UrBC, Yekaterinburg, January 17, 2020. Sverdlovsk Region’s inflation figures increased by 3.7% in December 2019 against one year earlier, Sverdlovskstat reports. Food prices rose by 2.1%, non-food item prices rose by 3.5%, and the price of services rose by 5.8%. Alcohol grew 0.4% cheaper. Compared with November 2019, the inflation rate in the area came to 0.5% last December.

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, January 17, 2020. 87.5% of Sverdlovsk Region’s residents in the 50+ age group feel very skeptical about a comfortable retirement, Sberbank Non-State Retirement Fund’s research findings indicate. Nearly a third of those surveyed (28%) said they wished they had saved up for their retirement. It’s worth noting that 14% of locals are unhappy about their retirement savings, which is the largest percentage in the country. According to Sberbank Non-State Retirement Fund, the share of Russians who did save up for retirement came to under 14% in the last twenty years. Quite a few

UrBC, Magnitogorsk, January 17, 2020. Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK) now keeps track of its reusable dunnage appliances with the help of RFID chips, the company’s Information & PR Department reports. ‘RFID chips came to replace the older technique of manually labelling an item with paint and barcodes. The goal is to achieve better accounting and inventory of MMK’s reusable dunnage appliances and to ensure end-to-end tracking of the items. This will help us meet our own accounting/tracking requirements and to handle claims with our metal goods customers in case the appliances

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, January 16, 2020. The housing and infrastructure developer RSG-Akademicheskoye came first in Sverdlovsk Region’s largest developers’ rating created by the United Developer Resource (ERZRF) for the first time in 2019. RSG-Akademicheskoye is currently putting up District Akademicheskiy in Yekaterinburg as part of a large-scale comprehensive area development program. Last year, 144,205 m2 worth of housing and commercial estate got commissioned by the company, which increased the developer’s share of Sverdlovsk Region’s market to 15.18%. Atomstroykompleks, with its 137,466 m2

UrBC, Magnitogorsk, January 16, 2020. MMK Group’s member enterprises renewed eighteen collective agreements with their trade unions last year, Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK) Information & PR Department reports. OOO ShlakService, MMK-PRAVO, Abzakovo, Children’s Health & Education Center, and MMK Industrial Park will operate under brand new collective agreements starting this year. All the agreements have already been discussed, accepted, and signed. All in all, eighteen collective agreements out of thirty-two have been revised and edited: this was the outcome of MMK Trade

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, January 16, 2020. EVRAZ Holding keeps introducing new techniques of industrial safety training at its Urals-based member enterprises. According to the company’s press service, EVRAZ Nizhniy Tagil Integrated Metallurgical Plant and EVRAZ Kachkanarsky Ore Mining & Metallurgical Enterprise are now using a VR firefighting simulator and two ranges for steeplejack operations. Up to 5,000 employees of EVRAZ Holding Ural and of the contractor companies will be able to use the new facilities for practical training. ‘EVRAZ directed some RUB 5m for the new equipment. The VR

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, January 16, 2020. The management of Sverdlovsk Region’s Sports & Special Needs School thanked OOO FORES for supporting the snowboarder Alexei Kazantsev, who proved a two-time 19th Winter Deaflympics champion last year, the company’s press service reports. The championship was held in Sondrio on December 13-14, 2019. Alexei Kazantsev won in PSL and parallel giant slalom categories. The athlete performed in the sports gear that OOO FORES helped purchase.

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, January 16, 2020. The RBC-run corporate innovation platform GenerationS is now looking for innovative projects in the pipe manufacturing sector on behalf of ChelPipe Group, the latter’s press service reports. ‘Eligible to apply are teams from all over the world with projects at prototype stage (or higher). The primary goal of the selection process is to pick the most promising solutions ready for launch at ChelPipe Group’s member enterprises,’ the company says. The applications can get submitted via ChelPipe Group’s Accelerator website on January 15-March 31, 2020. The

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, January 15, 2020. Young athletes from a Greco-Roman wrestling school in Kamensk-Uralsky (supported by OOO FORES’s local branch) won bronze in an international championship, the company’s press service reports. The championship was held in Berdsk, Novosibirsk Region, on January 9-12. Vladimir Shevyakov and Kirill Cheremnykh won third prizes in the group for athletes born in 2003-2004. ‘Nearly three hundred sports players from Russia and the CIS member states (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan) competed in the event. The international Greco-Roman wrestling

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, January 15, 2020. 9,616,908 people flew with Ural Airlines last year, which exceeded the figures for one year previously by 7%, the air carrier’s press service reports. 4,775,688 passengers went on the airline’s domestic flights and 4,841,220 passengers flew internationally. The airline operated 63,865 flights in 2019 (up 3% on the year 2018), including 32,652 domestic flights and 31,213 international ones. The company’s passenger turnover rose by 8% and reached 23,387,609,000 passenger-kilometers. 647,251 people flew with Ural Airlines in December 2019, which was 12%

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, January 15, 2020. EVRAZ West-Siberian Metallurgical Plant (EVRAZ ZSMK) won Kemerovo Region’s annual Eco-Leader Contest as Enterprise, EVRAZ Holding Siberia’s Corporate Communications Center reports. ‘The plant was awarded for proactive efforts to ensure environmental sustainability and improve the locals’ environmental culture. Elena Kornienko and Olga Gritsenko from the plant’s Environmental Protection Service also received thank-you letters for their contribution to Environmental Protection Days,’ the company says. Every year, the company takes part in the all-Russian

UrBC, Magnitogorsk, January 15, 2020. MMK Group’s metal goods manufacturer MMK METIZ won the Best Socially Responsible Employer of The Year Contest, MMK’s Information & PR Department reports. The awarding ceremony for the Best Socially Responsible Employer of The Year Contest and for Chelyabinsk Region round of the nationwide Highly Socially Responsible Russian Company Contest took place at Chelyabinsk Region Trade Union Federation directly after Chelyabinsk Region’s trilateral committee meeting. Companies from both the state-run and private sector competed in the contest. MMK METIZ came

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, January 15, 2020. Ural bankers believe the prospective bill on collecting Russian nationals’ biometric data will turn out extremely costly for the banking sector. Based on even the most moderate estimates, the expenses will amount to over several million roubles for a single outlet. It was reported earlier that the Russian State Duma postponed the passing of the new bill on the collection of biometric data from banks’ retail customers early in the year and sent the paper back for further revision and drafting. Chair of the Duma’s Finance Market Committee Anatoly Aksakov

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, January 14, 2020. As of January 6, the average asking price came to RUB 72,429 per m2 on Yekaterinburg existing home market, rising by 0.4% in the last four weeks, Ural Real Estate Chamber’s Analytical Department’s recent research findings indicate. ‘These barely visible price fluctuations had to do with a market downfall during New Year’s break. The shrinking supply is typical of the season. Some customers take their places off the market during the break as the market remains stagnant anyway; others withdraw their offers as the contracts between a home owner and a

UrBC, Magnitogorsk, January 14, 2020. The Open All-Russian Competition A. Bogali-SKIMiR Cup for junior biathletes will take place at Abzakovo Ski Resort’s Biathlon Center on January 15-19, with support from Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works, MMK’s Information & PR Department reports. The competition is open to young men and women born in 2003-2010. ‘An individual race, a solemn opening ceremony, and a general race will be held on Wednesday, January 15. An individual race will take place the next day, followed by a super sprint on January 17-18 as well as a race on Friday. Supermixt

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, January 14, 2020. Nine employees of ChelPipe Group’s member enterprise Pervouralsk New Pipe Plant (PNTZ) received state awards for their contribution to the metallurgical field, many years of conscientious performance, and work achievements. The executive orders to this effect were signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to the Group’s press service, four workers were granted the titles of Russia’s Honored Metallurgist. These are Head of the Weld-Less Pipe-Manufacturing Department Vitaliy Vert, Foreman at Pipe-Rolling Department Zinatulla Vakhitov,

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, January 14, 2020. Yekaterinburg Research Institute for Job Safety (NIIOT) presented the management of OOO FORES with a thank-you letter at the end of December, the company’s press service reports. ‘Our ties have grown strong over the years. Thanks to our shared interests, we managed to ensure the most efficient work performance,’ the letter says. OOO FORES and NIIOT have been collaborating for more than five years now. These were one-time project at first, mostly to do with job safety workshops for FORES employees. Over the years, this evolved into a more multi-faceted

UrBC, Magnitogorsk, January 14, 2020. Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK) is among the Russian Union of Industrialists & Entrepreneurs’ annual Responsibility & Openness and Sustainable Development Vector index leaders, MMK’s Information & PR Department reports. ‘The Russian Union of Industrialists & Entrepreneurs carried its annual indices featuring major Russian companies’ achievements in the field of CSR management, sustainable development, and social entrepreneurship. Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works was among the leaders of Responsibility & Openness and

UrBC, Moscow, January 13, 2020. Russian market’s clothing and footwear sales dropped for the first time since 2015 last year, Kommersant refers to Fashion Consulting Group (FCG)’s research findings as indicating. In 2019, the country’s fashion market shrank by 3% to 4% (down to RUB 2.26-2.29 trillion). The sales of clothes, shoes, and accessories declined for the first time since 2015, when the turnover decreased by 9% (down to RUB 2.27 trillion). A year later, the market’s turnover rose by 1% (up to RUB 2.3 trillion) and a year after that - by 3% (up to RUB 2.36 trillion). Analysts believe

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, January 13, 2020. There were 22,116 people officially out of the workforce in Sverdlovsk Region as of January 9, 2020, the constituency’s Labor & Employment Department reports. As of January 1, 2019, the figure was 21,726. The registered unemployment rate in the area rose from 0.97% to 1.03% over the course of one year.