January 29, 2015. Corporates’ deposits at the Ural Bank for Reconstruction & Development have been growing faster than the market’s average, Expert RA, an international rating agency, states in its monthly banks’ ratings. The amount of money deposited with the UBRD increased by 65% between December 1, 2013 and December 1, 2014, the bank’s press service reports. ‘Corporates’ deposits went up the most: the increase came to over 50% in the course of one year, which had to do with both the arrival of new customers and the growth of existing clients’ deposit volumes. Remarkably, the settlement

January 28, 2015. Uralvagonzavod Corporation’s Director-General Oleg Sienko received a thank-you letter from Russian Defense Minister Yuri Borisov, who expressed his gratitude to Sienko and the entire Uralvagonzavod team for ‘meeting their defense contract 2014 obligations and providing munitions and military and special-purpose vehicles in full.’ According to the corporation’s press service, Yuri Borisov also thanked the company for organization and coordination of the United Military Produce Acceptance Day, which was thought of very highly by the Defense Ministry and government officials.

January 28, 2015. Three vans full of new equipment arrived at ChTZ Uraltrac (a member enterprise of Uralvagonzavod Corporation); these were spare parts for the modern dipping unit from Byelorussia, the corporation’s press service reports. ‘This was the last delivery, but not the first one. The plant already received a number of wash tanks at the end of fall, and now we have a spin drier, a boiler, mixing taps, screens, and a platform,’ the press service says. The dipping unit is meant for polishing small defects on the castings. A special compound with liquid silica for the primary ingredient

January 28, 2015. Medialogia carried a media rating of the most important Russian banks in 2014 using the banks’ MediaIndex data. Sberbank, VTB, Alfa-Bank, Promsvyazbank, VTB 24, Khanty-Mansiysky Bank, Raiffeisenbank, Binbank, and MDM Bank were among the country’s top ten banking businesses, Banki.ru reports. As many as two Yekaterinburg-based banks were among the top forty banks: the Ural Bank for Reconstruction & Development (URBD) moved fifteen points up and was given the 25th position, Bank Koltso Urala was given the 40th position in the rating. A number of banks actually lost their

January 28, 2015. Chelyabinsk Tube Rolling Plant (ChTPZ) is going to be the only supplier of large-diameter pipes for the construction of a football stadium in Samara; the stadium will be necessary for the world football championship of 2018, ChTPZ Group’s press service reports. Under the terms of the contract, the plant will supply 6,700,000 kg LDPs to Kurganstalmost (the manufacturer of metal frames for the stadium) in January and February. A shipment will comprise a variety of LDPs (diameter range 530mm to 1,220mm, wall width 12mm to 40mm) made of K60 steel. To meet this order, customized

January 28, 2015. The trade turnover of Sverdlovsk Region-based businesses came to 4,626,711,000,000 RUR in January-December 2014, which was 9.4% more than in 2013, Sverdlovskstat reports. Wholesale and retail traders, car mechanics, and repair shops’ accumulated turnover stood at 2,266,502,000,000 RUR; this figure was 13.7% greater than that for the year 2013 and proved the highest among all industries. The turnover figures were the smallest when it came to the fishing industry: the figure stood at 24.5m RUR, which was 36.6% less than in 2013.

January 27, 2015. An upgraded tramway 71-409 made by Uraltransmash (a member enterprise of Uralvagonzavod Corporation) was delivered to Volgograd, the corporation’s press service reports. Uralvagonzavod Corporation’s Director-General Oleg Sienko and Governor of Volgograd Region Andrei Bocharov agreed to have the upgraded 71-407 and 71-409 trams tested during their recent meeting. The technicalities of these performance tests were discussed at Uraltransmash Director-General Alexei Nosov’s meeting with Assistant to Governor of Volgograd Region Vassiliy Galushkin and Metroelectrotrans

January 27, 2015. Urals-based Rimera (a member enterprise of ChTPZ Group) supplied over 1,100 product units to Fortum, ChTPZ Group’s press service reports. The product shipments comprised 108-1,220mm mounting components made from 20, 09G2S, and 17G1S-U steels and stainless steel 08X18N10T, bends drawn through a displacement tube, and reducing fittings made by SOT. These are meant for upgrading jobs at Chelyabinsk Hydro Power Station, the strategic source of electric and heating power for the city. Rimera delivered the energy company 550 product units for the first power generating unit as

January 27, 2015. The controlling shareholding in Koltsovo Airport was sold to Regional Airports Management Company (a member enterprise of Renova Corporation) in the course of an auction, Sverdlovsk Region Ministry for Public Property Management reports. The 17.5% shareholding was sold for the opening bid amount (1.259bn RUR). Regional Airports Management Company was the only bidder. ‘Viktor Vekselberg’s company has the buy-out priority, so there were no other bidders for the shares,’ the ministry says. Sverdlovsk Region Government still owns a little over 17% of the airport’s shares. Now

January 27, 2015. Russia’s Construction Ministry announced the first finalists in the annual urban development contest chaired by Deputy Construction Minister Natalya Antipina. Yekaterinburg’s Academic District and a project of an A+ energy efficient apartment building in Yekaterinburg were among the nominees, the ministry’s press service reports. The Academic District Project won in the Best Completed Energy-Saving Project for Economy Class Housing category. The Construction Ministry says this is one of the most important categories in the contest, so it was suggested by the judges’ panel

January 27, 2015. Food prices rose by 16.1% in Sverdlovsk Region last year, Sverdlovskstat reports. This increase was nearly 2.5 times larger than in the year 2013, when the figure stood at 6.8%. Among the food items whose prices went up most dramatically were cabbage (2 times), buckwheat (1.8 times), and sugar (1.5 times). Besides, the price of beef and pork went up by 15% to 29.6%, as did that of frozen chicken, smoked and cooked sausage, and deli meats. Milk and dairy products grew 14.8% more expensive, the price of rice rose by 29.2%, that of hard and soft cheeses increased by 19.9%, that

January 26, 2015. Uralvagonzavod Corporation’s latest meeting in Nizhniy Tagil was almost entirely dedicated to making sure the head plant’s stadium is ready for the important Russian Classic, the Supreme Hockey League championship. ‘The League’s Managing Director German Skoropupov, his deputy, and the project curator Nikolai Karpovich, as well as heads of the enterprise’s Security, Marketing, and PR divisions arrived to make sure all the finishing jobs are in full swing at the stadium,’ the corporation’s press service reports. ‘The game is one of the three significant events the company has

January 26, 2015. 1,152 inspections of enterprises and territories were conducted in Sverdlovsk Region last year, with 2,169 violations detected by the state authorities, Governor of Sverdlovsk Region’s Information Policy Department reports. 2014 proved an important year for local environmental authorities in terms of fighting illegal landfill sites. Following Governor Evgeniy Kuivashev’s request, large-scale efforts were made in May-December to detect and eliminate illegal landfills throughout Sverdlovsk Region. Under inspection were agricultural lands, forests, settlements, and protection

January 26, 2015. Sverdlovsk Region’s government debt came to 49,660,666,000 RUR on January 1, 2015, the local finance ministry states. A month before, the figure stood at 33,939,645,000 RUR, and a year earlier, the amount of debt was 33,889,052,000 RUR. Sverdlovsk Region Finance Minister Galina Kulachenko said the constituency’s government debt would triple by January 1, 2018 and come to 126.4bn RUR due to economic difficulties in the area.

January 26, 2015. The amount of German exports to Russia dropped by €6bn because of the EU sanctions on Russia and Russia’s countersanctions, Lenta.ru refers to the data that Chairman of the Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations Prof. Dr. Eckhard Cordes cited to Rheinische Post. According to Cordes, export of German goods to Russia decreased by 18%, which could result in 60,000 job losses in the German economy. The official says things could get much worse in 2015. The Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations is an influential organization which represents the interests of

January 26, 2015. Pipe Metallurgical Company (TMK) shipped 4,377,000,000 kg of steel pipes to customers last year, which was 1.5% better than in 2013, the company’s press service reports. The shipments in the last quarter of the year were 10.4% greater than in the previous quarter and amounted to 1,218,000,000 kg. Weldless pipe shipments rose by 3.8% compared with the year 2013 and reached 2,541,000,000 kg. In Q4’14, shipments increased by 11.5% against the previous quarter and came to 693,000,000 kg. Welded pipe shipments, however, went down by 1.5% compared with the year 2013 and amounted

January 23, 2015. ChTZ Uraltrac (a member enterprise of Uralvagonzavod Corporation) is going to ship one of its B11 swamp bulldozers to Ukraine. According to the corporation’s press service, the vehicle was bought by Assol, one of the plant’s dealers in Zaporozhye. The new bulldozer make with hydro-mechanical transmission, Yaroslavl Motor Plant-made engine, and plastic coating, will be used in the energy sector. ‘Despite the current trying circumstances, we keep on cooperating with our Ukrainian partners,’ says Director for International & CIS Sales Alexander Sergeyev. ‘We are still

January 23, 2015. Pervouralsk New Pipe Plant (a member enterprise of ChTPZ Group) upgraded its cold-roll mill (KhPTR 15-30 No. 9) meant for making longitudinal pipes up to 20.5m long, the plant’s press service reports. ‘Thanks to these improvements, the product’s performance characteristics grew much better: the geometrical accuracy is considerably higher and the idle time is down,’ ChTPZ Group says. The mill has been operating at the plant’s pipe-drawing department since 1980. The last overhaul was given to it in 2001. Due to an excessive workload, the mill has been operating non-stop since

January 23, 2015. Ural Airlines is offering the residents of the Crimea more flights to Moscow, with convenient departure times, the airline’s press service says. Starting on February 1, 2015, a new Simferopol-Moscow flight (departure time 8:00 AM) will be operated by the company. The return flight departs at 7:00 PM. ‘These additional flights will allow those living in the Crimea to go to Moscow on business without any time difference inconveniences. Tickets are already available for purchase,’ the airline says. Ural Airlines operate daily flights from Simferopol to Moscow and back on Airbus

January 23, 2015. Consumer price index rose by 0.7% in Russia within January 13-19, 2015 and by1.5% since January 1, Rosstat reports. Sugar grew 3.6% more expensive over last week, while the price of rice went up by 2.8% and that of frozen fish, sunflower seed oil, margarine, cheese, millet, vermicelli, and tea rose by 1.4% to 2.1%. The price of fruit and vegetables grew by 4.6% on average, including a 9.5% increase in the price of cabbage and 6% to 8.3% increase in the price of onions, carrots, cucumbers, and tomatoes.