February 28, 2014. VSMPO-Avisma Corporation bought out 15% of its shares from Gazprombank for 14bn RUR, Kommersant refers to VSMPO-Avisma managers Mikhail Shelkov and Mikhail Voyevodin as saying. As a result of this deal, Shelkov and Voyevodin now own 65% of VSMPO-Avisma Corporation shares. Gazprombank started buying stakes in the corporation in 2012. In November 2012, Rostech announced it would like to buy out a 45.42% shareholding in VSMPO-Avisma for 970m RUR. The consortium of VSMPO-Avisma and Gazprombank managers Business Alliance Company (BAC) where VSMPO management has a 75% plus 1

February 28, 2014. Sverdlovsk Region remained the federal constituency with the largest government debt among all the constituencies of Ural Federal District. According to the Russian Federation Finance Ministry's statistics that are available via the ministry's website, Sverdlovsk Region's government debt amounted to 33.889bn RUR on February 1, 2014 compared with 22bn RUR on December 1. 2013. Yamalo-Nenetsky Autonomous Region, with its 27.5bn RUR worth of government debt (compared with 18.3bn RUR two months earlier), was in the second place, followed by Chelyabinsk Region

February 28, 2014. Uralasbest, the primary employer in Asbest, Sverdlovsk Region, which currently employs 6,600 people, might place its workers on a three days on, two days off basis due to sales problems. The employees have been informed of the possible by changes by now, but the decision was actually taken as a possible Plan B, no layoffs are expected, Sverdlovsk Region Construction Ministry told UrBC. Uralasbest makes 21% of the world supply of asbestos, and 78% of its produce are exported. Things have grown more difficult lately because the importing countries keep protesting against

February 28, 2014. In 2013, 236 instances when taxi drivers violated the traffic code were documented in Sverdlovsk Region, including 78 cases when passengers were transported without a permit to offer such services, and 77 cases when taxi signs and symbols were used without authorization, head of Technical Supervision & Vehicle Registration Department of Sverdlovsk Region division of the Traffic Safety Inspection Alexander Porubenko said at a press conference in Yekaterinburg. As for the first months of 2014, 74 violations of the traffic code were prevented among taxi drivers, including

February 28, 2014. Kirov-based LEPSE set up a new division within its design department in charge of design, production, and testing of new vehicles. The division comprises experts in electronics, mechanics, and electric engines. These experts will be responsible for doing calculations and mathematical modeling of aviation and special-purpose goods, Uralvagonzavod Corporation's press service says. 'The high precision and speed of calculations for these goods is a substantial factor in the efficiency of this division of a member enterprise of the corporation. For one, R&D is only

February 28, 2014. Pavel Shilyaev was appointed the Director-General of Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK) in the course of the extraordinary general meeting. He was appointed acting DG earlier. Pavel Shilyaev was born in Kurgan on July 3, 1970. He graduated from Chelyabinsk State Technical University with a degree in Motor Drives and Automation of Industrial Units. In 2006, he completed a course on Performance Management at Stockholm School of Economics in Saint Petersburg. He arrived at MMK in 1993 and went up from an engineer to Tech Maintenance & Repair Center Director. In

February 27, 2014. Ural Federal University was not featured on the list of the world's top 200 colleges along ten different kinds of specialization, QS University Subject Rankings 2014 as presented by RIA Novosti in cooperation with the British company Quacquarelli states. 'The ranking positions were assigned to colleges based on four different criteria: the academic community's opinion, the employer's opinion, the citation index, and the Hirsch index that assesses a scientist's or a scholar's contribution to science. All in all, the research touched upon thirty

February 27, 2014. Yekaterinburg car market shrank by 4% in January 2014 compared with last January: the sales figure was 5,252, while the Russian market on the whole decreased by 6%. Lada, Nissan, and Renault were the top three best-selling cars, with the share of the former falling and the shares of the latter two increasing by 56% and 65%, respectively, Auto-Dealer-Yekaterinburg's research findings indicate. 643 Ladas were sold in January 2014 (10% less than a year earlier), 529 Nissans and 501 Renaults were sold as well. The fourth best-selling car was Hyundai (464 units, which was

February 27, 2014. Ural Airlines was given the 5th position in the rating of Russian civil aviation companies in terms of passenger turnover in January 2014, which was 33% better than last January, the airline's press service says. Between January 1 and 31, Ural Airlines offered its services to 335,371 passengers and operated 2,739 flights (including 895 international flights, 1,168 domestic flights, and 676 flights around the CIS). This was 25% more than in January 2013. The factual passenger turnover rose by 32% in January 2014 compared with a year earlier and came to 911,654,000

February 27, 2014. Flight 5739 Yekaterinburg-Goa by U Tair was delayed by five hours at Koltsovo Airport. 'The departure of chartered flight 5739 Yekaterinburg-Goa by U Tair was postponed from 10:30 AM to 3:30 PM. This has to do with the limitations Goa Airport imposed on the arrival and departure of aircraft. The tour operator Anex Tour and U Tair Aviation Company were informed by the airport of these limitations the night before the departure date,' the airline's press service says. U Tair explained that the information on the changes of Goa Airport's limitations on the

February 27, 2014. On average, a resident of Ural Federal District spent 401 RUR at a grocery store at a time in January 2014. This was 15.2% less than in December 2013. As for Russia on the whole, the median figure in the receipt was 501 RUR, which was 2.5% less than in January 2013, Romir Holding says. The figure decreased the most for supermarkets: the bottom line figure was 20% smaller compared with December 2013 and 2% compared with January 2013. However, the figures for hypermarkets were 21% greater in December compared with November, which was the maximum figure among all the other

February 25, 2014. To celebrate Defender of the Fatherland's Day, Uralvagonzavod Scientific & Production Corporation launched an educational Internet project called tankopedia.org that works along the same lines as the online encyclopedia Wikipedia, Uralvagonzavod's press service says. The main idea behind the project is to gather as much information about the history of tank-building in the world as possible. This includes not only information that is directly related to the history of this industrial sector but also data on the cultural background such as films, songs, poems,

February 25, 2014. Ural Federal District's Federal Arbitration Court confirmed the fact that OTP-Bank was violating consumer rights, Sverdlovsk Region division of Rospotrebnadzor reports. It was detected in the course of an analysis of the bank's activity that OTP Bank's voluntary life and health insurance package for the borrowing party had a proviso on charging the borrower for joining this program, which is actually against the current legislation. The program also states that, in case the insurance agreement gets canceled before the end of the term upon the insured

February 25, 2014. 92% of people living in Zarechny approve of using nuclear energy for electric power generation. This is 25% more than in Sverdlovsk Region on average. The number of those who feel positive about the future of the Russian nuclear power plans is now 95%, Beloyarskaya Nuclear Power Station's Information & PR Department refers to the survey conducted by Remarket as stating. It should be noted that 83% of those surveyed voted for the active development of the nuclear industry, 12% of respondents would like it to stay the way it is, and nearly no one said it should be

February 25, 2014. By March 2014, first children's paralympic training groups will be set up in one of Sverdlovsk Region's state-run sports clubs to train the future Paralympics champions, Sverdlovsk Region Government's press service reports. 'In March, 16 groups of 200 children will be formed, with a focus on physical education and sports. 16 coaches have already been engaged in the project. These experts with pedagogical training underwent special professional development programs that qualify them to work with children with disabilities,' says the club director

February 25, 2014. RENOVA StroyGroup-Akademicheskoye proved No.1 among the top three housing developers in Yekaterinburg in 2013. According to the city council's press service, RENOVA StroyGroup-Akademicheskoye commissioned 137,336,000 sq m worth of housing in 2013. It left behind LSR. Nedvizhimost-Ural, which commissioned 87,592,000 sq m worth of housing, and Atomstroycomplex Corporation (82,528,000 sq m). All in all, 507 housing facilities with the total area of 855,669,000 sq m were commissioned in Yekaterinburg last year. This figure included 68 multi-storey apartment buildings with

February 24, 2014. 67% of Sverdlovsk Region residents generally approve of using nuclear energy for the production of electric power, Beloyarskaya Nuclear Power Station’s press service says based on the findings of a sociological survey conducted by an independent business research agency Remarket in late 2013. 400 residents of several towns and cities in Sverdlovsk Region were surveyed; the respondents’ sample frame reflected the local population’s socio-demographic profile. According to the survey findings, 72% of respondents feel positive about the prospects of the Russian nuclear power

February 24, 2014. First Deputy Head of Yekaterinburg Council Sergey Shvindt held a meeting on preparing football pitches for the teams that will take part in the world football championship of 2018. According to the city council press service, those present at the meeting looked into different options for reconstructing the locally run sports facilities Ural and Kalininets. To meet all of the FIFA requirements, Russia and Europe’s best designers, including some from Belgium, will be hired to work on the projects. Under the plans adopted by the council, the design and documentation work on

February 24, 2014. Ural Airlines are now offering their customers good prices on trips to China. Starting from February 19, 2014, a one-way ticket from Yekaterinburg or Chelyabinsk to Beijing will be available for just €254 (including all the fees and charges), the company’s press service says. A round trip ticket from Yekaterinburg to Beijing will cost €568 (including all the fees and charges), a ticket for Chelyabinsk-Beijing flight will be available for €559 (including all the fees and charges). Additionally, appealing prices are offered on Yekaterinburg-Harbin flights: a one-way ticket

February 24, 2014. Pervouralsk New Pipe Plant (PNTZ) congratulates its current workers and long-service employees on the upcoming holiday. The solemn festivities will include some concerts, a tennis tournament, and sports competitions for students of the Future of White Metallurgy Program and soldiers of Gorny Shchit Military Unit. Special bonuses will be paid to 135 former participants in local wars who are currently employed at PNTZ, the enterprise’s press service reports. ‘Bonuses on the Defender of the Fatherland’s Day is the company’s annual tradition. Local war veterans work at PNTZ as