Russia’s Interior Ministry started a criminal inquiry into Uzbek competitors of OAO Mobile TeleSystems, Russia’s biggest mobile phone company, after Uzbekistan seized MTS’s local assets, Kommersant reported.

MTS submitted a request for an inquiry to the ministry, to Russia’s general prosecutor’s office and to the Federal Antimonopoly Service, the newspaper said, adding that Uzbekistan will have to respond to the results of the investigation.

MTS’s Uzbek unit, Uzdunrobita, had its license withdrawn by authorities last month and faces $1.2 billion of tax, licensing and antitrust claims.

To contact the reporter on this story: Ksenia Galouchko in Moscow at kgalouchko1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Gavin Serkin at gserkin@bloomberg.net