts receivable
    
    
    (11,674
    )
    
    
    (8,215
    )Accounts payable and accrued expenses
    
    
    12,561
    
    
    
    6,182VAT, net
    
    
    846
    
    
    
    1,126Other changes in assets and liabilities
    
    
    (3,754
    )
    
    
    (1,385
    )NET CASH PROVIDED BY OPERATING ACTIVITIES
    
    
    29,523
    
    
    
    38,921INVESTING ACTIVITIESPurchases of property and equipment and intangible assets
    
    
    (25,887
    )
    
    
    (21,717
    )Acquisitions, net of cash acquired
    
    
    (4,215
    )
    
    
    (946
    )Restricted cash
    
    
    (2
    )
    
    
    (4
    )Other investing
    
    
    26
    
    
    
    455NET CASH USED IN INVESTING ACTIVITIES
    
    
    (30,078
    )
    
    
    (22,212
    )FINANCING ACTIVITIES:Net proceeds from exercise of employee stock options
    
    
    2,079
    
    
    
    24Cash dividends paid
    
    
    (7,223
    )
    
    
    (7,264
    )Other financing
    
    
    (1,121
    )
    
    
    (633
    )NET CASH USED IN FINANCING ACTIVITIES
    
    
    (6,265
    )
    
    
    (7,873
    )Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents
    
    
    299
    
    
    
    137Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents
    
    
    (6,521
    )
    
    
    8,973Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period
    
    
    65,180
    
    
    
    53,699CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS AT END OF PERIOD
    
    $
    58,659
    
    
    $
    62,672
 See notes to condensed consolidated financial statements. 6




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GOLDEN TELECOM, INC. 
 NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS Note 1: Basis of Presentation Golden Telecom, Inc. (the Company) is a provider of a broad range of telecommunication
services to businesses, other telecommunications service providers and consumers. The Company
provides these services through its operation of voice, Internet and data networks, international
gateways, local access and various value-added services in the Commonwealth of Independent States
(CIS), primarily in Russia, and through its fixed line and mobile operations in Ukraine. The financial statements included herein are unaudited and have been prepared in accordance
with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (US GAAP) for
interim financial reporting and United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
regulations. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in complete financial
statements prepared in accordance with US GAAP and SEC rules and regulations have been condensed or
omitted pursuant to such US GAAP and SEC rules and regulations. In the opinion of management, the
financial statements reflect all adjustments of a normal and recurring nature necessary to present
fairly the Companys financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the interim
periods. These financial statements should be read in conjunction with the Companys 2004 audited
consolidated financial statements and the notes related thereto. The results of operations for the
three months ended March 31, 2005 may not be indicative of the operating results for the full year. Note 2: Summary of Significant Accounting Policies and New Accounting Pronouncements Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Goodwill and Intangible Assets The total gross carrying value and accumulated amortization of the Companys intangible assets
by major intangible asset class is as follows: As of December 31, 2004
    
    
    As of March 31, 2005(in thousands)Accumulated
    
    
    
    
    
    
    AccumulatedCost
    
    
    Amortization
    
    
    Cost
    
    
    AmortizationAmortized intangible assets:Telecommunications service contracts
    
    $
    92,250
    
    
    $
    (21,917
    )
    
    $
    92,464
    
    
    $
    (24,217
    )Contract-based customer relationships
    
    
    36,849
    
    
    
    (10,883
    )
    
    
    36,849
    
    
    
    (12,740
    )Licenses
    
    
    4,358
    
    
    
    (2,515
    )
    
    
    5,169
    
    
    
    (2,676
    )Other intangible assets
    
    
    9,858
    
    
    
    (6,684
    )
    
    
    9,909
    
    
    
    (6,892
    )Total
    
    $
    143,315
    
    
    $
    (41,999
    )
    
    $
    144,391
    
    
    $
    (46,525
    )
 Other intangible assets include software, Internet software and related content, as well
as other intangible assets. Comprehensive Income Comprehensive income is defined as the change in equity of a business enterprise during a
period from non-owner sources. For the three months ended March 31, 2004 and 2005, respectively,
comprehensive income for the Company is equal to net income. 7




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GOLDEN TELECOM, INC. NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  (Continued) Stock-Based Compensation The Company follows the provisions of Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (SFAS) No.
123, Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation, for its Equity Participation Plan. SFAS No. 123
establishes a fair value method of accounting for employee stock options and similar equity
instruments. The fair value method requires compensation cost to be measured at the grant date
based on the value of the award and to be recognized over the service period. SFAS No. 123
generally allows companies to either account for stock-based compensation under the fair value
method of SFAS No. 123 or under the intrinsic value method of APB No. 25, Accounting for Stock
Issued to Employees. The Company has elected to account for its stock-based compensation in
accordance with the provisions of APB No. 25 and to present pro forma disclosures of results of
operations as if the fair value method had been adopted. The effect of applying SFAS No. 123 on the reported net income, as disclosed below is not
representative of the effect on net income in future periods due to the vesting period of the stock
options and the fair value of additional stock options in future periods. Three Months EndedMarch 31,2004
    
    
    2005(in thousands, except per share data)Net income, as reported
    
    $
    14,651
    
    
    $
    20,027Deduct: total stock-based employee compensation
expense determined under fair value based method
for all awards, net of related tax effects
    
    
    440
    
    
    
    181Pro forma net income
    
    $
    14,211
    
    
    $
    19,846Net income per share:Basic  as reported
    
    $
    0.41
    
    
    $
    0.55Basic  pro forma
    
    
    0.39
    
    
    
    0.55Diluted  as reported
    
    
    0.40
    
    
    
    0.55Diluted  pro forma
    
    
    0.39
    
    
    
    0.54
 Income Taxes The Company accounts for income taxes using the liability method required by SFAS No. 109,
Accounting for Income Taxes. For interim reporting purposes, the Company also follows the
provisions of Accounting Principles Board No. 28, Interim Financial Reporting, which requires the
Company to account for income taxes based on the Companys best estimate of the effective tax rate
expected to be applicable for the full fiscal year on a current year-to-date basis. The rate so
determined is based on the currently enacted tax rates of the Company in the United States and the
Companys subsidiaries in Russia and other CIS countries and includes the Companys best estimate
of the annual tax effect of non-deductible expenses, primarily related to amortization of
intangible assets, foreign exchange and other permanent differences as well as estimates as to the
realization of certain deferred tax assets. Deferred income taxes result from temporary
differences between the tax basis of assets and liabilities and the basis as reported in the
consolidated financial statements. The Company does not provide for deferred taxes on the
undistributed earnings of its foreign subsidiaries, as such earnings are generally intended to be
reinvested in those operations permanently. In the case of non-consolidated entities where our partner requests that a dividend be paid, the amounts are not expected to have a
material impact on the Companys income tax liability. It is not practical to determine the amount
of unrecognized deferred tax liability for such reinvested earnings. Use of Estimates in Preparation of Financial Statements The preparation of these consolidated financial statements, in conformity with US GAAP,
requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect amounts in the financial
statements and accompanying notes and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the
reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. 8




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GOLDEN TELECOM, INC. NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  (Continued) Comparative Figures Certain 2004 amounts have been reclassified to conform to the presentation adopted in the
current year. New Accounting Pronouncements In December 2004, Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Statement on Financial
Accounting Standard (SFAS) No. 123R, Share Based Payment, which is a revision of SFAS No. 123,
Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation SFAS No. 123R supersedes APB No. 25, Accounting for
Stock Issued to Employees and amends SFAS No. 95, Statement of Cash Flows. Under SFAS No. 123R,
companies must calculate and record the cost of equity instruments, such as stock options or
restricted stock, awarded to employees for services received in the income statement; pro forma
disclosure is no longer permitted. The cost of the equity instruments is to be measured based on
the fair value of the instruments on the date they are granted (with certain exceptions) and is
required to be recognized over the period during which the employees are required to provide
services in exchange for the equity instruments. SFAS No. 123R is effective in the first annual
reporting period beginning after June 15, 2005. SFAS No. 123R provides two alternatives for adoption: (1) a modified prospective method in
which compensation cost is recognized for all awards granted subsequent to the effective date of
this statement as well as for the unvested portion of awards outstanding as of the effective date
and (2) a modified retrospective method which follows the approach in the modified prospective
method, but also permits entities to restate prior periods to reflect compensation cost calculated
under SFAS No. 123 for pro forma amounts disclosure. The Company plans to adopt SFAS No. 123R
using the modified prospective method. As the Company currently accounts for share based payments
to employees in accordance with the intrinsic value method permitted under Accounting Principles
Board No. 25, no compensation expense is recognized. On March 30, 2005, the SEC released Staff
Accounting Bulletin No. 107, Share Based Payments, (SAB 107), which expresses the views of the
SEC staff regarding the application of SFAS No. 123R. The impact of adopting SFAS No. 123R and
SAB 107 cannot be accurately estimated at this time, as it will depend on the amount of share based
awards granted in future periods. However, had the Company adopted SFAS No. 123R and SAB 107 in a
prior period, the impact would approximate the impact of SFAS No. 123 as described in the
disclosure of pro forma net income and earnings per share. SFAS No. 123R also requires that tax
benefits received in excess of compensation cost be reclassified from an operating cash flow to a
financing cash flow in the Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows. This change in classification will
reduce net operating cash flows and increase net financing cash flows
in the periods after adoption. In March 2005, the FASB issued FASB Interpretation No. 47 (FIN No. 47), Accounting for
Conditional Assets Retirement Obligations. FIN No. 47 clarifies that an entity must record a
liability for a conditional asset retirement obligation if the fair value of the obligation can
be reasonably estimated. FIN No. 47 is effective no later than the end of the fiscal year ending
December 15, 2005. The Company does not expect that the adoption
of FIN No. 47 will have a material
effect on the financial position, results of operations, or cash flow. Note 3: Net Earnings Per Share Basic earnings per share at March 31, 2004 and 2005 is computed on the basis of the weighted
average number of common shares outstanding. Diluted earnings per share at March 31, 2004 and 2005
is computed on the basis of the weighted average number of common shares outstanding plus the
effect of outstanding employee stock options using the treasury stock method. The number of stock
options excluded from the diluted earnings per share computation, because their effect was
antidilutive for the three months ended March 31, 2004 and 2005, was 10,000 stock options. 9




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GOLDEN TELECOM, INC. NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  (Continued) The components of basic and diluted earnings per share were as follows: Three Months EndedMarch 31,2004
    
    
    2005(in thousands, except per share data)Net income
    
    $
    14,651
    
    
    $
    20,027Weighted average outstanding of:Common stock shares
    
    
    36,045
    
    
    
    36,324Dilutive effect of:Employee stock options
    
    
    462
    
    
    
    251Common stock and common stock equivalents
    
    
    36,507
    
    
    
    36,575Earnings per share:Basic
    
    $
    0.41
    
    
    $
    0.55Diluted
    
    $
    0.40
    
    
    $
    0.55
 Note 4: Business Combinations In March 2005, the Company completed the acquisition of 75% ownership interest in OOO Daicom
(Daicom), an early stage wireless broadband enterprise, for approximately $0.5 million in cash.
In conjunction with the acquisition, the Company entered into a participants agreement whereby the
Company agreed to provide a secured loan to finance Diacoms initial working capital requirements.
The amount of this secured loan has not yet been determined. The participants agreement also
provided the seller with a put option that, if exercised, would require the Company to purchase the
sellers remaining 25% interest at fair market value. In addition, the participants agreement
provided the Company with a call option that, if exercised, would require the seller to sell after
February 1, 2008 the sellers 25% interest in Diacom at any time beginning after February 1, 2008,
if Diacoms valuation exceeds targeted levels by February 1, 2008. In March 2005, the Company expensed approximately $1.0 million in external legal, financial
and consulting fees related to an acquisition opportunity the Company decided not to pursue,
including advisory fees of approximately $0.1 million paid to an affiliate of Alfa Telecom Limited,
a significant shareholder of the Company. Note 5: Shareholders Equity Common Stock The Companys outstanding shares of common stock increased by 259,162 shares and 2,000 shares
in the three months ended March 31, 2004 and 2005, respectively, which shares were issued in
connection with the exercise of employee stock options. Dividends In February 2005, the Board of Directors of the Company declared a cash dividend of $0.20 per
common share to shareholders of record as of March 17, 2005. The Company paid the total amount
payable of approximately $7.3 million to shareholders on March 31, 2005. 10




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GOLDEN TELECOM, INC. NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  (Continued) Note 6: Commitments and Contingencies Tax Matters The Companys wholly-owned subsidiary, Sovintel, is engaged in litigation with the Russian tax
inspectorate in regard to claims against OAO Comincom (Comincom) and OAO Combellga (Combellga),
both of which merged into Sovintel on December 1, 2004, issued by the tax inspectorate on July 8,
2004 and September 1, 2004, respectively. In accordance with the tax inspectorate decision,
Comincom and Combellga are required to pay additional taxes, fines and penalties in the amount
equal to approximately $5.5 million for years ended December 31, 2001 and 2002. Comincom and
Combellga filed lawsuits against the tax inspectorate disputing the claims, and the court ruled in
favor of the Company in both cases by dismissing the tax inspectorates claims on January 21, 2005
and December 20, 2004, respectively. The Company expects that the tax inspectorate will appeal
this decision. The term for last appeal expires in May 2005. The Company does not consider an
unfavorable outcome of this matter probable at this time. While the Company intends to defend its
position vigorously, it is difficult to predict with any degree of certainty the ultimate outcome
of this litigation due to the state of the Russian judicial system. Since the tax claims relate to
periods before the Company acquired 100% of shares of Comincom, they are covered by the
indemnification provisions of the Share Exchange Agreement between the Company and Nye Telenor East
Invest (Telenor). Therefore, in case of an unfavorable outcome of this litigation, the Company
intends to seek indemnification from Telenor. In March 2005, the Company reversed a $2.0 million accrued liability related to estimated
taxes, including $0.6 million related to income taxes. This accrued liability was recorded upon
the acquisition of one of the Companys Russian subsidiaries. Management has concluded that the
probability of this accrued liability arising in the future is remote due to the expiry of Russian
regulatory statutes of limitations for any potential tax claims from the Russian tax inspectorate.
The net effect of the reversal of this accrued liability was $1.4 million reduction in selling,
general and administrative expenses in the three months ended March 31, 2005 and $0.6 million
reduction in intangible assets for the portion associated with income tax. The Companys policy is to accrue for contingencies in the accounting period in which a
liability is deemed probable and the amount is reasonably determinable. In this regard, because of
uncertainties associated with Commonwealth of Independent States taxes (CIS Taxes), the Companys
final CIS Taxes may be in excess of the estimated amount expensed to date and accrued at March 31,
2005. It is the opinion of management that the ultimate resolution of the Companys CIS Tax
liability, to the extent not previously provided for, will not have a material effect on the
financial condition of the Company. However, depending on the amount and timing of an unfavorable
resolution of any contingencies associated with CIS Taxes, it is possible that the Companys future
results of operations or cash flows could be materially affected in a particular period. Russian Environment and Current Economic Situation The Russian economy, while deemed to be of market status beginning in 2002, continues to
display certain traits consistent with that of a market in transition. These characteristics have
in the past included higher than normal historic inflation, lack of liquidity in the capital
markets, and the existence of currency controls which cause the national currency to be illiquid
outside of Russia. The continued success and stability of the Russian economy will be significantly
impacted by the governments continued actions with regard to supervisory, legal, and economic
reforms. On January 1, 2004, the new law On Telecommunications (the New Law) came into effect in
Russia. While most of the supporting regulations to implement the New Law have not been enacted,
the Russian government approved in March 2005 new rules for interconnection (Interconnection
Rules) that affect various areas of the telecommunications industry in Russia. The Company
believes that the Interconnection Rules will impact the Companys operations in the areas of
numbering capacity, licenses for international long distance traffic, voice over Internet Protocol
traffic, and interconnect pricing. In addition, the New Law creates a universal service charge,
effective July 1, 2005, calculated as 1.2% of revenue from
services provided to customers, excluding interconnection and other
operators traffic routing revenue. The Company is awaiting
implementing rules from the government that will detail specifics of
the universal service charge and the ability to provide services
under the universal service fund. 11




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GOLDEN TELECOM, INC. NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  (Continued) On
March 5, 2005, the Company submitted an application for an intercity and international
telecommunications license in Russia. According to the application
procedures, Rossvyaznadzor, a governmental body reporting to the
Russian Ministry of Communications and responsible for the control
and supervision of information technology and communications, has 75 days to respond to the application. If the
license is granted and if the Company affirmatively decides to utilize the license, the Company has
committed to Rossvyaznadzor to satisfy the network requirements specified in the Interconnection
Rules within 18 months of accepting the license. The comprehensive interpretation and
implementation of the Interconnection Rules are subject to and dependent upon pending regulations
yet to be released by the Russian government. These include Regulations of the Register of
Incumbents, Rules of Price Establishment for Interconnection and Traffic Routing, Regulations of
Network Design, Rules of Non-Discriminatory Access to Infrastructure, and Calling Party Pays
Regulations. Other Commitments and Contingencies In the ordinary course of business, the Company has issued financial guarantees of debt for
the benefit of certain of the Companys equity investees, which is all collateralized by cash. The
Company expects that all the collateralized debt will be repaid by the equity investees. The Company has future purchase commitments of $69.0 million and $83.6 million as of March 31,
2004 and 2005, respectively. These purchase commitments primarily include the Companys contractual
legal obligations for the future purchase of equipment, interconnect, and satellite transponder
capacity. In the ordinary course of business, the Company may be party to various legal and tax
proceedings, and subject to claims, certain of which relate to the developing markets and evolving
fiscal and regulatory environments in which the Company operates. In the opinion of management, the
Companys liability, if any, in all pending litigation, other legal proceeding or other matters,
will not have a material effect upon the financial condition, results of operations or liquidity of
the Company. Note 7: Segment Information Line Of Business Data The Company operates in four segments within the telecommunications industry. The four
segments are: (1) Business and Corporate Services; (2) Carrier and Operator Services; (3) Consumer
Internet Services; and (4) Mobile Services. The following tables present financial information for
both consolidated subsidiaries and equity investee ventures, segmented by the Companys lines of
businesses for the three months ended March 31, 2004 and 2005, respectively. Transfers between
lines of businesses are included in the adjustments to reconcile segment to consolidated results.
The Company evaluates performance based on the operating income (loss) of each strategic business
unit, among other performance measures. In accordance with SFAS No. 131, Disclosures about
Segments of an Enterprise and Related Information, the Company has presented the following four
segments consistent with the information used by the chief operating decision maker to manage the
operations for purposes of making operating decisions and allocating resources. 12




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GOLDEN TELECOM, INC. NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  (Continued) Adjustments to ReconcileBusiness Segment toConsolidated ResultsBusiness
    
    
    Carrier
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    Business
    
    
    
    
    
    
    Equityand
    
    
    and
    
    
    Consumer
    
    
    Mobile
    
    
    Corporate &
    
    
    Segment
    
    
    Consolidated
    
    
    Method
    
    
    AffiliateCorporate
    
    
    Operator
    
    
    Internet
    
    
    Services
    
    
    Eliminations
    
    
    Total
    
    
    Results
    
    
    Ventures
    
    
    Adjustments(in thousands)Three Months Ended
March 31, 2004Revenue from external
customers
    
    $
    72,943
    
    
    $
    45,522
    
    
    $
    11,138
    
    
    $
    3,614
    
    
    $
    
    
    
    $
    133,217
    
    
    $
    133,174
    
    
    $
    (1,238
    )
    
    $
    1,195Intersegment revenue
    
    
    
    
    
    
    144
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    (144
    )
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    Operating income (loss)
    
    
    16,433
    
    
    
    6,149
    
    
    
    953
    
    
    
    824
    
    
    
    (3,175
    )
    
    
    21,184
    
    
    
    21,134
    
    
    
    (50
    )
    
    
    Identifiable assets
    
    
    412,988
    
    
    
    255,840
    
    
    
    56,691
    
    
    
    5,860
    
    
    
    37,177
    
    
    
    768,556
    
    
    
    764,754
    
    
    
    (3,802
    )
    
    
    Capital expenditures
    
    
    20,741
    
    
    
    8,860
    
    
    
    900
    
    
    
    313
    
    
    
    16
    
    
    
    30,830
    
    
    
    30,595
    
    
    
    (235
    )
    
    
    
 Adjustments to ReconcileBusiness Segment toConsolidated ResultsBusiness
    
    
    Carrier
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    Business
    
    
    
    
    
    
    Equityand
    
    
    and
    
    
    Consumer
    
    
    Mobile
    
    
    Corporate &
    
    
    Segment
    
    
    Consolidated
    
    
    Method
    
    
    AffiliateCorporate
    
    
    Operator
    
    
    Internet
    
    
    Services
    
    
    Eliminations
    
    
    Total
    
    
    Results
    
    
    Ventures
    

    
    Adjustments(in thousands)Three Months Ended
March 31, 2005Revenue from external
customers
    
    $
    88,087
    
    
    $
    52,979
    
    
    $
    11,784
    
    
    $
    3,623
    
    
    $
    
    
    
    $
    156,473
    
    
    $
    156,465
    
    
    $
    (551
    )
    
    $
    543Intersegment revenue
    
    
    
    
    
    
    8
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    (8
    )
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    Operating income (loss)
    
    
    23,194
    
    
    
    7,745
    
    
    
    1,716
    
    
    
    1,091
    
    
    
    (4,632
    )
    
    
    29,114
    
    
    
    29,161
    
    
    
    47
    
    
    
    Identifiable assets
    
    
    449,927
    
    
    
    275,819
    
    
    
    58,503
    
    
    
    4,560
    
    
    
    39,390
    
    
    
    828,199
    
    
    
    824,561
    
    
    
    (3,638
    )
    
    
    Capital expenditures
    
    
    14,111
    
    
    
    5,387
    
    
    
    946
    
    
    
    97
    
    
    
    89
    
    
    
    20,630
    
    
    
    20,625
    
    
    
    (5
    )
    
    
    
 Included in Consumer Internet operating income is the impact of the reversal of an
accrued liability related to estimated taxes, as discussed in note 6. Geographic Data Revenues from external customers are based on the location of the operating company providing
the service. The Company operated within two main geographic regions of the CIS: Russia and Ukraine.
Geographic information as of March 31, 2004 and 2005 is as follows: Corporate,OtherCountries &
    
    
    ConsolidatedRussia
    
    
    Ukraine
    
    
    Eliminations
    
    
    Results(in thousands)Three months ended
March 31, 2004Revenue
    
    $
    120,582
    
    
    $
    13,421
    
    
    $
    (829
    )
    
    $
    133,174Long-lived assets
    
    
    526,710
    
    
    
    25,035
    
    
    
    5,635
    
    
    
    557,380Three months ended
March 31, 2005Revenue
    
    $
    139,493
    
    
    $
    17,553
    
    
    $
    (581
    )
    
    $
    156,465Long-lived assets
    
    
    565,693
    
    
    
    27,757
    
    
    
    10,523
    
    
    
    603,973
 13




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ITEM 2.Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations The following discussion and analysis relates to our financial condition and results of
operations for each of the three months ended March 31, 2005 and 2004. This discussion should be
read in conjunction with our Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements and the notes related
thereto appearing elsewhere in this Report. Overview We are a leading facilities-based provider of integrated telecommunication and Internet
services in major population centers throughout Russia and other countries of the Commonwealth of
Independent States (CIS). We offer voice, data and Internet services to corporations, operators
and consumers using our metropolitan overlay network in major cities including Moscow, Kiev, St.
Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Samara, Kaliningrad, Krasnoyarsk, Almaty, and Tashkent, and via
leased channels and intercity fiber optic and satellite-based networks, including approximately 227 access points in
Russia and other countries of the CIS. In addition, we offer mobile services in Kiev and Odessa. We organize our operations into four business segments, as follows:  
    Business and Corporate Services (BCS). Using leased channels and our fiber optic and
satellite-based networks in and between major metropolitan areas of Russia, Ukraine and
other countries of the CIS, we provide business and corporate services including voice and
data services to corporate clients across all geographical markets and all industry
segments, other than telecommunications operators;
    Carrier and Operator Services.Using leased channels and our fiber optic and
satellite-based networks in and between major metropolitan areas of Russia, Ukraine and
other countries of the CIS, we provide a range of carrier and operator services including
voice and data services to foreign and Russian telecommunications and mobile operators;
    Consumer Internet Services.We provide dial-up Internet access to the consumer market and
web content offered through a family of Internet portals throughout Russia, Ukraine,
Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan; and
    Mobile Services. Using our mobile networks in Kiev and Odessa, Ukraine, we provide mobile
services with value-added features, such as voicemail, roaming and messaging services on a
subscription and prepaid basis. We intend, wherever possible, to offer all of our integrated telecommunication services under
the Golden Telecom brand name, although, some services still carry local brand names because of
recent acquisitions. Our dial-up Internet services are distributed under the ROL brand name in
Russia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan and under the Svit-On-Line brand name in Ukraine. Most of our revenue is derived from high-volume business customers and carriers. Our business
customers include large multi-national companies, local enterprises, financial institutions, hotels
and government agencies. We believe that the carriers, including mobile operators, which contribute
a substantial portion of our revenues, in turn derive a portion of their business from high-volume
business customers. Thus, we believe that the majority of our ultimate end-users are businesses
that require access to highly reliable and advanced telecommunications facilities to sustain their
operations. Traditionally, we have competed for customers on the basis of network quality, customer
service and range of services offered. In the past several years, other telecommunications
operators have also introduced high quality services to the segments of the business market in
which we operate. Competition with these operators is intense and frequently results in declining
prices for some of our services, which adversely affects our revenues. In addition, some of our
competitors do not link their prices to the United States dollar (USD) to ruble exchange rate, so
when the ruble devalues, their prices effectively become lower in relation to our prices. The ruble
exchange rate with the USD has become relatively stable since early 2000 and appreciated in 2004
and during the first quarter of 2005 so price pressures associated with devaluation have eased
considerably. We cannot be certain that the exchange rate will remain stable in the future and
therefore we may experience additional price pressures. 14




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Recent Acquisitions In March 2005, we completed the acquisition of 75% ownership interest in OOO Daicom
(Daicom), an early-stage wireless broadband enterprise, for approximately $0.5 million in cash.
In conjunction with this acquisition, we also entered into a participants agreement whereby we
agreed to provide a secured loan to finance Daicoms initial working capital requirements. The
amount of this secured loan has not yet been determined. In addition, the participants agreement
also provided the seller with a put option that, if exercised, would require us to purchase the
sellers 25% interest at fair market value. The participants agreement provided us with a call
option that, if exercised, would require the seller to sell after February 1, 2008 its 25% interest
in Daicom at any time beginning after February 1, 2008, if Daicoms valuation exceeds targeted
levels by February 1, 2008. Other Developments On January 1, 2004, the new law On Telecommunications (the New Law) came into effect in
Russia. While most of the supporting regulations to implement the New Law have not been enacted,
the Russian government approved in March of 2005 new rules for interconnection (Interconnection
Rules) that affect various areas of the telecommunications industry in Russia. We believe that
the Interconnection Rules will impact our business in the areas of capacity, licenses for
international long distance traffic, voice over IP (VoIP) traffic, and interconnect pricing. In
addition, the New Law creates a universal service charge, effective July 1, 2005, calculated as
1.2% of revenue from services provided to customers, excluding interconnection and other operators
traffic routing revenue. We are awaiting implementing rules from the
government that will detail specifics of the universal service charge
and the ability to provide services under the universal service fund. On March 5, 2005, we submitted an application for an intercity and international
telecommunications license in Russia. According to the application procedures, Rossvyaznadzor, a governmental body reporting to the
Russian Ministry of Communications and responsible for the control
and supervision of information technology and communications, has 75 days to respond to the application. If the
license is granted and if we affirmatively decide to utilize the license, we have committed to
Rossvyaznadzor to satisfy the network requirements specified in the Interconnection Rules within 18
months of accepting the license. The comprehensive interpretation and implementation of the
Interconnection Rules are subject to and dependent upon pending regulations yet to be released by
the Russian government. These include Regulations of the Register of Incumbents, Rules of Price
Establishment for Interconnection and Traffic Routing, Regulations of Network Design, Rules of
Non-Discriminatory Access to Infrastructure, and Calling Party Pays Regulations. Until these
regulations are finalized, we cannot predict with any certainty how the New Law will affect us. We
continue to have regular dialogue about these current regulatory issues with the Russian Ministry
of Telecommunications. In February 2005, we received notice from Vimpelcom, our largest customer, that it is
diverting a volume of traffic away from us pursuant to the telephone traffic routing provisions of
the Law On Communications and the General Scheme for operation of the Russian GSM Network
promulgated by the Russian Ministry of Telecommunications. In the first quarter of 2005, our
monthly revenues from Vimpelcom decreased by approximately $0.4 million due to this diversion of
traffic. At this point, we are in discussions with Vimpelcom and regulatory agencies and cannot
accurately predict what will be the impact of this issue on our operations going forward. Highlights and Outlook Since early 2000 we have witnessed a recovery in the Russian market, but downward pricing
pressures persist from increased competition and the global trend toward lower telecommunications
tariffs. In 2004 and during 2005, our traffic volume increases exceeded the reduction in tariffs on
certain types of voice traffic. This is a contributing factor to the increases in our revenue in
2004 and during 2005. We expect that this trend of year over year increases in traffic volume will
continue as long as the Russian economy continues to develop at its current pace. Although our
revenue growth is strong, our overall margins continue to be impacted by price increases for
services received from monopolistic incumbent operators. In order to handle additional traffic volumes, we have expanded and will continue to expand
our fiber optic capacity along our heavy traffic and high cost routes to mitigate declines in
traffic margins, reduce our unit transmission costs and ensure sufficient capacity to meet the
growing demand for data and Internet services. We expect to continue to add additional transmission
capacity, which due to its fixed cost nature can initially depress margins, but will over time
allow us to improve or maintain our margins. 15




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We continue to follow our strategy of regional expansion. The project for the construction of
the inter-city fiber optic link which we launched in the middle of 2004 will be continued into the
second half of 2005. At present, we are constructing an inter-city fiber optic link from Moscow to
Ufa through Nizhny Novgorod and Kazan. Subject to weather conditions, we expect that this
inter-city fiber optic link will be operational in the second half of 2005. To date, this
inter-city fiber optic link has been completed from Moscow to Noginsk
and from Ufa to Almatyevsk. We intend to connect our
operations in the European part of Russia to this backbone network and plan to invest a total of
approximately $40.0 million to $50.0 million in this and related backbone projects through 2007.
To date, we have invested approximately $8.7 million in these projects. A significant portion of our carrier revenue in Ukraine is generated from the Ukrainian
cellular operators large volumes of international and long distance traffic. Price and quality of
services are the primary factors in their purchase decision. In 2004, several Ukrainian cellular
operators, including Ukrainian Mobile Communications (UMC), received international
telecommunications licenses. Nevertheless, UMC, one of our largest customers, continued sending a
large volume of outgoing international traffic through our network in 2004 and during the first
quarter of 2005. However, in April 2005, UMC ceased routing such traffic through our network and
began directly terminating its traffic with international carriers. Therefore, we anticipate
carrier revenue will decrease accordingly in the second quarter of 2005 by approximately $0.5
million. We do not anticipate recognizing any international traffic revenue from UMC in future
periods. We
have seen a year over year increase in our dial-up Internet subscriber numbers
and we expect the number to continue to increase, as our base of regional subscribers expands. As
additional dial-up capacity becomes available in Moscow, we expect to increase our market share in
the capital as well. We continue to take advantage of consolidation opportunities through selective acquisitions.
In March 2005, we expensed approximately $1.0 million in external legal, financial and consulting
fees related to an acquisition opportunity that we decided not to
pursue, including advisory fees of approximately $0.1 million
paid to an affiliate of Alfa Telecom Limited, one
of our significant shareholders. The rapid growth of the telecommunications market in Russia, Ukraine, and the CIS is fueled by
macroeconomic growth and the inflow of direct foreign investment. We anticipate that the economic
growth in these markets will create additional demand for telecommunications services.
Additionally, in line with worldwide trends, we are starting to observe new customer demands for
more sophisticated telecommunications and Internet services as well as other new technologies. We
are responding to these customer demands by testing and implementing new technologies such as VoIP,
wireless local loop and high-speed consumer Internet. Such new technologies will remove some of
the barriers to access that some of our customers currently face. For example, with wireless local
loop, we can connect remote customers to our network by bypassing the incumbents wire network in
order to provide higher quality access. Our customers are willing to pay a premium for this type
of technology and customer service. In 2005, we continue to see growth opportunities organically, through select acquisitions, and
through the development of new product lines. While our research indicates the telecommunications
services sector growth in business segments in Moscow and St. Petersburg markets of fixed
telecommunications services will continue to grow, we believe that the bulk of our growth will come
from the key regions of Rostov-On-Don, Nizhny Novgorod, Samara, Ufa, Krasnoyarsk, Vladivostok,
Khabarovsk, and Ekaterinburg. We will continue to align the strategy of each of our business segments with market forces in
the countries where we operate. In BCS, our strategy is to defend and grow our market-share
through attractive service offerings supported by excellent customer care. We are focused on
expanding into the regions as well as the fast growing small and medium-sized enterprise or (SME)
and the small office / home office (SOHO) markets. In those cases where the potential SME and
SOHO customer is not on our network, our ability to fully benefit from growth in these market
segments largely depends on the regulatory situation and our ability to get access to the copper
and other infrastructure of the incumbent operators under reasonable terms and conditions. In
Carrier and Operator Services, our strategy focuses on partnering with more mobile operators in the
regions. We aim to provide mobile operators with the right solutions for their needs and thereby
benefit from mobile operator expansion and growth. We have also launched additional value-added
products for our carrier partners that strengthen our leading position in the Russian and CIS
markets. These new products are designed to offer best quality voice and data transport to
ensure greater customer loyalty while protecting margins. Our growth in Consumer Internet Services
indicates that our dial-up business continues to be very strong. However, we also recognize that
new technologies are making their way into Russia, Ukraine, and CIS. Thus, we continue to beta
test new technologies that will benefit consumers and allow us to strengthen our market position as
well as to up-sell to our existing dial-up customer base. A recent example of this is our
implementation of WiMax and WiFi in selected areas of Russia. Also, with low penetration of dial-up
services throughout the regions, we continue to see potential in the consumer Internet market. 16




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Critical Accounting Policies The fundamental objective of financial reporting is to provide useful information that allows
a reader to comprehend our business activities. To assist that understanding, management has
identified our critical accounting policies. These policies have the potential to have a
significant impact on our financial statements, either because of the significance of the financial
statement item to which they relate, or because they require judgment and estimation due to the
uncertainty involved in measuring, at a specific point in time, events which are continuous in
nature. Revenue recognition policies; we recognize operating revenues as services are rendered or as
products are delivered to customers and installed. Under multiple-delivery contracts, involving a
combination of product delivery, installation and maintenance, connection and service fees,
revenues are recognized based on the relative fair value of the respective amounts. Elements are
grouped if they are inseparable or objective evidence of fair value does not exist. Certain
revenues, such as connection and installation fees, are deferred. We also defer direct incremental
costs related to connection fees, not exceeding the revenue deferred. Deferred revenues are
subsequently recognized over the estimated average customer lives, which are periodically
reassessed by us, and such reassessment may impact our future operating results. In determining
the recording of revenue, estimates and assumptions are required in assessing the expected
conversion of the revenue streams to cash collected. Allowance for doubtful accounts policies; the allowance estimation process requires management
to make assumptions based on historical results, future expectations, the economic and competitive
environment, changes in the creditworthiness of our customers, and other relevant factors. Changes
in the underlying assumptions may have a significant impact on the results of our operations. In
particular, we have certain amounts due to and from subsidiaries of a European telecommunications
operator who is currently subject to bankruptcy proceedings. The ultimate resolution of this matter
will be affected by a number of factors including the determination of legal obligations of each
party, the course of the bankruptcy proceedings, and the enforceability of any determinations. We
have recognized provisions based on our preliminary estimate of net exposure on the resolution of
these receivables and payables. If our assessment proves to be incorrect we may have to recognize
an additional provision of up to $2.1 million, net of tax, although management believes that the
possibility of such an adverse outcome is remote. Long-lived asset recovery policies;this policy is in relation to long-lived assets,
consisting primarily of property and equipment and intangibles, which comprise a significant
portion of our total assets. Changes in technology or changes in our intended use of these assets
may cause the estimated period of use or the value of these assets to change. We perform periodic
internal studies to confirm the appropriateness of estimated economic useful lives for each
category of current property and equipment. Additionally, long-lived assets, including intangibles,
are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances have indicated that their
carrying amounts may not be recoverable. Estimates and assumptions used in both setting useful
lives and testing for recoverability of our long-lived assets require the exercise of managements
judgment and estimation based on certain assumptions concerning the expected life of any asset and
expected future cash flows from the use of an asset. Goodwill and assessment of impairment;Commencing from the adoption of Statement on Financial
Accounting Standard (SFAS) No. 142, Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets, on January 1, 2002,
we perform goodwill impairment testing annually as of October 1 or whenever impairment indicators
exist. This test requires a significant degree of judgment about the future events and it includes
determination of the reporting units, allocation of goodwill to the reporting units and comparison
of the fair value with the carrying amount of each reporting unit. Based on the discounted cash
flow valuations performed in 2004, we concluded that for all reporting units the fair value is in
excess of the respective carrying amounts. Valuation allowance for deferred tax asset;we record valuation allowances related to tax
effects of deductible temporary differences and loss carryforwards when, in the opinion of
management, it is more likely than not that the respective tax assets will not be realized.
Changes in our assessment of probability of realization of deferred tax assets may impact our
effective income tax rate. Business segment information;we report four segments within the telecommunications industry
designed around customer characteristics: Business and Corporate Services, Carrier and Operator
Services, Consumer Internet Services and Mobile Services. A significant portion of our cost
structure, including our investment in infrastructure, benefits multiple segments. As a result, we
perform allocations of certain costs in order to report business segment information for management
and financial reporting purposes. Applying different allocation techniques and
parameters could impact the reported results of individual business segments. 17




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Functional currency;We have determined in accordance with the functional currency criteria of
SFAS No. 52, Foreign Currency Translation, that the USD should be considered the functional
currency of all foreign subsidiaries. There are subjective elements in this determination,
including a weight given to each specific criteria established by SFAS No. 52. Changes in the
underlying business transactions could lead to different functional currency determination for a
particular subsidiary, which would have an impact on its reported financial position and results of
operations. Critical Accounting Estimates Accounting estimates are an integral part of the financial statements prepared by management
and are based upon managements current judgments. Certain accounting estimates are particularly
sensitive because of their significance to the financial statements and because of the possibility
that future events affecting them may differ markedly from managements current judgment. We
believe the following items represent such particularly sensitive accounting estimates: Allowance for doubtful accounts;any changes in the underlying assumptions of recoverability
of accounts receivable by respective aging group or certain specific accounts that are excluded
from the specific and general allowances could have a material effect on our current and future
results of operations. We believe that the allowance for doubtful accounts is adequate to cover
estimated losses in our accounts receivable balances under current conditions. Tax provisions;in the course of preparing financial statements in accordance with US GAAP, we
record potential tax loss provisions under the guidelines of SFAS No. 5, Accounting for
Contingencies. In general SFAS No. 5 requires loss contingencies to be recorded when they are
both probable and reasonably estimable. In addition, we record other deferred tax provisions under
the guidelines of SFAS No. 109, Accounting for Income Taxes. Significant judgment is required to
determine when such provisions should be recorded, and when facts and circumstances change, when
such provisions should be released. Useful lives of property and equipment and certain intangible assets;our network assets and
amortizable intangible assets are depreciated and amortized over periods generally ranging from
five to ten years. Any reduction or increase in the estimated useful lives for a particular
category of fixed assets or intangible assets could have a material effect on our future results of
operations. Business combinations;SFAS No. 141, Business Combinations, requires us to recognize the
share in the assets of businesses acquired and respective liabilities assumed based on their fair
values. Our estimates of the fair value of the identified intangible assets of businesses acquired
are based on our expectations of future results of operations of such businesses. Recent Accounting Pronouncements In December 2004, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued SFAS No. 123R,
Share Based Payment, which is a revision of SFAS No. 123, Accounting for Stock-Based
Compensation. SFAS No. 123R supersedes APB No. 25,
Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees and
amends SFAS No. 95, Statement of Cash Flows. Under SFAS No. 123R, companies must calculate and
record the cost of equity instruments, such as stock options or restricted stock, awarded to
employees for services received in the income statement; pro forma disclosure is no longer
permitted. The cost of the equity instruments is to be measured based on the fair value of the
instruments on the date they are granted (with certain exceptions) and is required to be recognized
over the period during which the employees are required to provide services in exchange for the
equity instruments. SFAS No. 123R is effective in the first annual reporting period beginning
after June 15, 2005. SFAS No. 123R provides two alternatives for adoption: (1) a modified prospective method in
which compensation cost is recognized for all awards granted subsequent to the effective date of
this statement as well as for the unvested portion of awards outstanding as of the effective date
and (2) a modified retrospective method which follows the approach in the modified prospective
method, but also permits entities to restate prior periods to reflect compensation cost calculated
under SFAS No. 123 for pro forma amounts disclosure. We plan to adopt SFAS No. 123R using the
modified prospective method. As we currently account for share based payments to employees in
accordance with the intrinsic value method permitted under Accounting Principles Board No. 25, no
compensation expense is recognized. On March 30, 2005, the SEC released Staff Accounting Bulletin
No. 107, Share Based Payments, (SAB 107), which expresses the views of the SEC staff regarding
the application of SFAS No. 123R. The impact of adopting SFAS No. 123R and SAB 107 cannot be
accurately estimated at this time, as it will depend on the amount of share based 18




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awards granted in future periods. However, had we adopted SFAS No. 123R and SAB 107 in a prior
period, the impact would approximate the impact of SFAS No. 123 as described in the disclosure of
pro forma net income and earnings per share. SFAS No. 123R also requires that tax benefits
received in excess of compensation cost be reclassified from an operating cash flow to a financing
cash flow in the Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows. This change in classification will reduce
net operating cash flows and increase net financing cash flows in the
periods after adoption. In March 2005, the FASB issued FASB Interpretation No. 47 (FIN No. 47), Accounting for
Conditional Assets Retirement Obligations. FIN No. 47 clarifies that an entity must record a
liability for a conditional asset retirement obligation if the fair value of the obligation can
be reasonably estimated. FIN No. 47 is effective no later than the end of the fiscal year ending
December 15, 2005. We do not expect that the adoption of FIN
No. 47 will have a material effect on our
financial position, results of operations, or cash flow. Results of Operations The results of our four business segments from the operations of our consolidated entities
combined with the non-consolidated entities where we are actively involved in the day-to-day
management, are shown in note 7 Segment Information  Line of Business Data to our consolidated
financial statements. In accordance with SFAS No. 131, Disclosures about Segments of an
Enterprise and Related Information, we have aligned our operating segments in the manner that the
chief operating decision maker manages the operations for purposes of making operating decisions
and allocating resources. According to Russian government estimates, inflation in Russia was 14% in 2003, 12% in 2004
and 5.3% for the three months ended March 31, 2005. The Russian government expects inflation to be
approximately 10% for the year in 2005. Although the rate of inflation has been declining, any
return to heavy and sustained inflation could lead to market instability, new financial crises,
reduction in consumer buying power and erosion of consumer confidence. The discussion of our results of operations is organized as follows:  
    Consolidated Results.Consolidated Results of Operations for the Three
Months Ended March 31, 2005 compared to the Consolidated Results of
Operations for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2004  
    Consolidated Financial Position.Consolidated Financial Position at
March 31, 2005 compared to Consolidated Financial Position at December
31, 2004 Consolidated Results  Consolidated Results of Operations for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2005
Compared to the Consolidated Results of Operations for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2004 Revenue Our revenue increased by 17% to $156.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2005 from
$133.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2004. The overall increase in revenue was due
to an increase in customer base and services provided to existing customers, partially offset by
lower prices for certain services. The breakdown of revenue by business group was as follows: Consolidated Revenue
    
    
    Consolidated RevenueFor the Three Months
    
    
    For the Three MonthsEnded March 31, 2004
    
    
    Ended March 31, 2005(in millions)REVENUEBusiness and Corporate Services
    
    $
    72.9
    
    
    $
    88.1Carrier and Operator Services
    
    
    45.7
    
    
    
    53.0Consumer Internet Services
    
    
    11.1
    
    
    
    11.8Mobile Services
    
    
    3.6
    
    
    
    3.6Eliminations
    
    
    (0.1
    )
    
    
    TOTAL REVENUE
    
    $
    133.2
    
    
    $
    156.5
 19




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Business and Corporate Services.Revenue from Business and Corporate Services increased
by 21% to $88.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2005 from $72.9 million for the three
months ended March 31, 2004. In our largest market, Moscow, we had increases in our domestic
traffic revenues due to adding approximately 2,010 new corporate customers and signing up 21 new
multi-tenant business centers, 5 new trade centers and 2 hotels in the three months ended March 31,
2005 along with actively promoting new services among our client base. BCS Moscow recognized
approximately $2.7 million in revenue from new contracts in the three months ended March 31, 2005
and grew the number of its Direct Inward Dialing lines from 105,000 as of March 31, 2004 to
approximately 120,000 as of March 31, 2005. During the quarter, we also increased our revenue by
continuing to assist our customers develop their businesses as they expanded regionally. The
macro-economic growth in Russia, Ukraine, and the CIS continues to help us to expand our client
base. Additionally, BCS revenue increased by approximately $2.9 million due to the acquisitions of
ST-HOLDING s.r.o (ST-HOLDING), OAO Balticom Mobile (Balticom), and SP Buzton (Buzton) in
2004. We began consolidating ST-HOLDING in February 2004, Balticom in April 2004, and Buzton in
May 2004. Revenue from the BCS division of Golden Telecom (Ukraine) (GTU) increased by 39% to $8.5
million for the three months ended March 31, 2005 from $6.1 million for the three months ended
March 31, 2004. This increase in revenues was due to a 59% increase in the number of serviced
voice lines and a 5% increase in the average rate per minute of use resulting from a change in
traffic mix in favor of higher-rated traffic to mobile networks.
Offsetting these increasing factors was a 17% decrease in average
minutes of use per line per month. Carrier and Operator Services.Revenue from Carrier and Operator Services increased by 16% to
$53.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2005 from $45.7 million for the three months
ended March 31, 2004. We have expanded our operations with existing partners and added a number of
new carriers specifically in the regions with increased volumes of traffic. In addition, we
continue to expand our business with major cellular providers both in Moscow and in regions, which
helped offset general tariff decline, although pricing pressures still exist. Additionally,
Carrier and Operator Services revenue increased by approximately $0.9 million due to the
acquisitions of ST-HOLDING, Balticom, and Buzton. Revenue for the Carrier and Operator Services division of GTU increased by 49% to $5.5 million
for the three months ended March 31, 2005 from $3.7 million for the three months ended March 31,
2004. $1.1 million of this increase in revenue was due to a 28% increase in incoming international
traffic which we are able to terminate in a number of cities in Ukraine coupled with a 23% increase
in average international revenue per minute of use. $0.5 million of the increase in revenue was due
to a 44% increase in carrier minutes of use offset by a 4% decline in average carrier revenue per
minute of use. Consumer Internet Services.Revenue from Consumer Internet Services increased by 6% to $11.8
million for the three months ended March 31, 2005 from $11.1 million for the three months ended
March 31, 2004. The change is primarily due to increases in consumer broadband Internet and other
consumer Internet related services. In addition, we had increases in the number of dial-up
Internet subscribers from 404,953 at March 31, 2004 to 424,570 at March 31, 2005 and the average
revenue per Internet subscriber decreased from approximately $8.14 per month to approximately $7.58
per month over the same period. Mobile Services.Revenue from Mobile Services was $3.6 million for the three months ended
March 31, 2005, unchanged from the three months ended March 31, 2004. Active subscribers increased
from 46,669 at March 31, 2004 to 55,419 at March 31, 2005 due to an increasing number of prepaid
subscribers. The
average revenue per active subscriber has decreased by 24% to approximately $21.40 per month mainly
due to the decrease in the subscription fee for the tariff plan which allows for unlimited local calls
for a fixed payment as well as a decrease in the number of subscribers using the said tariff plan
and due to an increase in the share of prepaid subscribers with lower activity and no fixed charge. Expenses The following table shows our principal expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2004 and
March 31, 2005: 20




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Consolidated Expenses
    
    
    Consolidated ExpensesFor the Three Months Ended
    
    
    For the Three Months EndedMarch 31, 2004
    
    
    March 31, 2005(in millions)COST OF REVENUEBusiness and Corporate Services
    
    $
    30.6
    
    
    $
    37.6Carrier and Operator Services
    
    
    29.9
    
    
    
    33.6Consumer Internet Services
    
    
    6.4
    
    
    
    7.3Mobile Services
    
    
    1.5
    
    
    
    1.5Eliminations
    
    
    (0.1
    )
    
    
    TOTAL COST OF REVENUE
    
    
    68.3
    
    
    
    80.0Selling, general and
administrative
    
    
    26.4
    
    
    
    27.6Depreciation and amortization
    
    
    17.4
    
    
    
    19.7Equity in losses of ventures
    
    
    
    
    
    
    0.1Interest income
    
    
    (0.3
    )
    
    
    (0.4
    )Interest expense
    
    
    0.2
    
    
    
    0.1Foreign currency gain
    
    
    (0.8
    )
    
    
    (0.3
    )Minority interest
    
    
    0.2
    
    
    
    0.6Provision for income taxes
    
    $
    7.1
    
    
    $
    9.1
 Cost of Revenue Our cost of revenue increased by 17% to $80.0 million for the three months ended March 31,
2005 from $68.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2004. Business and Corporate Services.Cost of revenue from BCS increased by 23% to $37.6 million
for the three months ended March 31, 2005 from $30.6 million for the three months ended March 31,
2004. Cost of revenue as a percentage of revenue remained relatively consistent at 43% in 2005 and
42% in 2004. Additionally, BCS cost of revenue includes $1.0 million of cost of revenue from
ST-HOLDING, Balticom, and Buzton. Cost of revenue for the BCS division of GTU increased by 45 % to $4.5 million, or 53% of
revenue, for the three months ended March 31, 2005 from $3.1 million, or 51% of revenue, for the
three months ended March 31, 2004. Cost of revenue increased as a percentage of revenue due to the
increased volume of lower margin traffic to mobile networks as well as increased transmission cost
related to new international and intercity channels added to support our growing customer base. Carrier and Operator Services.Cost of revenue from Carrier and Operator Services increased by
12% to $33.6 million, or 63% of revenue, for the three months ended March 31, 2005 from $29.9
million, or 65% of revenue, for the three months ended March 31, 2004. Although we continue to
experience significant pressure on our margins in this line of business, we have been able to slow
margin decline by focusing our business on higher margin traffic from reputable partners. Also, we
worked to balance our pricing strategy to be more in line with the settlement rates we are charged
by other operators. Additionally, cost of revenue from Carrier and Operator Services increased by
approximately $0.3 million due to the acquisitions of ST-HOLDING, Balticom, and Buzton. Cost of revenue for the Carrier and Operator Services division of GTU increased by 61% to $4.5
million, or 82% of revenue, for the three months ended March 31, 2005 from $2.8 million, or 76% of
revenue, for the three months ended March 31, 2004. Cost of revenue increased as a percentage of
revenue due to a substantial rise in settlement rates for traffic terminated to mobile networks. Consumer Internet Services.Cost of revenue from Consumer Internet Services increased by 14%
to $7.3 million, or 62% of revenue, for the three months ended March 31, 2005 from $6.4 million, or
58% of revenue, for the three months ended March 31, 2004. The increase as a percentage of revenue
was mainly due to increases in fees paid to distributors, Internet content cost and direct employee
costs. Mobile Services.Cost of revenue from Mobile Services remained unchanged at $1.5 million, or
42% of revenue for the three months ended March 31, 2005 and for the three months ended March 31,
2004. Selling, General and Administrative Our selling, general and administrative expenses increased by 5% to $27.6 million, or 18% of
revenue, for the three months ended March 31, 2005 from $26.4 million, or 20% of revenue, for the
three months ended March 31, 2004. This increase in selling, general 21




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and administrative expenses was due to expensing $1.0 million of capitalized acquisition costs
in March 2005 related to an acquisition opportunity that we decided not to pursue. Offsetting this
increase were a $1.4 million decrease in severance costs for the quarter and a $1.4 million
decrease in payroll and other taxes related to the reversal of a tax contingency accrual. The
remaining $3.0 million increase was the result of increases in employee related costs, audit and
accounting fees, office rent, bad debt expense and other office expenses. Depreciation and Amortization Our depreciation and amortization expenses increased by 13% to $19.7 million for the three
months ended March 31, 2005 from $17.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2004. The
increase was due to depreciation on continuing capital expenditures of the consolidated entities. Equity in Earning of Ventures The earnings after interest and tax charges from our investments in non-consolidated ventures
decreased to losses of $0.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2005 from a negligible
amount of earnings for the three months ended March 31, 2004. Interest Income Our interest income increase to $0.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2005 from
$0.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2004. Interest Expense Our interest expense was $0.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2005 down from $0.2
million for the three months ended March 31, 2004. Debt, excluding capital lease obligations, at
March 31, 2005 was $0.3 million compared to $1.2 million at March 31, 2004. Foreign Currency Gain Our foreign currency gain was $0.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2005, down
from $0.8 million for the three months ended March 31, 2004. The decrease in our foreign currency
gain is mainly due to the combination of movements in exchange rates and changes in the amount of
net monetary assets that we have denominated in foreign currencies. Minority Interest Our minority interest was $0.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2005, compared to
a $0.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2004. The increase was the result of minority
interests in the earnings of GTU, ZAO Samara Telecom, ZAO WestBalt Telecom and Buzton. Except for
GTU, each of these consolidated subsidiaries was acquired during the first half of 2004. Minority
interests in the earnings of GTU arose in August 2004 due to the sale of a non-controlling interest
to our local partners in Ukraine. Provision for Income Taxes Our charge for income taxes was $9.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2005
compared to $7.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2004. Our effective tax rate was 31%
for the three months ended March 31, 2005 compared to 32% for the three months ended March 31,
2004. Net Income and Net Income per Share Our net income for the three months ended March 31, 2005 was $20.0 million, compared to a net
income of $14.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2004. Our net income per share of common stock increased to $0.55 for the three months ended March
31, 2005, compared to a net income per share of $0.41 for the three months ended March 31, 2004.
The increase in net income per share of common stock was due 22




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to the increase in net income partly offset by an increase in the number of weighted average
shares to 36,323,779 in the three months ended March 31, 2005, compared to 36,045,186 in the three
months ended March 31, 2004. The increase in outstanding shares
was a direct result of employee stock
option exercises. Our net income per share of common stock on a fully diluted basis increased to $0.55 for the
three months ended March 31, 2005, compared to a net income per common share of $0.40 for the three
months ended March 31, 2004. The increase in net income per share of common stock on a fully
diluted basis was due to the increase in net income partly offset by an increase in the number of
weighted average shares assuming dilution to 36,574,576 for the three months ended March 31, 2005,
compared to 36,507,332 for the three months ended March 31, 2004. Consolidated Financial Position  Significant Changes in Consolidated Financial Position at March
31, 2005 compared to Consolidated Financial Position at December 31, 2004 Accounts Receivable Accounts receivable increased from December 31, 2004 to March 31, 2005 as a result of
seasonally slower collections from customers in the first quarter and increased revenues when
comparing the month of March 2005 to the month of December 2004. Intangible Assets Our intangible assets decreased at March 31, 2005 as compared to December 31, 2004 mostly as a
result of amortization on continuing intangible assets of the consolidated entities. Also
contributing to the decrease was the reversal of an income tax contingent liability related to an
acquisition as discussed in more detail below. Other Non-current Liabilities Our other non-current liabilities decreased at March 31, 2005 as compared to December 31, 2004
as a result of the reversal of an accrued liability related to a tax contingency. This accrued
liability was recorded upon the acquisition of one of our Russian subsidiaries.
Management has concluded that the probability of this accrued liability arising in the future is
remote due to the expiry of Russian regulatory statutes of limitations for any potential tax claims
from the Russian tax inspectorate. Minority Interest Our minority interest increased at March 31, 2005 as compared to December 31, 2004 as a result
of minority interests in the equity of GTU, ZAO Samara Telecom, ZAO WestBalt Telecom and Buzton.
Except for GTU, each of these consolidated subsidiaries was acquired during the first half of 2004.
Minority interests in the earnings of GTU arose in August 2004 due to the sale of a non-controlling
interest to our local partners in Ukraine. Stockholders Equity Shareholders equity increased from December 31, 2004 to March 31, 2005 as a result of our net
income of $20.0 million and offset by declaring and paying a $7.3 million dividend in the first
quarter of 2005. Income Taxes Our effective rate of income tax differs from the US statutory rate due to the impact of the
following factors: (1) different income tax rates and regulations apply in the countries where we
operate; (2) amortization of certain acquired intangible assets is not deductible for income tax
purposes; and (3) write-offs of certain assets are not deductible for tax purposes. We currently
have deferred tax assets arising from deductible temporary differences in our non-US subsidiaries.
Due to the continued profitability of theses subsidiaries, we fully anticipate that theses other
deferred tax assets will be realized through the generation of future taxable income. We also have
a deferred tax asset related to net operating loss carry-forwards for US federal income tax
purposes. We have concluded that these US loss carry-forwards will be realizable as we anticipate
generating future taxable income in the US by earning 23




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interest income on intercompany loans to our foreign subsidiaries and by undertaking other
planned transactions in 2005. We have also recorded a deferred tax asset related to net operating
loss carry-forwards for Cyprus tax purposes. However, we have recorded a full valuation allowance
since we do not anticipate recognizing taxable income in our Cyprus entity in the foreseeable
futures since it has generate tax losses since 2003. Liquidity and Capital Resources Our cash and cash equivalents was $62.7 million and $53.7 million as of March 31, 2005 and
December 31, 2004, respectively. Our total restricted cash was $1.0 million as of March 31, 2005,
and December 31, 2004. The restricted cash is maintained in connection with certain of our debt
obligations as described below. During the three months ended March 31, 2005, we had net cash inflows of $38.9 million from
our operating activities. During the three months ended March 31, 2004, we had net cash inflows of
$29.5 million from our operating activities. This increase in net cash inflows from operating
activities at March 31, 2005 is mainly due to the increase of net income as a result of increased
revenues. During the three months ended March 31, 2005, we received approximately $150.7 million in cash
from our customers for services and we paid approximately $101.7 million to suppliers and
employees. During the three months ended March 31, 2004, we received approximately $120.1 million
in cash from our customers for services and we paid approximately $81.4 million to suppliers and
employees. We used cash of $22.2 million and $30.1 million for investing activities for the three months
ended March 31, 2005 and March 31, 2004, respectively, which were principally attributable to
building our telecommunications networks and acquisitions. Network investing activities totaled
$21.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2005. The majority of network investing
activities related to construction of last mile access and network upgrades as a result of
increased customer connections. Network investing activities totaled $25.9 million for the three
months ended March 31, 2004. We used cash of $0.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2005
for our acquisition of Daicom and a payment of a holdback amount related to the 2004 Buzton
acquisition. For the three months ended March 31, 2005, we received negligible amount net proceeds from the
exercise of employee stock options and for the three months ended March 31, 2004, we received $2.1
million net proceeds from the exercise of employee stock options. In February 2005, our Board of Directors declared a cash dividend of $0.20 per common share to
shareholders of record as of March 17, 2005. We paid the total amount payable of approximately $7.3
million to shareholders on March 31, 2005. We had working capital of $96.0 million as of March 31, 2005 and $83.8 million as of December
31, 2004. At March 31, 2005 and December 31, 2004, we had total debt, excluding capital lease
obligations, of approximately $0.3 million and $0.2 million, respectively, none of which was
current maturity. Total debt included amounts that were fully
collateralized by restricted cash. In the first quarter of 2000, we entered into a lease for the right to use fiber optic
capacity, including facilities and maintenance, from Moscow to Stockholm. The lease has an initial
term of ten years with an option to renew for an additional five years. The lease required full
prepayments as the capacity increased from an STM-1 to an STM-4 to full capacity of STM-16. Full
prepayments were made to the lessor in April 2000, August 2000 and February 2001. These prepayments
have been offset against the lease obligation in our financial statements. We will continue to make
payments for maintenance for the term of the lease. Some of our operating companies have received debt financing through direct loans from
affiliated companies. In addition, certain operating companies have borrowed funds under a
back-to-back, seven-year credit facility for up to $22.7 million from a Russian subsidiary of
Citibank. Under this facility, we provide full cash collateral, held in London, and recorded on our
balance sheet as restricted cash, for onshore loans made by the bank to our Russian registered
joint ventures. In a second, similar facility, we provide full cash collateral for a short term
back-to-back, revolving, credit facility for up to $10.0 million from the same bank for two of our
larger Russian operating companies. The funding level as of March 31, 2005 for all of these
facilities totaled $0.9 million, of which $0.2 million was funded to our consolidated subsidiaries
and $0.7 million was funded to our non-consolidated entities. In the future, we may execute large or numerous acquisitions, which may require us to raise
additional funds through a dilutive equity issuance, through additional borrowings with
collateralization or through the divestment of non-core assets, or combinations of 24




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the above. In case large or numerous acquisitions do not materialize; we expect our current
sources of funding to finance our capital requirements. The actual amount and timing of our future
capital requirements may differ materially from our current estimates because of changes or
fluctuations in our anticipated acquisitions, investments, revenue, operating costs and network
expansion plans and access to alternative sources of financing on favorable terms. Further, in
order for us to compete successfully, we may require substantial capital to continue to develop our
networks and meet the funding requirements of our operations and ventures, including losses from
operations. We will also require capital for other acquisition and business development
initiatives. We expect to fund these requirements through cash on hand, cash flow from operations,
proceeds from additional equity and debt offerings, and debt financing facilities. We may not be able to obtain additional financing on favorable terms. As a result, we may
become subject to additional or more restrictive financial covenants, our interest obligations may
increase significantly and our shareholders may be adversely diluted. Our failure to generate
sufficient funds in the future, whether from operations or by raising additional debt or equity
capital, may require us to delay or abandon some or all of our anticipated expenditures, to sell
assets, or both, which could have a material adverse effect on our operations. As previously disclosed, we expect to complete the acquisition of Hudson Telecom, Inc. in the
second quarter of 2005. We expect to fund this acquisition, in
principle part, through a $45.0 million unsecured credit facility. Such facility is expected to contain restrictive
covenants that will limit the flexibility of our operations. As part of our drive to increase our network capacity, reduce costs and improve the quality of
our service, we have leased additional fiber optic and satellite-based network capacity; the terms
of these leases are generally five years or more and can involve significant advance payments. As
demand for our telecommunication services increases we expect to enter into additional capacity
agreements and may make significant financial commitments, in addition to our existing commitments. Contractual Obligations The
amounts disclosed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal
year ended December 31, 2004, include our contractual cash
obligations. Contractual cash obligations include short- and long-term debt arrangements, capital
lease obligations, commitments for future payments under non-cancelable lease arrangements and
purchase obligations. During the three months ended March 31, 2005, no material changes occurred
in our contractual cash obligations. 25




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Special Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements Certain statements contained in Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations and other parts of this document, including, without limitation, those
concerning (i) future acquisitions and capital expenditures; (ii) potential tax claims, (iii) the
effects of potential litigation, (iv) projected traffic volumes and other growth indicators; (v)
anticipated revenues and expenses; (vi) the Companys competitive environment; (vii) the future
performance of consolidated and equity method investments; (viii) our intention to offer our
services under the Golden Telecom brand; (ix) our intentions to expand our fiber optic capacity and
add transmission capacity; (x) our intention to continue to use the assets of recently acquired
companies in the manner such assets were previously used; (xi) the impact of critical accounting
policies and estimates; (xii) the growth of our operations in key regions of Russia; (xiii) our
growth strategy in our business segments; (xiv) the political, regulatory and financial situation
in the markets in which we operate, including the effect of the new law On Telecommunications and
the interconnection rules; and (xv) the effect of utilizing our anticipated intercity and
international license, are forward-looking and concern the Companys projected operations, economic
performance and financial condition. These forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe
harbor provisions of the Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. It is important to note that
such statements involve risks and uncertainties and that actual results may differ materially from
those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Among the key factors that have a
direct bearing on the Companys results of operations, economic performance and financial condition
are the commercial and execution risks associated with implementing the Companys business plan,
the potential effect of the new law On Telecommunications and the related interconnection rules,
our receipt of a new intercity and international license and the utilization of such license, our
ability to integrate recently acquired companies into our operations, the political, economic and
legal environment in the markets in which the Company operates, increasing competitiveness in the
telecommunications and Internet-related businesses that may limit growth opportunities, and
increased and intense downward price pressures on some of the services that we offer. These and
other factors are discussed herein under Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial
Condition and Results of Operations and elsewhere in this Report. Additional information concerning factors that could cause results to differ materially from
those in the forward-looking statements are contained in the Companys filings with the United
States Securities and Exchange Commission and especially in the Risks Factor Sections
therein, including, but not limited to, the Companys report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2004. In addition, any statements that express, or involve discussions as to, expectations, beliefs,
plans, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, through the
use of words or phrases such as will likely result, are expected to, estimated, intends,
plans, projection and outlook) are not historical facts and may be forward-looking and,
accordingly, such statements involve estimates, assumptions and uncertainties which could cause
actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements.
Accordingly, any such statements are qualified in their entirety by reference to, and are
accompanied by, the factors discussed throughout this Report and investors, therefore, should not
place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. Further, any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is
made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement or
statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made or to
reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. New factors may emerge from time to time, and it is
not possible for management to predict all of such factors. Further, management cannot assess the
impact of each such factor on the Companys business or the extent to which any factor, or
combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any
forward-looking statements. 26




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ITEM 3.Quantitative and Qualitative disclosures About Market Risk There have been no material changes in the information provided in Item 7A of the Companys
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended
December 31, 2004. 
 ITEM 4.Controls and Procedures Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including the Chief
Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, the Company has evaluated the effectiveness of the
Companys disclosure controls and procedures as required by Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(b) as of the
end of the period covered by this report. Based on that evaluation, the Chief Executive Officer and
Chief Financial Officer have concluded that these disclosure controls and procedures are effective
to provide reasonable assurance that material information relating to Golden Telecom, Inc. and its
consolidated subsidiaries is made known to them, particularly during the period in which this
report is being prepared. There were no changes in the Companys internal control over financial
reporting during the quarter ended March 31, 2005 that have materially affected, or are reasonably
likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting. 
 ITEM 5.Other Information In accordance with the terms and conditions of a shareholders agreement entered by the
Company, Alfa Telecom Limited (Alfa), Nye Telenor East Invest AS (Telenor), OAO Rostelecom
(Rostelecom), Capital International Global Emerging Markets Private Equity Fund, L.P.
(Capital), Cavendish Nominees Limited (Cavendish) and First NIS Regional Fund SICAV (First
NIS), dated August 19, 2003, the parties agreed that three directors would be designated for
nomination by Alfa, two directors would be designated for nomination by Telenor, two directors
would be designated for nomination by Rostelecom, one director would be designated for nomination
by Capital, one director would be designated for nomination by Cavendish and First NIS, and one
director would be designated by the Board of Directors. In connection with the designation of candidates for election to the Board of Directors at the
upcoming 2005 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, Alfa has designated Mr. Pavel Kulikov instead of Mr.
Alexander Vinogradov and Rostelecom has designated Mr. Dmitry Korol instead of Mr. Michael North.
Messrs. Vinogradov and North will continue to serve as directors until the conclusion of the 2005
Annual Meeting. The following table shows each of the designated nominees for election as director and which
shareholder designated them for nomination. Shareholder
    
    NomineesAlfa
    
    Mr. Petr AvenMr. Andrey KosogovMr. Pavel KulikovTelenor
    
    Mr. Kjell JohnsenMr. Jan ThygesenRostelecom
    
    Mr. Vladimir AndrosikMr. Dmitry KorolCapital
    
    Mr. Ashley DunsterCavendish/First NIS
    
    Mr. Michael Calvey
 Mr. David Herman has been selected as a candidate for election by the full Board. 27




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PART II. OTHER INFORMATION 
 ITEM 6.Exhibits Designation
    
    Description31.1
    
    Certification of the Principal Executive Officer Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 200231.2
    
    Certification of the Principal Financial Officer Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 200232.1
    
    Certification of the Chief Executive Officer Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 200232.2
    
    Certification of the Chief Financial Officer Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
 28




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SIGNATURES Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act 1934, the registrant has duly
caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized. GOLDEN TELECOM, INC.
(Registrant)By:
    /s/ BRIAN RICHName:
    Brian RichTitle:
    Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer
(Principal Financial Officer) By:
    /s/ MICHAEL D. WILSONName:
    Michael D. WilsonTitle:
    Vice President and Corporate Controller
(Principal Accounting Officer) Date: April 28, 2005 29