MEGAFON : LONG-TERM FOREIGN AND LOCAL CURRENCY ISSUER CREDIT RATINGS DOWNGRADED BY S&P GLOBAL

The rating action follows the announcement by MegaFon Investments (Cyprus) Limited , a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, regarding the results of its tender offer to purchase for cash issued and outstanding ordinary shares of MegaFon and Regulation S and Rule 144A Global Depositary Receipts as previously announced at: https://corp.megafon.com/investors/news/capital_market_releases/20180823-1301.html.

S&P lowered its long-term issuer credit ratings on MegaFon since the tender offer is mostly debt-financed which, coupled with higher investments in 2018, led to an increase in the Company's debt.

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Notes to Editors

MegaFon PJSC is a pan-Russian operator of digital opportunities, operating in all segments of the telecommunications markets in Russia, and in the Republics of Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Tajikistan. MegaFon is a recognized market leader in the provision of mobile data services, was the first operator in Russia to launch commercial operation of a third generation (3G) network and was the first operator in the world to launch commercial operation of an LTE-Advanced (4G) data network. MegaFon is traded on the Moscow Exchange and the London Stock Exchange under the symbol MFON. Additional information about MegaFon and the products and services provided by MegaFon can be found at: http://www.megafon.ru.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking Statements

Some of the information in this document may contain or refer to projections or other forward-looking statements regarding future events or the future financial performance of the Company. You can identify forward looking statements by terms such as 'expect', 'believe', 'anticipate', 'estimate', 'forecast', 'intend', 'will', 'could', 'may', or 'might' the negative of such terms or other similar expressions. The Company wishes to caution you that these statements are only predictions, and are based upon various assumptions which are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies which are difficult or impossible to predict and are beyond our control. We may not achieve or accomplish these plans or predictions. The Company does not necessarily intend to update these statements to reflect events and circumstances occurring after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. Many factors could cause the actual results to differ materially from those contained in projections or forward-looking statements of the Company, including, among others, general economic conditions, the competitive environment, risks associated with operating in Russia, rapid technological and market change in the industries in which the Company operates, as well as many other risks specifically related to the Company and its business and operations.

Statement Regarding Inside Information

This announcement contains inside information. The subject matter, the identity of the issuer, the identity of the persons making the notification and their titles, and the date and time of the notification are all as set forth above.