UrBC, Yekaterinburg, September 3, 2015. Sverdlovsk Region's debt came to 44.1bn RUR on July 1, which was 5% less than a month earlier, Finance Minister Galina Kulachenko said at a local government meeting. 'The figure has gone down by 5.6bn RUR, since the beginning of the year, so our debt burden is now 6.4% lower than on January 1. Sverdlovsk Region had the 18th largest debt burden among the Russian Federation constituencies in the first half of the year,' she said. According to the minister, the regional authorities are going to take out 2.795bn RUR from the federal budget to

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, September 2, 2015. Over 500 kg of food items got confiscated by Koltsovo Airport Customs so far this year; all of the foods are subject to the Customs Union embargo, the customs head Sergei Abrosimov explained to UrBC. According to Abrosimov, the confiscations resulted in 111 administrative proceedings, with charges based on Article 16.3 (Part 1) of the Russian Federation Administrative Offense Code (non-compliance with the Customs Union member states' international treaties, bans, and limitations). 'Subject to withdrawal was agricultural produce, namely, 301 kg

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, September 2, 2015. The price of a plane ticket for a flight departing from Yekaterinburg averaged on 12,500 RUR this summer, which exceeded the figures for a year earlier by 22%, Kommersant refers to Biletix online booking data as indicating. Domestic flights grew nearly 21% more expensive, increasing in price from 9,600 RUR to 11,600 RUR on avearge, international flights grew over 15% pricier (up from 18,900 RUR to 21,800 RUR). 68.5% of all flights operated to or from Koltsovo Airport this summer were domestic ones (for Russia on the whole, the figure stands at 57%). The

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, September 2, 2015. 150 first-year students on ChTPZ Group's Future of White Metallurgy Program were given their student ID cards in the course of a solemn ceremony on September 1, the company press service reports. 'Thanks to the company shareholders, students are provided with the best learning-conducive conditions here in Pervouralsk. You are the country's future blue-collar elite. We hope you come back to work at the company departments very soon,' Managing Director of Pervouralsk New Pipe Plant (a member enterprise of ChTPZ Group) Alexander Isaikin

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, September 2, 2015. Uralvagonzavod Corporation and Evraz NTMK hockey teams were the first to play at the newly-built Prezidentsky Ice Palace in Nizhniy Tagil. The corporation's press service reports locals will soon be able to enjoy the new swimming pools, the sports arena, the gym, the dancing hall, and the boxing ring at the new place. 'The construction began following the Russian President's provision to this effect. A group of Sverdlovsk Region delegates, headed by Plenipotentiary Representative of Russian Federation President in Ural Federal District

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, September 2, 2015. Uralvagonzavod Corporation's member enterprises in Chelyabinsk, Omsk, Yekaterinburg, Nizhniy Tagil, and Kamensk Uralsky celebrated Knowledge Day on September 1. The companies' management went in person to the schools where their employees' children study, the corporation's press service reports. Besides, a show was performed at Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant's theater for the younger schoolchildren whose parents work at the plant. 128 boys and girls came to see it, all children of the corporation's employees and of members of

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, September 1, 2015. There are now 2,354 pay parking slots in Yekaterinburg, Roman Barakovskikh from the city council Transport Committee said in the recent broadcast of Poslesloviye. The official said 854 new slots were provided last week alone. 'Pay parking lots are introduced in the busiest parts of the city, where cars have to be parked in several rows. We met all of this year's target figures for parking lots,' he said. Six patrol cars to control compliance with the parking regulations cruise the city streets 24/7. At the end of the day, their data get

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, September 1, 2015. Sverdlovsk Region residents‘ spending increased by 12.5% in the first half of 2015 compared with a year earlier and came to 877.1bn RUR all in all, while their income rose by 9.3% and came to 848.4bn RUR. Sverdlovskstat reports 687.7bn RUR were directed to goods and services (up 7.1% on a year earlier). In June 2015, the locals‘ income came to 154.4bn RUR (8.8% more than a year earlier), while their spending came to 158.2bn RUR (up 8.3% on a year earlier).

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, September 1, 2015. The amount of money deposited at Ural Federal District-based banks rose by 23.8% in the first half of 2015 and thus reached 536bn RUR, Deposit Insurance Agency reports. Deposits over 1m RUR large grew the fastest and thus increased by 1.5 times. Deposits in the 700,000 RUR to 1m RUR range went up by 44.7%, while those in the 100,000 RUR to 700,000 RUR range remained more or less at the same level. Deposits in the under-100 RUR range rose by 3.8%. A private individual's bank deposit came to 197,400 RUR on average as of July 1, 205. That of a sole

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, September 1, 2015. Pipe Metallurgical Company (TMK) made its bid in Gazprom's auction for the delivery of a set of large-diameter pipes for the company, TMK press service reports. The company representatives explain their bids won in two lots, so now TMK will have to deliver 37,535,000 kg of 1,420mm LDPs (wall thickness 21.6mm, strength grade K60, working pressure 9.8 mega-pascals) to Gazprom Invest by the end of the year. Also, another 7,292,600 kg of 720mm LDPs (wall thickness 10mm, strength grade K55, working pressure 7.4 mega-pascals) to Gazprom Tsentrremont. The

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, September 1, 2015. Plant 9 (a member enterprise of Uralvagonzavod Corporation) launched a modern laser cutting unit made in Russia; this equipment is less expensive than its foreign counterpart and allows for cutting metal that is up to 20mm thick, the corporation's press service reports. 'The ytterbium fiber laser LS4 was installed at the plant's welding department, which has been given a complete overhaul recently and is now being fitted with new equipment. The unique LS4 unit has been assembled, undergone start-up and commissioning, and is now fully

August 31, 2015. The amount of money transferred to Russia via money orders dropped by 15% in the second half of 2015 and came to $840m against $983m in the previous quarter, Banki.ru refers to the Central Bank as stating. The decrease was primarily brought about by the shrinking amount of money coming from the CIS member states ($597m against $756m in the first quarter of the year). On the other hand, as much as $243m came from the far abroad, compared with $228m in January-March. These figures were larger last year, including the overall amount of money transferred to the country from

August 31, 2105. Sverdlovsk Region division of Rospotrebnadzor (the state consumer rights watchdog) inspected 2,860 kg of butter and margarine in the first half of the year and found 380 kg (13.3%) not to meet the existing quality requirements, the agency's press service reports. 94% of faulty items were already past their sell-by date. 32 butter and margarine samples were tested for compliance with the required bacteriological, physical, organoleptic, and chemical parameters. All the samples met the technical regulations and normative standards.

August 31, 2015. The trustee in bankruptcy appointed to Plato Bank by the Bank of Russia after the former's license had been revoked determined that the bank's assets amount to no more than 473m RUR, while its creditors' claims come to 907.3m RUR, the Bank of Russia's press service reports. 'It was determined in the course of an investigation that nearly all of the bank's borrowers had received their loans in no relation whatsoever to what business they had been doing. The bank's transactions look like mere withdrawal operations, involving, in fact, private

August 31, 2015. Russia's Deputy Minister for Industry & Trade Alexander Morozov paid a visit to Burevestnik Research Institute (a member enterprise of Uralvagonzavod Corporation) within the framework of the ministry delegates' recent trip to Nizhniy Novgorod Region. The official spoke highly of the enterprise's innovative potential, the corporation's press service reports. Alexander Morozov is in control of the development of the arms, munitions, and special-purpose chemicals industry, namely, licensing of design, production, and testing processes, operation and

August 29, 2015. The shares of Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK) will be listed in Quotation List A1 at MICEX starting August 31, 2015. This means MMK, as an issuer, meets all of the stock exchange transparency and corporate governance requirements. The company management feels this will attract more securities-trading investors to MMK. 'This could be very good for their liquidity,' says MMK Deputy DG for Finance & Economics Sergei Sulimov.

August 28, 2015. STM Service (a member enterprise of Sinara Transport Machines) acquired a license allowing the company to engage in educational activity. According to the Group’s press service, this will enable them to train the company staff in vocational fields, provide blue-collar workers with qualifications, and offer professional development training to management and white-collar workers. STM Service HR Director Alexei Zykin says the company is working on forty-five educational projects this year: twenty-one professional development seminars, twelve vocational training programs, and

August 28, 2015. Omsktransmash (a member enterprise of Uralvagonzavod Corporation) is currently getting its machining facilities upgraded ahead of schedule. According to the corporation’s press service, the idea is to ensure the amount of milling and turning metal treatment sufficient to meet the plant’s overall spare parts needs and thus eliminate the need to order some of those from outside suppliers. ‘The renovation of the facilities is part of Omsktransmash’s import replacement program. Experts from MTE Group Investment Company delivered ten new equipment units onto the plant, with eleven

August 28, 2015. The nominal monthly pay reached 38,805 RUR on average in Ural Federal District and 33,124 RUR in Russia on the whole in the first half of 2015; this was 5.3% more than in the first half of 2014. However, the actual wage dropped by 8.4%, Sverdlovskstat reports. Local companies currently owe their employees 8.2m RUR worth of delayed wages. Russia’s Retirement Fund reports preliminarily that a monthly pension payment amounted to 13,050 RUR on average in Ural Federal District and to 12,072 RUR in Russia on the whole, as of July 1, 2015. The actual pension was, however, 2.9%

August 28, 2015. Inflation went up by 8.7% in Ural Federal District in June 2015 compared with December 2014, Sverdlovskstat reports. Consumer prices rose by 11%, while the price of non-food items and that of services rose by 8.3% and 6.1%, respectively. In the first half of the year, locals spent 327.6 RUR in the service sector. This was, in physical volume, 2.4% less than a year earlier.