An unnamed Russian company is close to buying...

The group could be sold later this month in a deal valuing it up to $2 billion, with Russia"s state-run Vnesheconombank playing a role in the acquisition, the paper said.

The potential buyers include Alisher Usmanov, the mining magnate, and Evraz, a metals group in which billionaire Roman Abramovich has a stake. Both have expressed interest in the purchase in recent years, the paper said.

The Russian group would take a 50% plus one share stake, the paper said.

The news of the deal could raise political tensions in Ukraine in the run-up to this month"s presidential election in the ex-Soviet republic where Yulia Tymoshenko, the prime minister, and Viktor Yanukovych, opposition leader, are both bidding to succeed the pro-west Viktor Yushchenko as president, the paper said.

Yushchenko, who is fighting a losing battle to retain office, has repeatedly accused both Tymoshenko and Yanukovich of cooperating too closely with Moscow, a claim they have both denied,

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