Doctor Web, the Russian information security software developer, warns users that Trojan.Winlock virus epidemic is gathering pace. The company reports the number of the Russian Federation citizens who have suffered from the virus came to several million people in January 2010 alone. The malignant program demands that a user send a paid text message to a certain number in order to have his or her Windows operation system unlocked. Doctor Web believes the damage comes to hundreds of millions of rubles. Trojan.Winlock’s latest versions that first emerged in November 2009 are becoming

KomsoMall Shopping & Entertainment Center (DVI Group’s project) is to open in Yekaterinburg on March 1, 2010. The workers are now completing all the finishing jobs, DVI Group’s press center reports. DVI Holding had meant to open the mall as early as February 2009. In December 2009, the company announced only the technical opening would take place in March, with the official opening ceremony expected later on. At the same time, Yekaterinburg municipal council says the mall is to start working in the second half of 2010. DVI Holding reports the mall’s total area comes to about 67,000 sq m.

Novolipetsk Iron & Steel Works (NLMK) produced 2% less steel in the fourth quarter of 2009 compared to the third quarter; the steel output came to 2.9 million tons in October-December 2009. Also, the company’s metal products output decreased by 3% compared to the third quarter of 2009 and reached 2.9 million tons in the fourth quarter of the year. In addition to this, the company’s metal products output went down by .3% in 2009 compared to 2008; the figure came to 10.6 million tons. The cast iron sales decreased by 20.9% last year compared to the year 2008 and by 29% in the last quarter

The international rating agency recently promoted the Rating Outlook for the Russian Federation’s long-term Issuer Default Ratings for both foreign and national currencies from Negative to Stable. What is more, these ratings were affirmed at their current BBB level. At the same time, Fitch Ratings affirmed the country’s short-term foreign currency Issuer Default Rating and the country ceiling rating at F3 and at BBB+, respectively. ‘The promotion of Russia’s Rating Outlook to Stable indicates that we are now feeling more confident about the country’s economic and financial stability. Also,

Standard & Poor’s, the international rating agency, came up with the credit ratings of Bank Souyz currently on its CreditWatch list. ‘The CreditWatch status means the bank’s current position is still somewhat uncertain; however, Souyz went through with its recapitalization plans smoothly and managed to change the ownership scheme as well as go for the asset buy-out,’ says Standard & Poor’s credit analyst Viktor Nikolskiy. Nevertheless, the bank’s own paying capacity is estimated to be very low and is characterized by high credit risks, a significant drop in market capitalization and

Volzhsko-Kamskoye Shipping Enterprise recently laid a claim against VIM-Avia Airlines; the plaintiff wants the defendant to be declared bankrupt. It is not clear how much money the shipping business insists on being paid; the court hearing has been scheduled for February 8, 2010, Moscow Arbitration Court’s official website states. ‘The sum in question is neither too big nor too harsh for the company; the parties are now negotiating for the debt repayment, so everything will be paid before the court hearings begin. VIM-Avia did not owe any money to Volzhsko-Kamskoye Shipping Enterprise,

‘Siberia Airlines cut down on the number of flights operated from Yekaterinburg and Chelyabinsk this January due to poor low season demand. We stopped operating these flights until the summertime comes, as they are not commercially expedient at the moment, Siberia Airlines’ press secretary Irina Kolesnikova said to Kommersant. Incidentally, Sky Express recently cancelled one of its three Yekaterinburg-Moscow flights for the same reason.

The internal rules and policy of Bank VTB 24 have not been approved of by the Federal Financial Market Service of the Russian Federation so as to counteract laundering proceeds from criminal activity as well as terrorist financing.

A Yekaterinburg dweller is about to place a complaint against Alfa-Bank, a local online banking forum states. The person who’s uploaded this piece of news claims that a bank customer was unable to use one of the services offered by Alfa-Bank. ‘The girl had a Cosmopolitan Visa issued for her by Alfa-Bank. The card was delivered with a booklet with the names and addresses of all the companies that offered a discount to customers paying by this card type. This discount bonus actually costs an extra 299 RUR a year; this money is supposed to pay off when the cardholder makes purchases in the

The net loss of Promsvyazbank skyrocketed by 1,347,043 RUR, or 316% in 2009, that is, from 426,277 RUR at the end of 2008 to 1,773,320 RUR in December 2009. In fact, the loss figures reached 3,236,619 RUR in the third quarter of 2009, whereas in the fourth quarter, Promsvyazbank had 78,644 RUR worth of profits. The bank explains the increase in net loss has to do with the need to create possible loss reserves, which is rather costly.

The net profit of AKB Investbank decreased by 40.182 million RUR in the last quarter of 2009. The bank made 34.392 million RUR worth of net profit in the third quarter but actually got 5.79 million RUR worth of net loss in the fourth quarter of the year. The bank says the primary reason for the decrease in profits was the drop in revenues coming from foreign currency operations, including those related to foreign currency revaluation. Also, the bank had to increase the volume of its possible loss reserves.

The net profit of Khanty-Mansiyskiy Bank declined by 333.541 million RUR, or 50.7% in 2009, that is, from 658.417 million RUR at the end of 2008 down to 324.876 RUR in 2009. The bank reports the drop in profits was caused by the need to set up possible loan loss reserves.

OAO Bank Vyatich’s net profit went down by 3,203,000 RUR, or 43% in 2009. The net profits amounted to 7.429 million RUR in 2008 and only to 4.226 million in 2009. The bank’s profit figures dropped by 718,000 RUR, or by 52% against the third quarter of the year, in the last quarter of 2009 alone. The bank made 660,000 RUR of net profit in October-December 2009. According to Bank Vyatich’s reports, the decrease in net profits last year stemmed from the shrinking banking transactions revenues and increased maintenance expenses. In addition, the bank received smaller advance income tax payments

Metallosnabzheniye I Sbyt’s January issue featured the results of a survey aimed at identifying Russia’s best ferrous and non-ferrous metals manufacturers and traders in the second half of 2009. The rating was compiled on the basis of special questionnaires filled in by the metal products customers; the metal market experts’ opinions were taken into account as well. Also, the report writers completed a multi-faceted analysis of the metallurgical enterprises’ performance using the following criteria: - Business development dynamics; - Scope of shipment; - Quality of after-sales service; -

VSMPO-AVISMA Corporation announced it was going to close down Titan Trading House after the corporation’s shareholders had made a decision to this extent. VSMPO-AVISMA Corporation used to own 70% of Titan’s shares; the trading house dealt in the sales of the corporation’s produce.

The net losses of VUZ-Bank (Life Group’s asset) amounted to 262,000 RUR in the fourth quarter of 2009. In the third quarter, the bank’s losses reached as much as 37.61 million RUR. The company explains the decrease in net loss was made possible thanks to improved net interest earnings.

Pipe Metallurgical Company (TMK) came up with a production performance report for the last quarter of 2009 and for the year 2009 as a whole. According to TMK’s press service, the company’s shipments kept increasing in the fourth quarter of 2009, which partially made up for the dropping sales in the first half of the year. Nevertheless, the total volume of product shipments to consumers decreased by 13% last year (compared to 2008). The press service reports TMK believes its financial performance in the second half of 2009 to be significantly better than that in the first half of the year

The net losses of Bank Severnaya Kazna (the asset of Alfa-Bank) increased by 2,944,317,000 RUR, or 187.13% last year: the bank’s losses amounted to 1,573,449,000 RUR in 2008 and to as much as 4,517,766,000 RUR in 2009. For one, the losses rose by 121.584 million RUR, or 37.2% in the last quarter of 2009 compared with the third quarter’s figure of 205.267 million RUR. Bank Severnaya Kazna explains the increase in losses has to do with the need to set up debt reserves.

The net profit of Ural Financial Industrial Bank (Uralfinprombank) declined by 11.8% in the last quarter of 2009, that is, from 10.28 million RUR in the third quarter to 9.07 million RUR in the fourth quarter of the year. Uralfinprombank reports the smaller profits result from greater personnel and advertising expenses.

‘METRO Cash & Carry management’s attitude towards our trade unions has changed by now. They actually stopped preventing the workers from entering a trade union and appear to relate quite neutrally to this fact now,’ Chairman of Yekaterinburg Trade Networks Trade Union Alexander Brusnitsin said to UrBC. Prior to this change, the trade union representatives used to complain that the company’s top executives were trying to create various obstacles that would make entering a trade union very hard for the workers. Allegedly, they even tried to exert psychological pressure on the employees. At