First telephone directory (телефонный справочник)  in Russia was published in Moscow in 1901. At this time in Moscow were only 2,860 subscribers, mostly business owners and few private phones were assigned to the members of the Empire elite (such as Prince Golitsyn).  In 1904 "Moscow Telephones" company change hands from Bell to Swedish-Dutch-Russia stock company which was engaged in expansion of the phone net following developed by L.W. Ericsson system in Stockholm.

Telephone net expansion took a bit of time in Russia, concentrating mainly on the largest cities, and even if one phone was indeed installed in Ekaterinoslav pharmacy in 1904, who could called the pharmacy, when the all other folks in town have no access to such facility.

Alexander Sharon