UrBC, Yekaterinburg, December 13, 2018. Nikita Goryunov’s team (Head of Coal-Mining Section 5: Yaroslav Yerchenko) started working on Long-Face 50-20 at EVRAZ Holding’s Raspadskaya Mine, Raspadskaya Coal Company’s press service reports. This is the first long-face in Bank 50 of the company’s Western Wing. The coal reserves are estimated at more than 1.9 million tons of GZh coal. The mining equipment had to get transferred on site from the already finished section in Eastern Wing, that is, across over 4.2 km. Despite the distance and the transportation issues, miners started working on the new

UrBC, Magnitogorsk, December 12, 2018. S&P Global Ratings Services (S&P) affirmed the long — and short-term IDR of Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK) at BBB-/A-3, with Stable rating outlook, MMK’s Information & PR Department reports. The agency says in its press release that they took into account MMK’s low-cost production type, impressive operational efficiency, a considerable share of high value-added goods in the overall product range/sales structure, very low debt burden, and great liquidity. According to S&P, further rating growth is currently restrained by

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, December 12, 2018. Yakov Pahomi now works as Head of MegaFon Sverdlovsk Region’s Tech Service, the telecommunications provider’s press service reports. The new executive will be in charge of implementing a series of multi-aspect tech projects to do with the local division’s business digitalization strategy. ‘We put up some quality infrastructure in the area, so more than 95% of locals can now enjoy reliable MegaFon connection. This is the basis for Sverdlovsk Region’s further digitalization. The telecom infrastructure on hand means we can offer local businesses the most

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, December 12, 2018. The Ural Bank for Reconstruction & Development (UBRD) now offers its business customers a special savings deposit option; the offer holds on December 11-28, 2018. The bank’s press service says that while the rest of the world is going to be celebrating the season’s holidays, a company’s money placed safety on a bank deposit will keep working to earn its owner up to 7.7% a year in interest payments. The convenient thing is that you can withdraw the money from the deposit even before the end of the deposit period (that is, right after the winter break

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, December 12, 2018. 8,421,387 people flew with Ural Airlines in January-November 2018 (up 13% on one year earlier). 4,586,832 passengers flew on domestic flights, 2,187,866 on international flights, and 1,646,689 on flights to and from the CIS member states. According to the company’s press service, the airline operated 57,163 flights in the eleven months of the year altogether (+11% on the year 2017), including 31,547 domestic flights, 14,053 international flights, and 11,563 flights to and from the CIS member states. The air carrier’s passenger turnover rose 14% and

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, December 12, 2018. Nineteen employees of ChelPipe Group’s Pervouralsk New Pipe Plant (PNTZ) graduated from B.N Yeltsin Ural Federal University (UFU) with a degree in Pipe Manufacturing Technologies & Equipment this month. According to the Group’s press service, an agreement between PNTZ and UFU ensures there are no tuition fees for the ‘white-coated metallurgists’, who can keep working throughout their study. More than a half of those who got their BSc. degrees on the program are alumni of ChelPipe Group’s Future of White-Coated Metallurgy Corporate Training Program

UrBC, Chelyabinsk, December 11, 2018. ChelPipe Group’s Snezhnost Annual Charity Theater Festival opened in Chelyabinsk on December 7, 2018. According to the Group’s press service, young actors from Children’s Acting School (created at ChelPipe Group’s shareholders’ initiative) gave a first-time performance of a piece from the opera The Cat's House. M.I. Glinka Chelyabinsk State Academy Opera & Ballet Theater also presented its own play Doctor Aybolit. ChelPipe Group’s shareholder and Chair of the Board of Directors Alexander Fedorov, Vice Governor of Chelyabinsk Region Vadim

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, December 11, 2018. Ural Airlines are introducing a new Surgut-Moscow (Domodedovo) flight starting December 25, 2018. The flight will get operated daily, the air carrier’s press service reports. ‘Ural Airlines are thus the only airline to operate flights from Surgut to Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport. The arrival and departure times are highly convenient: Flight U6 598 Surgut-Moscow: departure 9:30 AM, arrival 11:05 AM (the flight is three hours and thirty-five minutes long), Flight U6 597 Moscow (Domodedovo)-Surgut: departure 12:15 AM, arrival 5:35 AM (the flight is three

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, December 11, 2018. EVRAZ Holding’s Raspadskaya Mine set a new month record in November, when the mine’s coal output reached 806,000,000 kg (the target figure was actually 684,000,000 kg). This is the best month’s output among all of Raspadskaya Coal Company’s assets. According to the company's press service, this is the first time in the last eight years Raspadskaya Mine proved so productive. Sections 1 (head: Andrei Sokolov), 10 (head: Alexei Fisenko), and 17 (head: Sergey Vassilyev) made a particularly great contribution to the overall success. The stoping teams

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, December 11, 2018. Federal Grid Company United Energy Systems is currently re-assessing its supply of workers’ protective gear and uniforms as part of the corporate job safety and occupational hazard control program. The company purchased over 1,000 sets of individual protective gear, including breathing protection devices for extremely low temperature conditions, FGC UES Western Siberia’s PR & Media Group reports. ‘The company’s Western Siberia division will soon be operating in anomalously cold weather: about fifteen degrees centigrade lower than the regular mean

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, December 11, 2018. Ural Airlines are offering their customers reduced-price tickets for Saint Petersburg-Kaliningrad-Saint Petersburg flights. The offer holds for all the round trip tickets for flights to be operated through January 31, 2019. Prices start from RUB 5,050 for Economy tickets. According to the airline’s press service, the flights get operated on a daily basis. Flight U6 391 Saint Petersburg-Kaliningrad: departure 12:55 PM, arrival 1:10 PM (the flight is one hour and forty-five minutes long). Flight U6 392 Kaliningrad-Saint Petersburg: departure 2:25 PM,

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, December 10, 2018. Smartphone owners can now use an app that helps visually impaired users scan banknotes for nominal value; the app was designed by Sensor Tech Lab with MegaFon’s support. The product is unique in that the app reads every bill’s denomination out loud and also produces different kinds of vibration sequences for every kind of bill, which means the app will also be useful to the deaf-blind, MegaFon’s press service reports. ‘Interestingly, smartphones are exactly the kind of devices that can be crucial in the visually impaired people’s rehabilitation. For

UrBC, Magnitogorsk, December 10, 2018. Metallurg Foundation (a charity mainly supported by Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works/MMK) was among the winners of the all-Russian social innovations and service quality contest focusing on children’s projects, MMK’s Information & PR Department reports. 175 organizations from all parts of Russia took part in the competition all in all; 103 applicants got approved by a board of experts and got audited successfully within the voluntary certification system for teenagers and children’s goods, services, and infrastructure. ‘This is the fifth time the

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, December 10, 2018. Russian and international perfume makers asked Russian Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev in their recent letter to take perfumes and colognes off the list of products that have to get authenticity markings, Kommersant reports. The letter was signed by heads of Association of Perfumery, Cosmetics, Household Chemicals and Hygienic Goods Manufacturers, Russian Perfumery and Cosmetics Association, and Direct Sales Association; together, the associations represent over 90% of the manufacturers and importers operating in the country, including L Oreal, Unilever,

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, December 10, 2018. Ural Public Prosecutor’s Office for Transportation is now investigating the delay of Royal Flight’s Yekaterinburg-Nha Trang flight on December 6, 2018. According to the office’s press service, 329 passengers who checked in for the flight (43 of whom were children) had to wait for the ready aircraft for more than twelve hours. ‘The investigation is meant to determine whether and how the air carrier complied with the federal air travel regulations relating to passengers, cargo, and luggage transportation,’ the press service says.

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, December 10, 2018. 59% of Russian companies now have rules and guidelines for their employees’ social media presence; thee years ago, the figure was 51%, SuperJob refers to its own research findings as indicating. According to SuperJob, the businesses are mostly worried about their trade secrets (37% of respondents provided this reason for controlling their workers’ online behavior). 21% of employers insist that their staff comply with the netiquette conventions. 18% forbid any negative comments relating to an employee’s workplace, management, and coworkers. Every one in

UrBC, Moscow, December 7, 2018. The Russian Government is currently working on a poverty relief plan, Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev announced in the course of recent TV interview. In his decree on the Russian Government’s primary tasks for the next six years (dated May 7, 2018), Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that the goal was to halve the current poverty rate by 2024. ‘In order to bring the poverty rate down 200%, an extensive action plan needs to be adopted. The plan is now being developed by the fellow ministers,’ Medvedev said. The plan dwells on quite a few points, including

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, December 7, 2018. Zaha Hadid Architects apparently knew that their proposal for a new concert hall for Sverdlovsk Philharmonic in Yekaterinburg would interfere with a lived-in apartment building at 40 Karl Liebknecht St, the company’s Associate Director Christos Passas said during his presentation of the project at 100+ Forum Russia. Passas said they were aware there were still home owners living in the building, but this was an issue that could be better dealt with by their customer. It was the customer who set out the project specifications. The company provided a

UrBC, Magnitogorsk, December 7, 2018. A group of Lysva Metallurgical Plant’s trade union delegates paid a visit to Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK), MMK’s Information & PR Department reports. Lysva Metallurgical Plant became a member of MMK Group’s large production chain around a year ago. The new owner brought the long-expected changes that touched upon every aspect of the plant’s operation from production issues to management system. The trade union representatives, who lead the plant’s social life, went to see their MMK counterparts for an experience-sharing session. Visitors

UrBC, Moscow, December 7, 2018. Russia’s fast food restaurant market shrank 1.3%, in money terms, in the third quarter of the year compared with one year earlier. Still, it turns out that the number of times Russians tended to eat at fast food venues increased by 3% in the third quarter compared with the second one. According to Romir Holding, McDonalds, KFC, and Burger King are still the market’s top three. Customers, however, are growing increasingly picky about the range of food items on offer, which is why the fast food market players have to keep launching new deals and promotion offers.