April 9, 2015. Sverdlovsk Region’s number of migrant workers has plummeted by 50% since the start of the year compared with a year earlier, Deputy Head of Russia’s Federal Migration Service Sverdlovsk Region division Vadim Lysakov said at a press conference. ‘We issued 4,900 work patents this year against 9,400 patents in 2014. Most of the foreign workers arrive from Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan,’ Lysakov said. According to the official, the drop had to do with the recent legislative changes: for one, all foreign workers must now pass a Russian language test.

April 9, 2015. SOT/Rimera (a division of ChTPZ Group) supplied its first 50,000 kg of hot-bended pipe bends for the Power of Siberia Pipeline in March 2015. According to the Group’s press service, the 1,420mm bends (wall width 32mm) are made of K60 steel and have a corrosion-resistant Pk40 coating. Shipments will come to 500,000kg altogether and are expected to be all completed by May. Business Trend provides external auditors for the produce. ‘The Power of Siberia isn’t Gazprom’s only project to use SOT pipes in the second quarter of 2015. Rimera is also planning to make large shipments for

April 9, 2015. Volchansky Mechanical Plant (a member enterprise of Uralvagonzavod Corporation) is planning to expand its product range. The company manufactures railway cars and will soon start making Platform 23-5179 for transportation of rolled sheets, the corporation’s press service reports. Ural Railway Design Office (a corporation’s member enterprise as well) provides the design documentation for the new variety. This is not the first time the plant and the design office work together on the development, introduction, and serial production of special-purpose carriages. The platform is

April 9, 2015. Omsk-based Secondary School 122 and Omsk Transport Machine-Building Plant signed a support agreement to promote the two parties’ cooperation, Uralvagonzavod Corporation’s press service reports. ‘This agreement means our corporation’s member enterprise representatives can work with teens, contribute to their education, and provide job counseling for the plant’s potential employees. The school, in its turn, will offer in-depth training in the fields that are crucial for those who are planning to apply for tech schools,’ the press service says. Based on this agreement, the plant’s

April 9, 2015. Sverdlovsk Region residents are finding themselves forced to sell their ready businesses ever more often due to cash flow problems, Rmarket’s Andrei Seleznev told UrBC. ‘Many business people’s incomes dropped because of the devaluation of the ruble, while their spending went up at the same time. Besides, loans are now virtually unavailable in Russia. This means entrepreneurs just have considerably less money to keep on developing, so many of them have to offer their companies for sale. Some of them do it on their own through services such as Avito.ru and some use special