The general shareholder meeting held by Snezhinkskiy Bank JSC on April 21, 2006 was adjourned with the decision to distribute 25,000,153.75 RUR worth of profits according to the 1.25 RUR-per-registered paperless share scheme. Besides, in accordance with the recommendations of the Supervisory Board the net profit is to be split as follows: 1,225,000 RUR is to go to the Special Purpose Fund, 200,000 to Production and Social Development Fund, 50,603,280 to Savings Fund. The shareholders also agreed on the annual report, the accounting report, including the P & L distribution for 2005, the

Throughout January to March 2006, Chelyabinskiy Tsinkoviy Zavod JSC, zinc plant of Chelyabinsk, produced 34,763 tons of zinc and zinc-based alloys, which exceeds the figures for the first quarter of 2005 (27,361 tons) by 27%. The sales amounted to 2.139m RUR, which is 147% better than a year earlier (865m). 69% of produce was distributed on the home market. The company’s production plan for 2006 provides for the output of 150,000 tons of zinc and alloys, the company’s spokesperson said to UrBC representative.

This year’s first meeting of the local environmental club members comprising representatives of some social groups took place in Nizhniy Tagil. One of the points on the agenda was discussing the renovation plan proposed by Metallurgical Industrial Complex of Nizhniy Tagil JSC (part of Evraz Group). According to the director of coke-chemical production of the Complex Nikita Berkutov, starting this year, all of the new projects meet the environmental provisos. Thus, the No. 5 cokery currently under construction includes the unit providing for dust-free delivery of coke; the new slaking units

Mechel JSC announced its acquisition of 100% share in VtorResource Ltd., a Chelyabinsk secondary metal reprocessing firm. The acquisition was made through Mechel-Service Ltd., Mechel’s subsidiary. VtorResource Ltd. carries out the full operating cycle of secondary metal collecting and reprocessing works. Its acquisition price is about $6m. According to Mechel PR-department, the consolidation of VtorResource Ltd. into Mechel holding is directed at reducing dependency of Chelyabinsk integrated metallurgical complex and Izhstal works on the secondary metal market supply. In 2005, VtorResource

Before the end of the year, People’s Republic of China will set up Consulate-General in Yekaterinburg. The issue was discussed at the meeting of 2 would-be consulate executives with Sverdlovsk Region Minister of International and Foreign Economic Relations Viktor Koksharov on April 28. According to the Ministry’s spokesperson, this should further promote the Ural-Chinese cooperation (China’s turnover of goods in Sverdlovsk Region reached the point of $459.5m in 2005).

The annual shareholder meeting held by UglemetBank JSC on April 24, 2006 resulted in the decision to pass a dividend for 2005. Of these undistributed profits, 500,000 RUR will be given to General Director Fund, 200,000 RUR to the Board of Directors Fund, and 600,000 RUR to Social Development Fund. The shareholders approved of the annual report for 2005 and of the accounting report, including the P & L statement. The following Board Members were elected: Konstantin Panfilov, Dmitriy Konstantinov, Tatiana Polosina, Alexander Ovchinnikov, Vyacheslav Fedotov, Alexei Vorobyov, Ryana Doronina.

An overhaul of the ball crusher No. 2 was carried out at the wet magnetic concentration division of Vysokogorsky ore mining and processing enterprise, member of Evraz Group. The ball crusher is the company’s primary equipment that stands the heaviest duty during the ore processing. According to the company’s PR-department, the first section of the enterprise was shut down for five days. The concentrate was produced at the second section only. During the overhaul, the ball crusher seating was underpinned, its row pinion, gear shaft, discharge tables, and a number of other parts were replaced.

On April 28, 2006, Tube Works of Sinara (Sinarsky Trubny Zavod JSC, member of Tube Metallurgical Company, Trubnaya Metallurgicheskaya Kompaniya JSC) put into operation the new press upsetting oil country tubular goods. According to the company’s PR-department, the press was designed by the SMS Meer, a German mechanical engineering firm, and was constructed on the company’s special demand, with a regard to the modern operational requirements. The installation of the press has been scheduled within a modernization investments program of Tube Metallurgical Company. The press is to increase its

On April 27, 2006, Turkish Airlines launched the scheduled flights from Yekaterinburg to Istanbul. A-320 aircrafts of the company are to fly to Istanbul twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays. The first Yekaterinburg flight of Turkish Airlines took only 7 passengers, the spokesperson for Koltsovo airport of Yekaterinburg said to UrBC representative. ‘Turkish Airlines launched their flights almost without advertising them. We expect the subsequent flights to be used by Yekaterinburg passengers at their full capacity,’ indicated Yulia Fedotova, the PR-Director of Koltsovo Airport JSC.