UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 31, 2017. Prices went down by 1.2% on Yekaterinburg existing home market in the first three months of 2017. Compared with March 2016 and February 2015, prices declined by 3.1% and 12.3%, respectively, Ural Real Estate Chamber’s report states. The average asking price on Yekaterinburg existing home market currently comes to 67,298 RUR per m2. The only housing segment where prices went up a little since the start of the year (+0.9%, from 48,381 RUR to 48,838 RUR per m2) was the apartments on the outskirts of the city. Centrally located homes grew 0.3% less expensive

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 31, 2017. Sverdlovsk Region’s construction market amounted to 12.6bn RUR in January and February 2017, which was 2.5% less than one year earlier (in comparable prices), Sverdlovsk Region Economy Ministry refers to Sverdlovskstat as stating. 160,200 m2 of new housing got commissioned in the area in the first two months of the year, which was 45.9% less than one year earlier (296,000 m2). Also, 85,900 m2 worth of private houses got put up as well.

UrBC, Moscow, March 31, 2017. The Russian building industry’s competitiveness index declined y 22% in the second half of 2016 compared with one year previously, the Building Industry Rating Agency’s (RASK) research findings indicate. RASK has been carrying the CI figures since the year 2014. The index is based on data on the number of professional housing developers on the market, the number of government contracts, the availability of borrowed funds, the construction process dynamics, the number of companies going bust, the number of companies with no transparency policy, and other

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 30, 2017. Ural Vagon Zavod Corporation’s Burevestnik Central Scientific Research Institute was awarded Russia’s Defense Ministry honorary certificate for taking part in the 2nd military/scientific conference on the use of robots in the Russian Armed Forces. The conference took place at Patriot Congress Center on March 23, the company press service reports. Burevestnik contributed to the demonstration of its 57-mm remotely controlled weapon station AU 220M mounted onto E501TB chassis (made at Ural Vagon Zavod’s Rubtsovsk subsidiary). The weapon station was developed

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 30, 2017. Sinara Group’s Sinara Development reports new homes are now available for purchase in Peremena, a set of apartment buildings in Shirokaya Rechka, Yekaterinburg, the Group’s press service reports. The apartment buildings 1.3 and 1.4 will get commissioned in the last quarter of 2018. Special offers hold for a limited number of apartments. According to Sinara Development’s CFO Alexei Smirnov, prices start from 1,6m RUR for ready-to-move-in new homes with the standard developer’s finish. ‘This is one of the best offers on Yekaterinburg new home market.

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 30, 2017. SKB-Bank’s Deputy Chair of the Board Margarita Burbik attended Sverdlovsk Region Food & Agriculture Ministry’s recent out-of-house meeting. The officials present at the event talked about getting ready for the upcoming crops campaign, steps to be taken to support the local farmers, and preferential terms lending options for them. Sverdlovsk Region Agriculture Minister Dmitri Degtyarev asked the attending Duma deputies to draft up the bills that would make the agribusinesses’ lives easier. Head of United Russia’s Sverdlovsk Region Legislative Assembly

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 30, 2017. The first round of a football championship involving children from foster homes and boarding schools for orphans will take off in Yekaterinburg on March 30. The event, called The Future Depends on You, is coordinated by the telecommunications provider MegaFon, the company press service reports. ‘Footballers from foster homes and boardings schools based in eight Sverdlovsk Region town and cities will compete for the privilege of representing their constituency in the championship’s final round in Sochi. These are children who practice football as a hobby

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 30, 2017. The number of Sverdlovsk Region-based small businesses (excluding the micro-organizations) came to 4,601 in January-September 2016, which was 46% less than on year previously (8,529), Sverdlovskstat reports. These companies used to imply 233,879 people in the first nine months of 2015 and 134,368 people in January-September 2016. Small businesses based in the Mid-Urals supplied 131,320,148,000 RUR worth of produce to their customers in January-September 2016, which was 15.3% less than one year previously (155,020,899,000 RUR). Capital investments declined

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 29, 2017. Engineer from the company’s Technological Institute Andrei Pestov was recently elected new Chair of Ural Vagon Zavod Corporation’s head plant’s Young Workers’ Council, the company press service reports. Pestov came to replace Vladimir Vaskov, who was the council’s Chair in 2009-2016. Additionally, new members of the council were elected as well. They are to stay in office until 2019. The elections took place at the head plant’s I.V. Okunev Culture Palace. The agenda of this meeting also covered a report on the council’s performance in 2014-2016. There are

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 29, 2017. ChTPZ Group supplied to its customer a set of pumping and compression pipes meant for producing oil at Prirazlomnoye Deposit in the Arctic. This unique, import-substituting produce was manufactured at the Group’s Pervouralsk New Pipe Plant’s Finishing Center for OCTGs. According to the company press service, the set comprises 115,000 kg of H2S resistant pipes with enhanced strength grade and ChT-VT and ChT-VC Premium threaded joints. By order of the customer, Gazprom Neft Shelf, the Group applied a special steel-testing technique as well as got the

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 29, 2017. One of the world’s largest pipe manufacturers, Pipe Metallurgical Company (TMK) took part in the Earth Hour (the most large-scale environmental event on this planet) on March 25, 2017. According to the company press service, all of their assets in Russia, the United States, Europe, and the Far East switched off the outdoor lighting for their buildings as well as all other non-production appliances. The Earth Hour is the WWF-inspired international event where everyone is encouraged to switch off the lights for one hour to show they care for this planet’s

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 29, 2017. Ural Airlines won two awards in the 20th Russian Wings Contest on March 27; firstly, the airline won in the Domestic Flights category, Group 1 (air carriers with turnover over 3m passengers a year), the airline’s press service reports. Also, the air carrier was given a special ‘coordinators’ choice’ award as Russian Civil Aviation Project of the Two Decades. Ural Airlines’ Director-General Sergei Skuratov was personally acknowledged as a major contributor to the development of Russia’s air travel. The company was nominated for two more prizes as well

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 29, 2017. Rosset’s Federal Grid Company United Energy Systems started gradually replacing the obsolete oil-filled units at its Western Siberia-based power stations with new SF6 equipment, the company press service reports. The new equipment will reduce the risk of oil spilling onto the soil or into water sources. Ten SF6 switches will get installed at 500-kilowatt substations Lugovaya, Pyt-Yakh, and Kustovaya, and the 220-kilowatt substation Varyegan. ‘The new units will operate more reliably in different climatic conditions, allow for longer time between repairs,

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 28, 2017. Russia’s Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu coordinated the United Military Produce Acceptance Day for enterprises involved in meeting the government’s defense procurement requirements, Ural Vagon Zavod Corporation’s press service reports. The corporation’s Deputy DG for Special-Purpose Vehicles Vyacheslav Khalitov reported on meeting this year’s target figures. Khalitov said the set of twenty T 72B3 upgraded tanks got the military officials’ approval and was sent to the Russian Army. ‘The company intends to meet its contractual obligations with Russia’s

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 28, 2017. Winners of the annual Investment Project of The Year Contest attended the awarding ceremony in Nizhniy Novgorod, Ural Vagon Zavod Corporation’s Burevestnik Central Scientific Research Institute’s press service reports. The contest brought into the limelight the investment projects that contributed to the economic development in the area. The event was coordinated by Nizhniy Novgorod Region Government. Burevestnik’s project on the reconstruction of its production base and the construction of a new launching unit proved the project of the year in the

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 28, 2017. Alexei Dolgikh from Ural Vagon Zavod Corporation’s member enterprise Uraltransmash proved Best Turner in Ural Federal District’s Glory to The Man of Labor! professional skills contest, the company press service reports. The contest was held at V.M. Kurochkin Yekaterinburg Industrial & Technological School on March 22. There were seventeen contestants from Ural Federal District’s six member constituencies: Chelyabinsk Region, Kurgan Region, Sverdlovsk Region, Tyumen Region, Yamalo-Nenetsky Autonomous Region, and Khanty-Mansiysky Autonomous Region.

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 28, 2017. EVRAZ Holding is now among the top ten environmentally responsible ore mining companies in Russia and No. 1 among the country’s ferrous metallurgy enterprises, the holding’s press service reports. The rating is the World Wide Fund for Nature’s pilot project, supported by the United Nations, the Global Environment Facility, and Russia’s Ministry for Natural Resources & the Environment. The rating features metallurgical companies, coal and ore mining businesses, and companies specializing in precious stones production. The rating is based on the data

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 28, 2017. Ural Airlines resume operating their Ulan Ude-Moscow flight on April 29, 2017. The flights will be available five times a week (and every day starting from May 20), the air carrier’s press service reports. Prices start from 15,550 RUR (one way Promo ticket, all fees included). The price covers lunch, cabin luggage (under 5 kg), and one piece of luggage (under 10 kg). A ticket that covers a piece of luggage under 23 kg starts from 17,050 RUR, all fees included. ‘Passengers can enjoy an additional discount if they join our Wings Club loyalty program. Once

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 27, 2017. The overall value of the Ural Bank for Reconstruction & Development’s savings certificates rose by 6.5 times in the course of one year and reached 6.16bn RUR on March 1, 2017; this is the second best result among all Russian banks, the bank’s press service reports. The bank’s customers apparently prefer to have the long-term fixed interest rate option. The overall value of UBRD’s six-month savings certificates went up by 7.5% and that of twelve-month ones by 12%, which reflects the overall national trend: the amount of one- to twelve-month savings

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 27, 2017. Ural Vagon Zavod Corporation’s head plant in Nizhniy Tagil is going to hold a business management and strategy contest, the company press service reports. The Best for the Job contest is meant to serve an educational purpose and to be used as a tool to train the company’s talent pool as well as to reveal the plant managers’ professional skills. The plant’s first business management and strategy contest is based on the Global Management Challenge, the world’s largest strategic management championship; the contest is focused on practical strategic planning