May 14, 2014. Pipe Metallurgical Company (TMK), one of the leading suppliers of pipes for the oil and gas industry, signed a long-term agreement with Yamal SPG.. According to the company’s press service, the agreement between TMK and Yamal SPG will be valid in 2014-2020. ‘Yamal SPG is estimated to need some 48,000,000 kg of premium pipe products in the indicated period. The first pipe shipments within the agreement were shipped from Taganrog Metallurgical Plant (TAGMET) and Seversky Pipe Plant (STZ) in April 2014. All in all, TMK is planning to deliver about 12,000,000 kg of casing and

May 14, 2014. Ukraine International Airlines (MAU) will stop operating its direct Yekaterinburg-Kyiv flight on May 14, 2014. ‘The direct flight from Yekaterinburg to Kyiv has been available until today. Starting tomorrow, the flight will only be operated with a stopover in Moscow, it won’t be a direct flight any longer. A number of seats will be reserved for these passengers by a partner air carrier. This is done for commercial reasons, the airline told UrBC. MAU is also closing down direct scheduled flights from Novosibirsk to Kyiv. Ukraine International Airlines launched direct flights from

May 14, 2014. UVZSHOP.ru launched its first POS in Yekaterinburg at Koltsovo Airport‘s Terminal A (domestic flights). Travelers and visitors to the city can buy the famous T-shirts with the images of modern Russian armored vehicles made at Uralvagonzavod Corporation, comfortable vests and military boots, sports bags, and comforters prior to their departure. According to the corporation’s press service, model armored vehicles and other souvenirs will soon be offered for sale in this outlet as well.

May 14, 2014. Yurginsky Machine Plant (a member enterprise of Uralvagonzavod based in Kemerov Region) is now kitting up and assembling antenna posts for MIK-MKS satcom-on-the-move systems. According to the corporation’s press service, the systems were developed by Mikran, a Tomsk-based scientific and production company, in partnership with Yurginsky Machine Plant. ‘This special-purpose machine can operate under any weather conditions and get fully set up within minutes, offering reliable connection through digital radio relay systems and wireless broad-band access. The systems went into mass

May 13, 2014. Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK) can now make reinforcing bars from At800 steel. 'This thermally treated reinforcing bars are highly durable and flexible, possess a great degree of viscosity; they are used in the construction industry for reinforcing metal and concrete structures, including those complex ones that are meant to withstand ongoing dynamic loads. For one, this flat stock is used for making prefabricated concrete structures such as post-tensioned slabs and wall columns and for making 'grid concrete' – towers for high-voltage power lines. The

May 13, 2014. The first open-entry cycling championship took place in Nizhniy Tagil on May 10-11, 2014. Uralvagonzavod Scientific and Production Corporation acted as the sponsor of the event. According to the corporation’s press service, the solemn opening ceremony was attended by the company’s Executive Director Vladimir Roshchupkin and President of FVS SO Nikolai Sudakov, who thanked the corporation’s Director-General Oleg Sienko for the help in the coordination of the cycling race. 210 cyclists from Nizhniy Tagil, Pervouralsk, Verkhnyaya Pyshma, Sysert, Yekaterinburg, Asbest, Sinegorsk,

May 13, 2014. In the first quarter of 2014, 75 criminal lawsuits were instituted in Ural Federal District relating to embezzlement in the communal housing services department. According to the spokesperson for General Prosecutor’s Office in Ural Federal District, out of 765 criminal cases relating to embezzlement in this sector, the verdict of ‘guilty’ was pronounced or other non-rehabilitating rulings were pronounced on 112 the accused in 106 cases. ‘In April 2014, the Russian Federation’s Prosecutor-General’s provisional receiving office was reopened, and 52 applications have already been

May 13, 2014. ChTZ-Uraltrac (a member enterprise of Uralvagonzavod Scientific & Production Corporation) shipped a set of nine B10M track units to the New Siberian Islands in the Arctic Ocean. According to the corporation’s press service, the swamp-proof towing tractors and bulldozers were shipped to Yakutia via railways and will then be delivered to the customer by sea. ‘The vehicles are meant for one of Russian oil and gas companies that is currently developing new mineral deposits in the Arctic shelf. The implementation of this complex project means that all the infrastructure necessary

May 13, 2014. Bank Home Credit is trying to optimize its assets and is going to reduce the number of branches it operates in Sverdlovsk Region form 44 to 36. The employees of the closing-down branches will have to undergo an evaluation procedure, based on which they will be offered positions in other branches, points of sale, or back office, the Director of Bank Home Credit’s Ural Directorate Mikhail Balabanov told UrBC. ‘Prior to the completion of our assessment and optimization procedure it’s too early to say how many employees will actually leave the company,’ Balabanov said. The bank’s

May 13, 2014. Bulgaria’s Consulate will open in Yekaterinburg in the middle of June 2014, the country’s Vice Premier Daniela Bobeva said in the course of her meeting with tourist companies representatives on May 11, ITAR-TASS says. The question of whether the Bulgarian Consulate in Yekaterinburg would resume its work was brought up during the 9th Russia Arms EXPO exhibition in Nizhniy Tagil in late September 2013. Bulgarian Consulate will take on a trade and economic issues attaché. Besides, they are considering the possibility of launching a direct scheduled flight between Yekaterinburg and

May 12, 2014. ChTPZ Group’s pipe-making member enterprises – Chelyabinsk Tube Rolling Plant and Pervouralsk New Pipe Plant – are congratulating the Great Patriotic War veterans this week, the company’s press service reports. 112 war veterans and 1,750 homefront workers who were employed with the two plants are going to become the most important guests at the solemn event. For many years, every war veteran has been getting some money bonus from the company on the eve of Victory Day; this year, over 1m RUR have been allocated for the purpose. ‘It is with a very happy heart that we celebrate

May 12, 2014. In 2014, 51 sports facilities are expected to get commissioned in Sverdlovsk Region. According to the Governor of Sverdlovsk Region’s Information Policies Department, over 241m RUR will be directed to this goal. ‘The facilities will include sports clubs, ski resorts, hockey playing fields, stadiums, and all-purpose sports playgrounds,’ the message states. Sverdlovsk Region Construction & Infrastructure Development Minister Viktor Kiselev said at a meeting chaired by Head of Sverdlovsk Region Government Denis Pasler that 7 out of 51 facilities were the buildings that had been

May 12, 2014. Uraltransmash (a member enterprise of Uralvagonzavod Scientific & Production Corporation) is going to produce up to 100 trams in 2014, the corporation’s Deputy DG Yuri Bodyaev said in an interview. According to Bodyaev, 51 trams were made last year. ‘We’ll be done with the reconstruction jobs by mid-year and will reach the production capacity of some 120 tramways, with the possibility of making 300-350 trams a year, and the most advanced ones at that,’ he added.

May 12, 2014. Uralvagonzavod Scientific & Production Corporation is going to spend over 50bn RUR on production upgrades this year, the corporation’s Deputy DG Yuri Bodyaev said in an interview. He explained some 35bn RUR will be directed to upgrading the corporation’s head plant in Nizhniy Tagil; up to 150bn RUR will be invested in the development of all of Uralvagonzavod Corporation’s enterprises by 2020. ‘All this spending will have to do with meeting the government defense goods order,’ Bodyayev explained. He also said the corporation had already fulfilled the government order for 2014

May 12, 2014. Sverdlosvk Region division of Russia’s Internal Affairs Ministry Chief Investigative Committee completed its investigation of the a criminal case relating to charging the former head of AMUR Car Factory (now bankrupt) with illegal receival of loans and of large-scale fraud, the ministry’s press service reports. According to the inquiry team, AMUR’s top executive submitted knowingly inaccurate accounting data to one of Yekaterinburg’s privately run banks in 2007-2008 and used these data as the basis for obtaining some 350m RUR worth of loans; these loans have not been paid back

May 8, 2014. 120 CCTV cameras will be installed around Yekaterinburg Central Stadium by the time of World Cup 2018, the city council's press service reports. 'Issues relating to security in the city streets and sports facilities are some of the key requirements the FIFA imposes on cities hosting the world football championship of 2018. Yekaterinburg has been working on this since 2008, with surveillance cameras installed in public places,' the message says. According to the Director of Traffic Coordination Center Evgeny Seletkov, new cameras get installed in Yekaterinburg every

May 8, 2014. The veterans and homefront workers of Uralvagonzavod Scientific and Production Corporation are being congratulated on the 69th anniversary of the Great Patriotic War victory this week. According to the company press service, the festive events will take place in Yekaterinburg, Omsk, Kirov, Chelyabinsk, Nizhniy Novgorod, Nizhniy Tagil, and other cities where the corporation operates its member enterprises, each of which contributed to the great Victory of 1945. On May 9, V-Day, 100 homefront workers from Uralvagonzavod will take part in a public gathering. 100 Great Patriotic War

May 8, 2014. In January and February 2014, the median monthly pay came to 27,462.1 RUR in Sverdlovsk Region, which is 9.3% higher than in January and February 2013, Governor of Sverdlovsk Region's Information Policies Department reports. The salaries of people employed with large and medium enterprises amounted to 30,471 RUR a month on average, which was 10.4% more than a year earlier. The pay was higher than average in such economic sectors as vehicle manufacturing and machine-building, chemical industry, transportation and communication, production and distribution of electric power,

May 8, 2014. According to Rosaviation, the cost of jet fuel in Yekaterinburg-based Koltsovo Airport is higher than that in Chelyabinsk and Surgut-based airports yet lower than in other Ural Federal District-based airports. Jet fuel is sold in Yekaterinburg by ZAO Koltsovo Filling Station at the price of 32,150 RUR per 1,000 kg. The cities located in the north of Ural Federal District sell jet fuel at the highest prices: Noyabrsk, with 34,856 RUR per 1,000 kg, is on top of this list (the seller is Noyabrsk branch of Surgut Airport), followed by Novy Urengoy (34,800 RUR, the seller is Novy

May 8, 2014. In 2013, environmental protection-related spending went up by 4% in Sverdlovsk Region compared with 2012 and amounted to 14.113m RUR, Sverdlovskstat reports. Emission fees reached 668,500 RUR, which is 21.8% less than in 2012, and excess emission fees came to 446,200 RUR, which was 51.5% less than a year earlier. At the same time, the amount of fines issued in complication for the damage caused by violation of environmental legislations actually doubled last year compared with 2012.