February 13, 2015. Pipe Metallurgical Company (TMK), one of the world’s leading OCTG producers, redeemed its convertible bonds (to be paid off in 2015) with 5.25% coupon yield, the company’s press service reports. The bonds could be converted into TMK’s GDRs, each of which stand for four ordinary shares. In order to pay off the bonds, TMK used the money obtained through its operational and financial performance, including a four-year U.S. dollar loan taken out from one of major Russian privately run banks. The company isn’t planning to go through with a public offer of its 17,876,489 GDRs

February 13, 2015. The Sociology Department of Financial University under the Russian Federation Government carried a rating of the country’s cities with the best living standards in 2014. According to Yekaterinburg Council’s press service, the research involved 37 Russian cities with population over 500,000 people. The rating positions were ascribed based on statistical and sociological data that were obtained through population surveys. Yekaterinburg was given the 6th position in the rating in terms of the quality of education it offers. Head of Yekaterinburg Council Education Department

February 12, 2015. Panorama was chosen as an official broadcasting partner for Russia Arms Expo 2015 and for the large-scale demonstration of the Russian military vehicles’ combat and operation potential, Uralvagonzavod Corporation (RAE’s primary coordinator) press service reports. ‘Panorama has broadcast over 700 sports, political, and cultural events in Russia and abroad. The company’s key project was on the national TV signal for the 22nd Winter Olympics and the national and international TV signals for the 11th Winter Paralympics 2014 in Sochi. The International Olympic Committee awarded

February 12, 2015. A home front workers memorial will be unveiled in Chelyabinsk on Victory Day to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the country’s victory in Great Patriotic War. The management of ChTZ Uraltrac (a member enterprise of Uralvagonzavod Corporation) decided to donate to the memorial a historic mill made in 1936 that was earlier used by the plant. According to Uralvagonzavod Corporation’s press service, the memorial is to portray two teenagers, a boy and a girl, kneeling over a mill and making a shell. ‘The unnatural juxtaposition of children and weapons is meant to produce a

February 12, 2015. MegaFon and QIWI (a payment service) launched a new, Visa-based QIWI Wallet together, the mobile carrier’s press service reports. MegaFon subscribers can now make payments to Visa QIWI Wallet providers at no extra charge. Money can be transferred from the mobile phone account or QIWI wallet; the e-wallet can be used to pay Internet and housing bills and fines and to do shopping online. In addition to this, MegaFon subscribers get a bonus (0.5% of the payment amount) for each transaction via Visa QIWI Wallet; the bonus goes to a subscriber’s mobile phone account. New Visa

February 12, 2015. A sports player from Seversky Pipe Plant (STZ, a member enterprise of Pipe Metallurgical Company) Anna Medvedeva won the Ural round of Russian Ski Track 2015, an All-Russian ski race. Medvedeva was the best in the ten-kilometer free style race, the company’s press service reports. Master of sports in ski racing, Anna Medvedeva has been working at STZ Pipe-Rolling Department since 2008. The 25-year-old sports woman spends all of her free time practicing with the help of Andrei Medvedev, her brother and coach at Polevskoy Junior Sports School. This is the first time an STZ

February 12, 2015. In December 2014, the average amount of money a customer spent at Ural Federal District-based shops kept growing primarily due to an anomalous surge in consumer demand, which, in its turn, was caused by the plummeting exchange rate of the ruble. The country’s average came to 670 RUR, which was 15% more than a month earlier, Romir, a research holding, reports. This figure was also 10% higher than in December 2013 (605 RUR). The average bottom line on a cash receipt changed in all parts of Russia last December; the figure grew the most in the south of the country (+21%), by

February 11, 2015. This year’s certification audit of engineers and technicians takes place at Kamensk Uralsky Foundry/KULZ (a member enterprise of Uralvagonzavod Scientific & Production Corporation). According to the corporation’s press service, the first round of the audit involved ‘new staff’- those who joined the company or were promoted to a new position slightly over a year ago. The audit committee, headed by the plant’s Technical Director, examined a number of workers and managers to see if they comply with their work obligations. ‘The professional audit involved an economist, a

February 11, 2015. The judges in the Russian Construction Ministry’s first urban development contest presented their list of finalists in several categories. According to Yekaterinburg Council’s press service, Yekaterinburg competes in three categories: Best Completed Energy-Saving Project on Economy Class Housing (the city’s Academic District), Best Multi-Faceted Area Development Project (Academic District), and Best Completed Low-Rise Construction Housing Project (Michurinsky District). These three projects compete with projects from Vladikavkaz, Megion, Surgut, Tyumen, Moscow, Kirov,

February 11, 2015. Sverdlovsk Railways’ freight turnover rose by 7.3% in January 2015 compared with January 2014 and amounted to 17.05bn ton-kilometers. At the same time, the amount of cargo consisting of building materials dropped by nearly 25% and came to 1m tons, Sverdlovsk Railways’ press service reports. Besides, scrap metal and ferrous metals shipments declined by 16%, industrial raw material and molding material shipments declined by 12%, and coke, chemical and mineral fertilizers, and non-ferrous ore and sulfur stuffs shipments declined by 11.3%, 8.8%, and0.4%, respectively. At the

February 11, 2015. The unemployment rate in Sverdlovsk Region came to 154,200 people in January: this comes to 6.7% of the working-age population in the area, Sverdlovskstat reports. The figure stood at 6.5% (151,300 people) last December. The overall working-age population has remained the same – some 2.3m people.

February 11, 2015. 672 residents of Sverdlovsk Region are now allowed to leave the country because of their debts, which total to 397m RUR, Sverdlovsk Region division of Russia’s Federal Service of Court Officers’ press service reports. ‘217 people are those who failed to pay their criminal fines; their accumulated debts come to over 10m RUR. These debtors are not allowed to go abroad based on Article 15 of the Federal Act on Leaving and Entering the Russian Federation; the 10,000-ruble ‘debt threshold’ does not apply here,’ the press service says. 191 people owe a total of 151.6m RUR to

February 10, 2015. Rosneft and Uralvagonzavod Corporation are starting to work together on scientific research on, production of and introduction of hi tech lubricating materials. According to the corporation’s press service, the oil company representatives attended Uralvagonzavod Corporation’s head plant in order to hold talks on the partnership agreement that was signed by Rosneft President and Chairman of the Board Igor Sechin and Uralvagonzavod Corporation Director-General Oleg Sienko. The talks resulted in a cooperation strategy and in plans to develop, test, and produce lubricating

February 10, 2015. Uralvagonzavod Corporation’s head plant museum is currently running For the Good of the Fatherland, an exhibition dedicated to the plant workers who took part in the local wars in the second half of the 20th century. According to the corporation’s press service, there are materials on over forty people and some 200 exhibits in the exhibition hall. The exhibits and artifacts were provided by the war veterans and their families themselves as well as by Special Operation Unit 12 from Ural Interior Troops, and by Nizhniy Tagil Local War Veterans Museum. ‘Many of these exhibits

February 10, 2015. Sverdlovsk Region Arbitration Court is going to consider the claim laid by Stupinskiy Trading Firm: the plaintiff asks for Sysert-based Energomash-Uralgidromash to be declared insolvent. The claim was placed with the court on February 4, 2015. Now Energomash-Uralgidromash was a successor or Uralelectrotyazhmash-Uralgidromash, which, in its turn, was set up as a result of a merger between Uralelectrotyazhmash and Uralgidromash. The company was registered on March 2, 2009. It primarily focuses on making pumps and liquid-lifting equipment; the company also deals in repair and

February 10, 2015. This year’s first issue of the monthly magazine Technowars came out; the magazine is the product of Uralvagonzavod Scientific & Production Corporation and is supported by the Russian Industry & Trade Ministry’s Military & Industrial Committee and by the Promising Research Fund. According to the corporation’s press service, while working on the issue the editorial board couldn’t but consider the changing geopolitical circumstances and the way this will affect the Russian defense industry. Judging by the key industrial projects under way at the moment, the Russian

February 10, 2015. Head of Yekaterinburg Council Alexander Yakob thanked the coordinators and participants of Russian Ski Track 2015, the All-Russian ski race, the city council’s press service reports. The outcome of the race has proved once again that Yekaterinburg can easily host any large-scale events on a great organizational level. This year, Russian Ski Track gathered together over 20,000 sports lovers, all of whom had to be invited, delivered to their pistes, and protected against any security and safety problems. Thanks to the city council, all the planning had taken place well in

February 9, 2015. Russia’s Federal Tariff Service issued Order 311-t/1 dated January 29, 2015 on changes in and amendments to Price List 10-01 on Freight Forwarding & Infrastructure Services Offered by Russian Railways. Uralvagonzavod Corporation’s press service reports that the document gives freight forwarders the right to a discounted empty run rate when its innovative gondola cars 12-196-01 and 12-196-02 are used. ‘These discounts mean companies using gondola cars 12-196-01 and 12-196-02 can reduce their internal costs and improve the efficiency of haulage operations. The Federal

February 9, 2015. The assets of AMUR Car Factory have been put up to auction once again: this information is available on the Unified Federal Insolvency Register’s website. There are 29 lots to bid for (mostly machines and other kinds of industrial equipment, spare parts, and tools), with the consolidated opening bid set at over 5.8m RUR. The auction is to take place on March 13, 2015, and bidders can submit their bids starting from January 26. AMUR was set up in 2003 as the offspring of Ural Car Plant, which, in its turn, was founded as the spare parts subsidiary for MosavtoZIL. Sverdlovsk

February 9, 2015. A portable ice-generating system is now being assembled at Uralvagonzavod stadium in Nizhniy Tagil in preparation for the Russian Classic hockey match. According to Uralvagonzavod Corporation’s press service, the system is a necessary back-up in case of warmer temperatures which could be detrimental to the ice coating. ‘Two trucks delivered the necessary equipment to Nizhniy Tagil, namely, a set of ice mats and a Freon refrigerating unit. The unit is in charge of cooling the ethylene glycol that runs inside the ice mat pipes and keeps the ice arena cold. The equipment was