Belarusian trader Dmitry Lbnyak buys shares of Uralkali

Onexim of Mikhail Prokhorov has sold 20% of Uralkali. Buyer, contrary to the market expectations, wasn’t Uralchem, which owns 20% of Uralkali, but Belarusian trader Dmitry Lobyak, who is familiar with owner of Uralchem Dmitry Mazepin. The market doesn’t rule out the possibility that the transaction may contribute to the restoration of relations with Minsk, ruptured in 2013.

Onexim has closed a deal on sale of 20% of Uralkali to a structure of the Belarusian businessman Dmitry Lobyak. The transaction amount isn’t disclosed, but a source of the Kommersant, familiar with the situation, notes that it was signed with a substantial premium to the market (the package price on the Moscow stock exchange is about $2 billion). The Mikhail Prokhorov’s purchase of the package in Uralkali was estimated at $4 billion in late 2013, then he bought 28.5% of the company, but sold some shares during buyback, reduced the stake to 20%. 19.9% more ​​of Uralkali belong to Uralchem, the remaining shares are quasi treasury ones.