October 30, 2014. Every one in ten working Russians is going to take additional days off during the November break, Superjob’s research center reports. This year, both the official public holiday November 4 and the previous day (a shift from the public holiday on February 24) are going to be days off for the employed. A survey involving 1,600 working Russian citizens indicates that 10% of respondents are planning to take days off or a short-term vacation on November 5-7 in order to get a longer fall break. 61% of respondents have no such plans, 9% of those surveyed work shifts and just can’t

October 30, 2014. The trial of Stanislav Silkin, who is accused of taking part in the murder of Director of Yekaterinburg Meatpacking Plant Alexander Kuleshov, begins in Sverdlovsk Region Court on October 30, 2014. The 43-year-old Khakasia-born Silkin is charged with aiding and abetting in a hired killing (Article 105 (Part 2) and Article 33 (Part 5) of the Russian Federation Criminal Code) and with organized, collusive illicit trafficking in firearms and ammunition (Article 222 (Part 2) of the Russian Federation Criminal Code). ‘The inquest team believe the accused was an accomplice in the

October 29, 2014. Burevestnik Central Scientific Research Institute (a member enterprise of Uralvagonzavod Corporation) hosted a meeting of heads of Volga Federal District-based defense industry enterprises. The meeting was chaired by Plenipotentiary Representative of Russian Federation President in Volga Federal District Mikhail Babich. The corporation’s press service reports the meeting was dedicated to looking into the ways of meeting the target figures for import replacement of spare parts that are used for design, production, and operation of Russian arms and special vehicles. The

October 29, 2014. Uralvagonzavod Corporation is going to present its R1 tram at the international exhibition ExpoCityTrans in Moscow, the corporation’s press service says. ‘Visitors to the exhibition can form their opinions of the exterior and interior design, ask the tram designers their questions, and look at the solutions that haven’t yet been presented to the general public,’ the press service says. R1 is Russia’s first 100% low-floor three-sectional tramway that was developed jointly by Uraltransmash (a member enterprise of Uralvagonzavod Corporation) and Atom Design Office. ‘The design

October 29, 2014. Sinara Transport Machines (a member enterprise of Sinara Group) delivered its diesel-locomotive shunter TEM7A to the customer, Center for Terrestrial and Space Infrastructure Maintenance (a part of Roscosmos Federal Space Agency), Sinara Group’s PR Center reports. The locomotive was made at Lyudinovsky Locomotive Plant (a member enterprise of Sinara Transport Machines). Before the year ends, the plant is to deliver one more TEM7A shunter to Vostochny Cosmodrome. These vehicles will be used both while the launching site is being constructed and after the site has been

October 29, 2014. 56,833 new passenger and commercial vehicles were sold in Yekaterinburg between January and September 2014, which is 19% (13,224 units) less than in the three quarters of 2013, Auto Dealer Yekaterinburg reports. The agency says sales dropped by over a quarter in September. This time, the decrease stood at 26%: 6,235 automobiles were purchased in Yekaterinburg (2,240 cars fewer than in September 2013). Renault was the only brand among the top ten best-selling makes whose sales actually improved last month. ‘September is typically a successful month for Yekaterinburg’s car

October 29, 2014. Sverdlovsk Region Economics Ministry came up with a provision on the forecast for the area’s socioeconomic development in 2015-2017, acting Economics Minister Anna Uskova said at Sverdlovsk Region Government meeting. According to Uskova, there are currently two possible scenarios for the economic development of Sverdlovsk Region: a moderately optimistic one and the basic one. Under the optimistic scenario, the constituency’s gross regional product would grow by an average of 3.9% a year, with industry going up by 3.5%, agriculture going up by 8%, retail trade turnover going

October 29, 2014. Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK) mastered a technology for making hot-dip galvanized rolled products with premium (Group C) surface quality using its cold-rolling facilities at Sheet Rolling Department 11, MMK Information & PR Department reports. The rolled products in question are meant for making outer parts of automobiles. Russia’s largest carmaker, Avtovaz, is currently their key consumer. In fact, foreign automobile giants with factories in Russia also appear to be interested in the rolled goods with premium surface quality: Volkswagen, Ford, Renault, and

October 28, 2014. Two cooks and two pastry chefs from Uralvagonzavod Corporation’s head plant in Nizhniy Tagil won first prizes in the local professional skills contest for canteen staff, the corporation’s press service reports. ‘The plant employees competed with cooks and chefs from Corpus Group Ural and sole traders N.V. Yurk and I.V Sidenkova; these prepare meals for EVRAZ NTMK, Vysokogorsky Ore Mining & Processing Enterprise, and OAO KRZ, respectively,’ the press service says. Head of Nizhniy Tagil Council Consumer Market Development Tatiana Semikolennykh chaired the panel of judges.

October 28, 2014. ChTZ Uraltrac (a member enterprise of Uralvagonzavod Corporation) presented its joystick-operated B14 bulldozer at Surgut Oil & Gas 2014 International Exhibition, Uralvagonzavod Corporation’s press service reports. ‘The sample presented in Surgut can easily compete with its foreign counterparts. The operator of this powerful machine (workload up to 15,000 kg) does need to apply any physical force to control the pulls and levers. One joystick serves to set the direction and speed of the bulldozer, the other one controls the dozer blade and the ripper,’ the press service

October 28, 2014. Starting on November 15, Czech Airlines and Ural Airlines are going to operate code-shared flights from Rostov-on-Don to Prague and back. According to Ural Airline’s press service, flights will be offered thrice a week, on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. The return flight from Prague to Rostov-on-Don will be operated on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. Tickets for the flight to the Czech capital can already be booked at a special rate (from €150 for a one-way ticket and from €300 for a round trip one, plus the fees). Tickets are available via the airline’s website

October 28, 2014. Aeroflot’s low-cost subsidiary, Budget Carrier, is going to operate two flights from Yekaterinburg to Moscow and back every day, the airline’s official website states. According to the website, the following flights will be operated: DR 403 from Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport to Koltsovo Airport of Yekaterinburg (departure time: 5:45 PM, arrival: 10.10 PM) DR 404 from Koltsovo Airport to Vnukovo Airport (departure: 11:00 PM, arrival: 11:35 PM) DR 405 from Vnukovo Airport to Koltsovo Airport (departure: 12:50 AM, arrival: 5:10 AM) DR 406 from Koltsovo Airport to Vnukovo Airport

October 28, 2014. Expert Ural magazine published its annual rating of the performance of 400 largest companies located in the Urals and Western Siberia (Expert Ural 400) in the year 2013. Bank Koltso Urala was among top 300 most influential businesses in the inter-industrial rating with its 239th position (based on the worth of services sold to customers – 5.58bn RUR). This is actually 43 rating positions higher than a year earlier, the bank’s press service says. In addition to this, Bank Koltso Urala was also given the 4th position among the top ten (and even the top five) banks in

October 27, 2014. As many as 4,500 employees of Uralvagonzavod Corporation’s head plant in Nizhniy Tagil have been given flu vaccinations already. This year, the annual six-week vaccination campaign began earlier than usual, that is, on October 1, the corporation’s press service reports. ‘The plant’s medical unit purchased 15,000 Grippol+ flu shots, which is in full compliance with the recommendations given by Rospotrebnadzor (the state consumer rights watchdog); this will be enough to get at least 40% of the plant’s staff vaccinated. This is the necessary minimum that will allow us to avoid

October 27, 2014. MegaFon was given the Leader of Customer-Oriented Business 2014 Prize (in the ‘Mobile Carriers’ category), the company’s press service reports. On October 23, 2014, the awarding ceremony for the customer-oriented business leaders took place within the framework of the Customer-Oriented Business Professionals Conference. The main idea behind the foundation of the prize is to single out and acknowledge the companies whose principles focus on improving customer service. This is truly a people’s prize: during the first stage of the contest, a phone survey was conducted among

October 27, 2014. Sverdlovsk Region division of the Federal Antimonopoly Service carried the findings of their check of the wholesale prices set by manufacturers of some staple foods for the local supermarket chains. The price checks were conducted on October 2-8, 2014. For one, the price of pork (excluding boneless meat) fluctuated between -3.47% and +2%, the price of chicken (excluding leg quarters) changed within the -2.22% to +20.64% range, while that of frozen fish varied within the -12.07% to +16.25% range. The changes in the price of butter varied from -41.8% to +15.83%, those in the

October 27, 2014. Russian Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev is going to chair a meeting on the launch of best available industrial technologies on the premises of Seversky Pipe Plant in Polevskoy, Sverdlovsk Region, on October 24. The meeting will also be attended by Governor of Sverdlovsk Region Evgeniy Kuivashev. The Russian Government’s website states that the meeting participants are to talk about the industrial and environmental aspects of implementing these best available technologies and to consider the potential of introducing such technologies in the pipe manufacturing sector, for one.

October 27, 2014. Following a request from Public Prosecutor of Sverdlovsk Region Sergey Okhlopkov, a inspection of how labor protection legislation is complied with at local ore mining enterprises was organized, the press service for the prosecutor’s office reports. ‘The inspection will comprise an assessment of the efficiency of measures employers take to ensure safe working conditions in the mines,’ the press service says. Checks began after an accident occurred at Vysokogorsky Ore Mining & Processing Enterprise’s Magnetitovaya Mine. Where a worker was killed due to a rock fall. Police

October 24, 2014. Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK) underwent a recertification procedure for its quality management system successfully and thus proved the system’s full compliance with the ISO 9001:2008, ISO/TU 16949:2009, and STO Gazprom 9001:2012 standards, MMK reports. During the five-day audit procedure, teams of auditors from the international certification body TUV NORD CERT and from Paritet looked into how the QMS processes function that are targeted at production of high quality produce and at meeting the customers’ demands. The audit involved nearly all of MMK’s divisions

October 24, 2014. Uralvagonzavod Corporation is going to provide public access to Technology of Wars (Technowars), an informational and analytical project. According to the corporation’s press service, Technowars was originally launched in 2012 as a members-only information digest for the corporation’s directorate for military and technological cooperation. The project keeps track of what is new among the world’s top hundred manufacturers of arms and military vehicles. The focus of analysis is on the new developments, technological and scientific research, the contracts landed by companies,