Russia’s antitrust regulator has backed a plan for Telenor and co-investor Altimo to equalise their stakes in Russian operator group VimpelCom, reports Reuters. The Federal Anti-Monopoly Service (FAS) said it supports the plan for the companies to jointly purchase a 6 percent stake owned by investment firm Bertofan and split it to give them an equal stake. Equal ownership is seen as a key condition for the settlement of a lawsuit brought by the FAS contesting Telenor’s dominant position with VimpelCom.