According to the Central Bank of Russia, the volume of loans offered by Chelyabinsk Commercial Land Bank CJSC to natural persons for a term of 181 days to a year has decreased by 68.5% throughout January to June 2006; the figure has gone down from 1,777,000 RUR on July 1, 2005 to 558,000 RUR on July 1, 2006. The volume of loans given to natural persons for a term of 91 days to 180 days has also dropped from 45,000 RUR to 25,000 RUR, or by 44% (compared to 2005).

Federal Antimonopoly Service in Sverdlovsk Region dismissed the case initiated by the General Director of Vostok Ltd. concerning Servoskaya power plant today. The plant had allegedly violated the Russian antimonopoly legislation by refusing to supply heating and hot water to certain consumers even though it was actually capable of rendering those services. The other claims have to do with violations in pricing policies and ungrounded use of business tariff for Vostok Ltd. whereas the latter was entitled to private individual tariff. All this, claim the experts from Vostok Ltd., was

UTair Airlines have transferred 16,707 passengers via Moscow (16,099 passengers used Vnukovo airport, 608 people used Domodedovo airport) throughout July 1 to July 23, 2006. Most people fly from Khanty-Mansiysk, Anapa, Sochi, Surgut, Saint Petersburg, and Syktyvkar, reports the company’s spokesperson.

A professional development workshop has been held in Abagurskiy subsidiary of Evrazruda JSC (ore maker, part of Evraz Group) recently. The workshop was designed and developed for the experts from the geological and surveyor departments as well as for the employees from the technological departments of all the subsidiaries of Evrazruda. The seminar was devoted to frequently asked questions concerning the use of Surpac Vision software. Executives from Surpac Minex Group of Australia, the producer of the software, demonstrated the possible ways of its implementation in geological surveyance, in

In 2005, Tyumen Energy Trading Company JSC sold 58,011,917,000 RUR worth of electric power. The company itself bought 71,157,620,549 kilowatt-hours on the wholesale and retail markets reported their spokesperson today. Former part of TyumenEnergo, the company emerged as an independent business on July 1, 2005, when the corresponding decision was made at the shareholder meeting.

88 faults were found in the low-voltage mains network of MultiEnergetica Ltd. (part of IES-Holding) over the last weekend. Strong thunderstorms and hurricane winds resulted in power cuts in Severouralsk, Pervouralsk, Revda, and Kamensk Uralskiy. The company’s technicians are still trying to find the imperfection in the high-voltage main in Pervouralsk, reports their spokesperson.

According to the Central Bank of Russia, the volume of short-term loans to nongovernmental commercial organizations given by Reserve, South Ural Bank of Social Development, for a term of 31 to 90 days has gone down by 75.6% (from 6,185,000 RUR to 1,500,000 RUR) throughout January 1, 2006 to June 1, 2006. In addition, the volume of short-term loans to nongovernmental commercial organizations given by the Bank for a term of 91 to 180 days has decreased from 10,480,000 RUR to 2,500,000 RUR, or by 76.1%, throughout January 1, 2006 to June 1, 2006.

Tube Works of Pervouralsk JSC has recently looked at the results of its activity in the first half of 2006. The company shipped 347,000 tons of tubes, with 71,200 tons shipped in June alone. The plant shipped 761,300 tons of tubes in cooperation with Tube Rolling Works of Chelyabinsk (both companies are part of one Group), reports the spokesperson.

The net profit of Mechel JSC has dropped by 17.9% (from $1.04bn to $853.52m) in the first quarter of 2006 against the first quarter of 2005. Their operating income reached the point of $59m, or 6.9% of the net profit (compared to operating income of $226.77m, or 21.8% of the net profit, in 2005). The company declared the consolidated net profit of $62.88m, or $.47 per ADR and $.16 per diluted share (compared to $169.51m, or $1.26 per ADR in the first quarter of 2005). Consolidated EBITDA came to $134.41m against $279.66m a year earlier, the company’s spokesperson said to UrBC representative.

Metallurgical Industrial Complex of Nizhniy Tagil JSC (part of Evraz Group) has recently held the meeting of the regional Union of Metallurgists. The executives from the region’s largest metallurgical enterprises as well as government officials and deputies of the regional legislative body examined the socially important areas of the complex such as Metallurg Forum, a sports and fitness arena, the entertainment club and a few kindergartens, including the one in the countryside, reports the spokesperson for the Complex. The company has been working on a few labor safety projects; thus, the

Ural League Commercial Bank CJSC is going to hold the extraordinary shareholder meeting on August 11, 2006. The corresponding decision was made at the meeting of the Board on July 19, 2006. The points on the agenda include amendments to the company’s Charter and to the Provision of the Board.

Ufaleynickel JSC announced that it was going to give Coke JSC a loan worth 600 million RUR. The term of loan comes to three years, starting on the day of transferring the money from the creditor’s account elsewhere. The deal comprises 36.56% of the company’s assets; it was approved at the annual general meeting of Ufaleynickel shareholders on June 1, 2006.

Metallurgical Industrial Complex of Nizhniy Tagil JSC (part of Evraz Group) has recently looked at its success in terms of environmental protection programs in the first half of 2006. It turned out that the Complex reduces the harmful emissions by another 1,300 tons compared to the first half of 2005. This rate of specific emissions is one of the lowest among Russian metallurgical enterprises; it floats at approximately 18 kilograms per ton of steel (as opposed to 35 kilograms per ton in 1990), reports the spokesperson for the Complex.

According to the Central Bank of Russia, the volume of short-term loans to sole traders given by Reserve, South Ural Bank of Social Development, for a term of 181 days to a year has gone down from 10,000,000 RUR on January 1, 2006 to 4,400,000 RUR on June 1, 2006. Thus the loan portfolio is now 56% smaller.

SverdlovskOblGas, the regional gas supplier, published its financial report for 2005. The company’s intangible profit came to 87,000 RUR, which exceeds the record for 2004 by 10,000 RUR. Their authorized capital reached the point of 96,000 RUR (the figure hasn’t changed since 2004). The capital surplus decreased slightly (from 437,503 RUR in 2004 to 437,413 in 2005); sales revenues came to 370,876 RUR, gross profit to 75,872 RUR, net profit to 12,715 RUR (compared to 9,719 RUR in 2004).

‘Zinc plant of Chelyabinsk produces over 300,000 tons of sulfuric acid a year, whereas our major buyers – mineral fertilizer producers – have closed up mainly because the agricultural farms cannot afford to buy enough fertilizers anymore. Thus we’ve been faced with a problem of being unable to sell the acid,’ General Director of Zinc Plant of Chelyabinsk Vsevolod Geihmann announced at the meeting of PROMASS, the Organization of Employers of Chelyabinsk Region. Mr Geihmann believes that it is essential to find ways of storing the acid safely. ‘The Ministry of Transport does not let us rent

The technicians of Teyskiy subsidiary of Evrazruda JSC (ore maker and part of Evraz Group) started the 20-day overhaul of the crushing-and-processing plant. The plan provides for restoration of the heating system, lining of the service bin, dismantling and replacement of all the worn-out parts of the jawbreaker, and fixing the feed apron that transfers ore from the service bin to the jawbreaker. The company’s experts will also repair and replace the obsolete parts of the two bolting machines meant for ore separation, and of the three gyratory breakers meat for the secondary crushing. Whereas

Sverdlovsk Gubernskiy Bank CJSC celebrated its 12th anniversary on July 18, 2006. The bank is put on the list of top-200 Russian banks, considering its net and quick assets, its owned capital, its balance sheet total, the loan portfolio and the deposit portfolio, and the bank’s profits. This is definitely one of the leading banks of Sverdlovsk Region as well. The experts of Interfax CEA information agency named it the most dynamically developing bank in Sverdlovsk Region in 2005 and rated it 167th in terms of total assets (as opposed to being 267th in 2004) among 300 largest Russian banks

Selkhozcomplect JSC held the annual general meeting that resulted in approving of the company’s annual report and of the accounting report, including the profit and loss statement. The shareholders decided to pass a dividend for 2005 due to lack of profit. The attendees elected the Board of Directors, namely, V. Khotenov, A. Shaposhnikov, V. Surovtsev, M. Yulik, and V. Yulik. They also elected the inspection committee and renewed the contract with the company’s General Director A. Shaposhnikov for another term.

According to the Central Bank of Russia, the volume of short-term loans to nongovernmental commercial organizations given by UralPromBank for a term of 181 days to a year has gone down by 36.1% throughout January to May 2006 (against the first half of 2005). The volume of loans came to 325 233,000 RUR on June 1, 2005, whereas it only reached the point of 289,345,000 RUR on January 1, 2006, and 207 770,000 RUR on June 1, 2006.