May 13, 2013. Some solemn ceremonies took place at Uralvagonzavod Corporation’s enterprises on the eve of Victory Day, the 68th anniversary of winning the Great Patriotic War. The war veterans and homefront workers were congratulated on the event in Yekaterinburg, Chelyabinsk, Kirov, Nizhniy Tagil, Omsk, Saint Petersburg, Volchansk, and other cities where the corporation’s enterprises are located. Each of these companies made a great contribution to the victory in the war at the time, Uralvagonzavod Corporation’s press service reports. The congratulations and words of gratitude were addressed

May 13, 2013. Sverdlovsk Region Government ruled that a number of automated weather monitoring terminals should be installed on the biggest highways to enhance the road traffic safety. The terminals provide relevant data on the current weather conditions as well as the condition of the road surface and help make efficient decisions on road-building or fixing, Sverdlovsk Region Government’s Press Service & Information Department reports. According to experts from the region’s Highway Administration, the system is a multi-functional one and allows not only for collecting data on weather and

May 13, 2013. Rosstat (the Federal State Statistics Service) recently carried a report on the inflation rate in April 2013. According to the Service, inflation rate in Russia came to 0.5% last month and to 2.4% since the beginning of the year, Bank Koltso Urala’s press service reports. According to the data provided by Rosstat, the food prices rose by 0.7% last month, the prices of non-food items increased by 0.4%, and the price of services went up by 0.5%. The food prices rose due to the traditional seasonal increase in the price of imported fruits and vegetables and also because of the last

May 13, 2013. Thanks to support from Sverdlovsk Region Government, 3, 436 Great Patriotic War veterans living in the area received a one-time allowance to have their homes remodeled, Sverdlovsk Region Government’s Press Service & Information Department reports. In 2011, some changes were made to the local Social Support to Sverdlovsk Region War Veterans Act dated November 25, 2004 (190-OZ); these changes provided for incidental 100,000-rouble allowances to the Great Patriotic War veterans to have their dwellings remodeled or repaired. Over 3,400 veterans have been given the subsidy since

May 13, 2013. The consumer price index came to 100.5% in April 2013, and to 102.4% since the beginning of the year, while the most basic grocery basket’s monetary equivalent rose by 2.1%, Rosstat reports. Vegetable prices grew most noticeable last month: onions, potatoes, and beetroot became 11.4% to 16.5% more expensive, while the price of fresh tomatoes, cabbage and carrots increased by 7.8% to 10.5%. Semolina became 1.8% more expensive, while buckwheat prices, on the other hand, dropped by 1.1%. Besides, salmon caviar, strong wine and Russian-made brandy are now 1.5% more expensive,