March 7, 2013. In 2012, the amount of foreign investment rocketed in Sverdlovsk Region, while direct foreign investment actually doubled from $88.5m in 2011 to $192.9m in 2012, Sverdlovsk Region Government’s Press Service & Information Department reports. Sverdlovsk Region First Deputy Economics Minister Anatoly Ogloblin also said in his report on the region’s socioeconomic development program for 2012 that Sverdlovsk Region got a much better position in the rating of Russian Federation constituencies than a year earlier. For one, the region rose from the 51st position in 2011 to the 16th

March 7, 2013. In February 2013, court enforcement officers from Sverdlovsk Region division of Russia’s Federal Service of Court Officers imposed a temporary ban on leaving the country for 601 debtors. Their actions were based on Article 67 of the Federal Enforcement Proceedings Act 229-FZ dated October 2, 2007. This news was announced by the press office of Sverdlovsk Region division of Russia’s Federal Service of Court Officers. The total number of people who have been ignoring the court’s rulings since the beginning of the year comes to 2,877. Their debts total to 2,689,463,000 RUR

March 7, 2013. According to the statistical data provided by Sverdlovsk Region division of the Federal Tax Service, the region transferred 27.2bn RUR to the Russian Federation’s consolidated budget in January and February 2013, which was 1.2bn RUR, or 5% more than a year earlier, the division’s press officer reports. The division analysts say that the money inflow into the federal budget amounted to 7.2bn RUR, which was 1.3bn RUR, or 15% less than a year earlier; the VAT payments reached 6.3bn RUR, which was 20% less than in January and February 2012. At the same time, the corporate income

March 7, 2013. Starting March 1, a committee responsible for controlling the technological connection to the company’s electric grids in Yekaterinburg started its work at Yekaterinburg Electrical Network Company. The committee is coordinated by MRSK Urala, the company’s press service reports. The committee’s goal is make sure the technological hookup takes places within required deadlines. The committee comprises the region’s Energy & Communal Housing Services Ministry’s representatives and officials from Yekaterinburg Municipal Council, MRSK Urala, Yekaterinburg Electrical Network

March 06, 2013. Sverdlovsk Region Trade Union Federation claims that METRO Cash & Carry fails to react to over 30 court warrants. The trade union organization is planning to lay a claim with the court, asking for disqualification of METRO Russia’s Director-General, Sverdlovsk Region Trade Union Federation’s press officer reports. Sverdlovsk Region Trade Union Federation and its member organization Trade Unity are considering the possibility of placing a claim with the court, asking for disqualification of METRO Russia’s Director-General. At the moment, the company still has not responded

March 06, 2013. A science & engineering council’s meeting took place at Uralvagonzavod Scientific & Production Corporation’s head plant. For three days, the representatives of the corporation’s member companies and people from the Moscow-based Corporate Governance Center talked about the promising produce the corporation can offer customers, and the economic and technical efficiency of existing goods, Uralvagonzavod Scientific & Production Corporation’s press service reports. The science & engineering council is chaired by Uralvagonzavod’s Chief Engineer and comprises the

March 06, 2013. The Ural Bank for Reconstruction & Development obtained the second tranche on its $20m subordinate loan in late February 2013; the loan period comes to 6 years. The first tranche ($30m) was received in December 2012, the bank’s press service reports. Thanks to these steps, the UBRD managed to increase its supplementary capital and thus increased its overall capital as well in the two months of this year from 12.9bn RUR on January 1, 2013 to 13.6bn RUR on March 1, 2013. According to UBRD International Business Director Sergey Sisoshvili, the subordinate loans made a good

March 06, 2013. An extraordinary general meeting of Motovilikhinskiye Zavody shareholders will take place within the nearest 90 days. The main point on the agenda is re-electing the BOD. In fact, Perm Territory Arbitration Court satisfied the claim laid by UBT-Uralvagonzavod against Motovilikhinskiye Zavody in full, Uralvagonzavod Scientific & Production Corporation’s press service reports. Now UBT-Uralvagonzavod insisted on the defendant calling an EGM, which was a perfectly legal requirement, as UBT-Uralvagonzavod has a stake in the business and owns over 15% of its shares. Under the

March 06, 2013. Over 10% of loans issued by VUZ-Bank are actually offered within the framework of the preferential terms program. The bank has been running this special program for certain categories of private individuals for a few years now; the program allows these individuals to get a loan on better terms. More and more Urals residents benefit from the program every year, and there are statistical data to prove this, the bank’s press service reports. Starting from 2012, 6,500 borrowers have taken out a loan at VUZ-Bank so far; the loans amounted to about 621m RUR, out of which 80.8m RUR

March 05, 2013. Ural Airlines has fully switched to a new generation passenger service IT platform called Amadeus Altea. Migrating to the new platform occurred on March 3, 2013. Amadeus will allow the company’s passengers to obtain new services and enjoy new benefits when booking or using other options. Besides, the company’s loyalty scheme for frequent fliers will also offer some additional perks. The main idea behind the IT agreement with Amadeus is upgrading the services rendered to customers and boosting the carrier’s growth strategy. Altea’s decisions promote further development of the

March 05, 2013. Chelyabinsk Tube Rolling Plant (a member of Uralvagonzavod Scientific & Production Corporation) is getting ready to manufacture its new PK-55 front loader with the scoop capacity of 5.5 tons, the corporation’s press service reports. By the end of April, the tractor-makers are to assemble the first sample of the vehicle that was elaborated by the plant’s designers. The technical and manufacturing departments have already been presented with a task to this extent. It is reported that the novelty is based on the mass-produced PK-46 and is an addition to the family of ChTZ

March 05, 2013. VUZ-Bank set up two new branches recently. Trubny branch was opened in Chelyabinsk at 36 Mashinostroiteley St. The name (which means ‘Tube’) was not a random one: the branch is located right opposite Chelyabinsk Tube Rolling Plant. Severny branch was opened in Tyumen at 53/4 Gazovikov St Bldg A6, VUZ-Bank’s press service reports. This means that VUZ-Bank currently runs six branches in Chelyabinsk and five in Tyumen. Overall, there are over 60 branches in the Urals: 25 in Sverdlovsk Region, 16 in Chelyabinsk Region, 7 in Tyumen Region, 4 in Kurgan Region, 7 in Khanty-Mansiysky

March 05, 2013. Ural Airlines is now on the list of companies participating in the government-run program on making air travel affordable. Under this program, special rates are offered on flights from the Far East and the Polar North to the European part of Russia and back, the air carrier’s press service reports. Starting February 21, 2013, early booking of specially priced tickets was made available for destinations such as these: Chita-Moscow-Chita Yakutsk-Saint Petersburg-Yakutsk Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky – Vladivostok – Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky Saint Petersburg - Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky

March 05, 2013. 3 people were killed during a fire in Mendeleyev St in Yekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk Region division of the Emergencies Ministry reports. The firefighters were informed about a fire at 18 Mendeleyev St at 7:00 AM on March 3. The rescue team arrived at the scene at 7:10 to see two trailers on fire; the fire area was approximately 36 sq m. There were 3 victims whose identities are now being determined. According to some preliminary data available, they were all employed with a building organization. It took 4 vehicles and 16 firefighters to put the fire out. The open fire was

March 04, 2013. Some violations of the existing labor law were detected in the performance of AVS Avtotrans, Sverdlovsk Region division of State Labor Inspectorate reports. The company, as it turns out, did not carry out any workplace certification procedure and did not train its employees in the field of work safety, Sverdlovsk Region division of State Labor Inspectorate’s website states. It is also announced that at the time of their vacations, the employees were not promptly informed about the date the vacation started, and the vacation money was not paid in due time. What is more, AVS

March 04, 2013. Ural Airlines is introducing a new way of paying for the tickets via the company’s website www.uralairlines.com. The option is called Internet Banking and makes it possible for the user to purchase the tickets even more effortlessly. The new service allows one to carry out the purchase through any bank with which a user has an account. This means the payment can be made from anywhere in the world and from any computer with an Internet connection, the airline’s press service reports. The new service is highly secure and confidential. All the transactions are completed online.

March 04, 2013. Sverdlovsk Region division of the Federal Tax Service came up with a report on the actual number of foreign workers employed by companies that have quotas and foreign worker permits, the division’s press officer reports. In 2012, 226 employers that use foreign workers presented their cases at the taxation base legalization committee’s meetings. These employers offer wages below the average figure in their economic segment. As a result of the committee’s efforts, 130 employers (that is, over a half) raised their workers’ wages, and 41 employers (31.5%) increased the wages to

March 04, 2013. UrBC has been informed that Eolis, a mobile phone and services retail chine, might stop operating soon. The employees of the chain’s Yekateirnburg-based outlets were informed of the upcoming layoffs due to the company going out of business. Eolis told UrBC that only unprofitable outlets in the provincial parts of Sverdlovsk Region would actually close down. ‘At the moment, we are closing down the unprofitable retail outlets in the small towns. Not a single Yekaterinburg-based store is going to stop working,’ says Eolis Deputy Sales Manager Vasily Ivanov. According to the

March 04, 2013. Vympelcom, a telecommunications company, sold Yekaterinburg’s largest web portal e1.ru. The portal was purchased by Hearst Shkulev Media/Inter Media Group publishing house. The asset was put up to sale because this is not Vympelcom’s core business activity, the company’s Senior PR Manager in the Urals Svetlana Rychkova reports. No details of the transactions have been announced as of yet. ‘The sale has to do with the fact that this is only a secondary-activity asset for the company. I’m afraid I cannot give you any details just now, but it is already certain that the top

March 01, 2013. A new cafeteria fit for 160 people was re-launched at Uralvagonzavod Scientific & Production Corporation after a major overhaul today. This is the corporation’s head plant’s first canteen whose design is totally consistent with the company style, the corporation’s press service reports. Uralvagonzavod’s catering facility is currently the largest one in Nizhniy Tagil. It comprises 39 canteens, 3 cafeterias, 14 deli bars, and Metallurg grocery shop that is also located on the plant’s premises. Eight canteens are currently being repaired: the buildings are being