UrBC, Moscow, November 13, 2018. LUKOIL estimated it recent losses due to fuel price restrictions in the last four months (the restrictions were first imposed in late May) at RUR 8.5bn, Kommersant refers to the company’s head Vagit Alekperov as stating. According to Alekperov, LUKOIL signed an agreement to freeze the small-scale wholesale prices that came into effect retroactively on November 1. So far, while the oil prices remain high and the ruble relatively weak, the company hasn’t been paying too dearly for having to subsidize domestic fuel prices: the losses get contained within several

UrBC, Moscow, November 13, 2018. The international rating agency Standard & Poor’s Global Ratings believes the Russian federal constituencies and town councils’ fund control system to be unstable and poorly balanced, even though it has been improving, Interfax reports. On the positive side, both the local governments within the federal constituencies and town councils are sufficiently transparent and highly reliable in their presentation of their budget performance and debt burden. The budgeting process is also an institutionalized one; besides, the local authorities always have the

UrBC, Moscow, November 13, 2018. A board of experts working under the Russian Government suggested imposing excise duty payments on fizzy drinks; the proposal was presented in a response to the nationwide Public Healthcare Improvement Project. According to Izvestia, the goal is to encourage Russians to eat more healthily; there are currently 2m people living in the country who have been diagnosed with obesity. The Healthcare Ministry has already supported the initiative. The number of Russians diagnosed with obesity went up by 6% last year compared with the year 2016. The overall number of

UrBC, Moscow, November 13, 2018. Russia’s Central Bank carried a report on its website stating which sectors of the national economy rely most heavily on the below-the-radar-cashing-in-of-money services: these are the wholesale and retail trade sector (sale of construction goods and industrial commodities amounts to 20% and that of consumer goods to 13% of the shadow market), the building industry (30%), the service sector (21%), production sector (9%), and logistics (6%). 53% of all questionable transactions relating to cashing in of money performed in the first half of the year all pertain

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, November 12, 2018. Girls and boys on the Ural Bank for Reconstruction & Development’s Children Believe In Miracles Program did a number of computer-based job counseling tests. The program is a charity project to support children without parents, and the tests are meant to help them decide on their future jobs and get ready for those, the bank’s press service reports. This time, the tests were done by a group of children from Yekaterinburg-based Karavella Children’s Center. Some of them already know what they would like to do for a living, so these children were happy

UrBC, Moscow, November 12, 2018. Mercedes-Benz RUS is calling 1,152 Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class SUVs off the Russian market; the automobiles in question were manufactured between April and July 2018, Rosstandart’s press service reports. The problem lies with the back seat buckles: it has been found these can get sucked in between the upholstery units. To remove the defect, additional buffer components need to get installed in the holders. Also called off are fourteen Mercedes-Benz 257 and 213 makes that got sold between October 2017 and April 2018: the front passenger seat Occupant Classification

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, November 12, 2018. Motor fuel prices kept rising again on Sverdlovsk Region market between October 29 and November 4, 2018. According to Russia’s Federal Antimonopoly Service’s Sverdlovsk Region division, the average price of AI 92 gasoline rose from RUR 40.29 to RUR 41.42 per liter; that of AI 95 gasoline rose from RUR 43.11 to RUR 44.20 per liter on average; and that of diesel fuel went up from RUR 43.98 to RUR 45.87 per liter. The price of liquefied natural gas came to RUR 22.73 on average, which is 0.01 RUR less than one week earlier.

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, November 12, 2018. Spetsavtobaza, the taxpayers-funded, town-council run agency for waste treatment and disposal, predicts a major solid household waste (SHW) crisis in Yekaterinburg as soon as thirty days from now, the enterprise’s head Sergey Ponomarev announced at a recent meeting with Yekaterinburg Duma deputies. According to Ponomarev, the crisis can be brought about by a court ruling that prohibits Spetsavtobaza Yekaterinburg Municipal Unitary Enterprise from landing new waste treatment contracts with end users. Ponomarev explained that only 1,300 out of 36,000

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, November 12, 2018. Ural Airlines will be operating extra Sochi flights between New Year and late March: there will be a daily flight to Sochi from Yekaterinburg and thrice-weekly flights from Chelyabinsk and Samara each, the air carrier’s press service reports. Yekaterinburg-Sochi flight will be available daily starting from December 25, 2018, as two flights will be added on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Prices start from RUR 4,100 (one way). Starting January 2, 2019, Samara-Sochi flight will get operated three times a week, as a Wednesday flight will get added to Friday and

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, November 9, 2018. The Ural Bank for Reconstruction & Development’s Maximum Card holders can enjoy a 10% cashback option on their entertainment-related purchases starting November 1, 2018, the bank’s press service reports. The largest cashback percentage available (10%) applies to payments at restaurants, cafes, movies, theaters, amusement parks, and other catering and entertainment venues, as well as in household appliances stores. The UBRD also gives you back 1% on every other purchase paid for by a card. The bank selects specific spending categories with 10%

UrBC, Moscow, November 9, 2018. The Japanese car manufacturer Mazda is calling off some 640,000 automobiles worldwide due to diesel engine flap problems. The faulty part might cause the engine to suddenly stop on its own, TASS reports. Called off are four makes, including Mazda CX-5. Around 230,000 units are being called off in Japan and another 410,000 units elsewhere. According to Reuters, no cars are being called off in the U.S., as Mazda does not sell any diesel automobiles there.

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, November 9, 2018. Sverdlovsk Region’s public prosecution authorities are now investigating the town council’s alleged plans to pull down an apartment building at 40 Karl Liebknecht St to make room for Sverdlovsk Philharmonic’s new concert hall, their press service reports. The prosecution authorities have asked for and obtained all the papers relating to the case so they can assess the actions taken by the officials in charge, the governmental bodies, and the philharmonic’s administration, whose task is to coordinate auctions and select contractors to inspect the

UrBC, Moscow, November 9, 2018. 13,109 luxury automobiles were sold in Russia in October 2018, which exceeded the figures for one year earlier by 9%. In fact, the premium segment sales rose higher than even the entire Russian car market (+8%). According to Autostat’s reports, Mercedes-Benz remains the luxury market leader (3,300 units got sold last month, up 3% on October 2017). BMW comes next (3,105 units, up 21% on a year earlier), followed by the Japanese brand Lexus (1,742 units, down 15% on a year earlier). Additionally, 1,478 Audi makes got sold on the Russian market last month (+2%).

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, November 9, 2018. Over 7,000 enforcement proceedings relating to unpaid capital housing repairs bills are currently being processed by Russia’s Federal Service of Court Officers’ Sverdlovsk Region division. According to the division’s press service, 3,000 debtors won’t be able to travel abroad while their debts remain unpaid. Another 2,500 people have been forbidden to sell or rent out their automobiles; most of the debtors had their bank accounts seized as well.

UrBC, Nizhniy Tagil, November 8, 2018. EVRAZ Holding’s Nizhniy Tagil Iron & Steel Works (NTMK) won Russia’s Environmental Leader Award 2018 as Best Environmentally Responsible Primary Employer in Town, EVRAZ’s PR Department reports. The company got awarded for its efforts to reduce the environmental impact it makes. ‘EVRAZ NTMK launched its new Blast Furnace 7 with a powerful suction unit this year. Overhead emission-trapping appliances are now used at every iron-tapping session. The exhaust gases get filtered with 5,888 sock filters, which reduces their final dust contest by 2.5 times,’

UrBC, Moscow, November 8, 2018. The Russian Government might support certain large businesses in case they get hit by the U.S. sanctions yet again, Prime refers to Russian Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev as telling reporters. Now the U.S. authorities announced on Tuesday that Russia apparently failed to comply with their chemical and biological weapons control regulations. According to State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert, they ‘intend to proceed in accordance with the terms of the CBW ACT, which directs the implementation of additional sanctions,’ as it could not be certified that

UrBC, Moscow, November 8, 2018. Zhukovsky International Airport welcomed its millionth passenger of the year on November 6, 2018. The passenger was Yelena Melnikova, who flew from Tbilisi to Zhukovsky, Moscow Region, on board Ural Airlines’ flight U62466. Ms. Melnikova traveled with her daughter, Daria, who joined in the fun, the air carrier’s press service reports. ‘We expected nothing of the kind upon our arrival at the airport. When people started greeting us at the terminal, my first thought was that something bad must have happened. And yet this proved to be such a pleasant surprise! We

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, November 8, 2018. As of November 5, 2018, the average price of apartments currently on offer on Yekaterinburg existing home market comes to RUR 70,184 per m2, Ural Real Estate Chamber reports. Analysts explain the last time the price figures exceeded RUR 70,000 per m2 was in February 2016. The average housing price has been rising steadily since last summer. The reasons for this price increase are rooted in the market supply structure: the least expensive homes sell fast as they enjoy the greatest demand, while the most expensive apartments grow even pricier. The average

UrBC, Chelyabinsk, November 8, 2018. Under Governor of Chelyabinsk Region Boris Dubrovsky’s initiative to support the gas infrastructure in the area, some 80,000 local families have been provided with access to natural gas supply infrastructure and some 1,500 km of new pipelines have been built since 2014. According to the Southern Urals Government’s press service, more than RUR 2.7bn got allocated from the constituency’s budget to gas supply infrastructure development in 2014-2017 in full compliance with Governor Dubrovsky’s policy. 1,057 km of new pipelines got built, and 67,400 end users

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, November 7, 2018. Federal Grid Company United Energy Systems (FGC UES) is planning to have the equipment at thirty-seven of its power substations in Western Siberia upgraded. The project will require RUR 472m in investments, FGC UES’s Western Siberia PR & Media Group reports. ‘We’ll have high-voltage appliances that serve as the link between the electric mains and the transformer substations replaced. As a result, end users in Tyumen Region, Khanty-Mansiysky Autonomous Region, and Yamalo-Nenetsky Autonomous Region (over 3.6m people altogether as well as large oil and