Alfa Group, Russia's leading financial and industrial conglomerate, has crossed swords with Telenor, Norway's largest telecoms group, over the expansion of Vimpelcom, Russia's second- largest mobile telephone operator, into the Ukraine.

Telenor owns 26.6 per cent of Vimpelcom while Alfa has 33 per cent. Both have called on other minority shareholders to back their positions at an extraordinary general meeting.