UrBC, Yekaterinburg, February 16, 2017. 94,900 m2 worth of new housing got commissioned in Sverdlovsk Region in January 2017, which exceeded the figures for one year earlier by 11%, Sverdlovskstat reports. Also, 50,200 m2 of private houses got put up as well, which was 8.2% more than in January 2016.

UrBC, Magnitogorsk, Chelyabinsk Region, February 15, 2017. MMK Group carried its annual accounting report (IAS-based) for the year 2016. The company’s net profit rose by over 2.5 times last year against the year 2015 and amounted to $1.11m. The Group’s revenues dropped by 3.6% against the year 2015. ‘This has to do with lower selling prices (-$20 off every 1,000 kg, or down 4.4%) by the end of the year,’ MMK explains. The company’s EBITDA, adjusted against the sale of the remaining stakes in Fortescue Metals Group (FMG), remained nearly the same as in the previous year and came to $1.64m; the

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, February 15, 2017. A military/sports quest called Heroes’ Race will take off at Ural Vagon Zavod Corporation’s head plant at 3PM on February 22; the event is open to everyone, regardless of where they work, the company press service reports. ‘Ural Vagon Zavod is a socially responsible enterprise that aims to promote a healthier and more active lifestyle. The new quest is a great and interesting opportunity to try yourself out as well as to start doing sports. Heroes’ Race is a 1,000-m long assault course with both natural and artificial obstacles. The organizers are

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, February 15, 2017. EVRAZ Holding’s Nizhniy Tagil Integrated Metallurgical Works (NTMK) and Kachkanar Ore Mining & Processing Enterprise (KGOK) kept investing in working conditions improvements and on-premise repairs last year; some 100 projects were implemented all in all. EVRAZ Holding Ural’s press office reports the two companies spent around 140m RUR on the improvements in employees’ working conditions as set out in their respective Collective Agreements. The positive changes affected 2,500 workers. For one, powerful roof fans were installed at KGOK’s sintering

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, February 15, 2017. Sinara Group’s Sinara Development is launching special offers on its new homes in Yekaterinburg, the Group’s press service reports. Customers considering a mortgage will be able to benefit from A Year With No Mortgage Offer, which means once the 30% down payment has been made, the next installment will only have to be paid after the apartment building has been commissioned. This means that you can apply for the loan needed to make this payment one year later and thus save money on interest. You can save up to 620,000 RUR on this. Another option is to

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, February 15, 2017. SKB-Bank took part in the International Forum iFin 2017 in Moscow, the bank’s press service reports. SKB-Bank’s Distance Sales Director Konstantin Kotelnikov presented a report on how SKB Online app grew to become the market leader in just one year and is now among Russia’s top three mobile banking apps according to Markswebb. ‘We needed a partner company to meet our technological requirements, which means a modern platform, all the necessary services, good quality tech support, and willingness to share potential risks. We decided on BSS in the end,

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, February 15, 2017. Sverdlovsk Region-based employers failed to pay their workers 3.635m RUR on time as of February 1, 2017, Sverdlovskstat reports. The agency reports this is 21.9% more than in the previous quarter but still four times below the figures for one year earlier.

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, February 14, 2017. JuniorSkills, part of WorldSkills Russia’s Sverdlovsk Region round, took off at ChTPZ Group’s Training Center, the company press service reports. Thirty contestants aged between 14 and 17 from six city teams are going to compete in Mechatronics, NC Turning, Metal Treatment, and Electrical Wiring. The Training Center teaching staff will act as the expert panel for the contest. ‘We are delighted to host JuniorSkills contestants on the site. ChTPZ Group’s Training Center experts focus heavily on job-counseling sessions at the local schools, relying both on

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, February 14, 2017. A new electrical heating furnace was launched at Ural Vagon Zavod Corporation’s head plant’s Thermal Department 3; this was part of the company’s upgrades and renovations program, the corporation’s press service reports. ‘The new furnace is meant for low tempering, the final stage of the thermal treatment process. The furnace operates within the 170 С° to 300 С° range and with workload of more than 3,000 kg. This equipment is suitable for low-temperature treatment of a wide range of spare parts and nodes,’ the press service says. The furnace is

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, February 14, 2017. Ural Airlines are now selling reduced-price tickets to Ocean, the all-Russian children’s center in Vladivostok where both recreational and educational activities are offered, the air carrier’s press service reports. Special prices apply to the following flights: Yekaterinburg-Vladivostok (6,400 RUR/12,800 RUR for one-way ticket/round trip), Novosibirsk-Vladivostok (5,900 RUR/11,800 RUR), Irkutsk-Vladivostok (5,500 RUR/11,000 RUR). The offer holds through December 31, 2017. Tickets can be bought at any booking office if you produce proof of paying for

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, February 14, 2017. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree to award Russian Copper Company Chair of the Board of Directors Igor Altushkin with the Order of Friendship, the company press service reports. ‘The decision has to do not only with his professional accomplishments and many years of flawless performance at work, but also Altushkin’s contribution to strengthening international business ties throughout Eurasia,’ the press service says. Russian Copper Company Group comprises, among others, three member enterprises based in Kazakhstan: Aktyubinsk Copper

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, February 14, 2017. The first group of children from schools based in Akademicheskiy District in Yekaterinburg went to join an educational program in Camp Sirius in Sochi; this is a special camp for gifted kids, RSG-Akademicheskoye’s press service reports. Renova Charity Foundation sponsored these children’s ten-day camp stay at Sirius, with a focus on the sciences. The plan is to work on science projects in an interactive format. The young researchers will learn about circuits engineering, micro control unit programming, digital design, and 3D printing. All in all, around

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, February 13, 2017. Ural Vagon Zavod Corporation’s head plant underwent a number of certification procedures last year, getting new permits and compliance certificates allowing the plant to make its new rail products on a serial scale. The company also got its organization management system and its special-purpose vehicle quality management system certified in 2016. According to the corporation’s press service, the plant went through a certification audit to prove compliance with the Customs Union’s Technical Requirements along twenty-two serially produced and five new

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, February 13, 2017. The FIFA stadium and infrastructure consultant Charles Botta paid a visit to the construction site of Yekaterinburg Arena, the stadium that Sinara Group’s Sinara Development is to get rebuild in time for the world football championship of 2018, the Group’s press service reports. Sinara Development Director-General Timur Ufimtsev made a report on the reconstruction process. Botta inspected the entire site, including the spectator stands, the roof, the facade part, the peripheral structures, and the rooms under the stands. He focused closely on the

UrBC, Moscow, February 13, 2017. The telecommunications provider MegaFon reports the company has gone through with purchasing 11.5m Class A shares and 21.9m ordinary shares (some 15.2% of Mail.Ru Group Limited’s authorized capital, or 63.8% of votes) from businesses affiliated with MegaFon’s controlling shareholder USM Holdings, the company press service reports. ‘Acting upon the decision taken at the extraordinary shareholder meeting on January 20, 2017, MegaFon purchased 11,500,100 Class A shares and 21,940,148 ordinary shares (15.2% of Mail.Ru Group Limited’s authorized capital and 63.8%

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, February 13, 2017. Ural Airlines operated its first scheduled flight from Chelyabinsk to Mineralnye Vody, with a stopover in Sochi, the air carrier’s press service reports. ‘Passengers on the flight could enjoy the benefit of the new offer and the convenient timetable on February 10. They also took part in an on-board trivia show and received some nice prizes from the airline and the airport representatives,’ the press service says. A special price offer holds for these flights: prices start from 5,900 RUR for Chelyabinsk-Mineralnye Vody and Chelyabinsk-Sochi flights and

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, February 13, 2017. MegaFon subscribers based in the Urals tend to call Moscow numbers most often and send texts primarily to numbers registered in Saint Petersburg, the telecommunications provider’s press service refers to its recent analytical findings as indicating. As for Internet traffic, it turns out that Urals-based users tend to use most of it when traveling to Sochi, Omsk, and Kazan. ‘It is reported that MegaFon Ural subscribers started using increasingly more Internet traffic when traveling around Russia last year, with the overall traffic amount tripling in the

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, February 10, 2017. Chelyabinsk Pipe Rolling Plant (ChTPZ) reports company is about to go through with their second 001P 02 bond issue (5bn RUR all in all). This is a typically structured bond issue with a 182-day coupon period and the redemption deadline at the end of the circulation period. The bonds’ face value has been set at 1,000 RUR per bond. The bonds are to be in circulation for five years. The plant’s new issue draw quite a few investors’ attention, including banks, management companies, insurers, investment businesses, and private individuals. This obvious

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, February 10, 2017. The telecommunications provider MegaFon set up the most up-to-date equipment on the premises of Universitetsky Tech Park, the company press service reports. HD Voice and LTE Advanced were introduced to ensure better sound quality and higher data transfer speed, respectively. All users on the 28,000-m2-big site can now enjoy a reliable 3G and 4G connection, which means employees of resident businesses can download their files at 300 Mb/min. Drivers on Yekaterinburg Orbital Motorway will also enjoy an improved connection when they find themselves in its

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, February 10, 2017. Ural Airlines won the Skyway Service Award 2016, the air carrier’s press service says. The airline was awarded as Best Airline in the Domestic Chartered Flights category. ‘The prize is special in that the winners were selected based on the votes passengers submitted online. The country’s leading airline and online booking resources’ representatives were invited to coordinate the voting process to ensure the best quality of the entire procedure. The Skyway Service Award was set up by AVIA.RU with Rosaviation’s support,’ the press service says.