‘Bank24.ru made opening a bank account online (a service unique to both Yekaterinburg and the entire country) much easier for legal entities. These are now able to submit their applications through the bank’s corporate website,’ the company’s press release states. In order to set up an account, one only needs to fill in an electronic application form with a few standard questions (the name of one’s company, the proprietor’s/CEO’s personal data, etc.). The form is available at www.bank24.ru. Then, the bank will process the application and the customer will get all the papers needed to open an

‘Russkiy Reporter has been selling much better than Russkiy Newsweek for quite a while now. Strictly speaking, the sales of the latter haven’t dropped or anything, but they haven’t been going up, either,’ Chitai Gorod Ltd. Marketing Director Tatiana Solodnikova said to UrBC. Russkiy Reporter’s first issue saw the light in Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Rostov-on-Don, and Samara on May 17, 2007, accompanied by large-scale marketing and advertising campaigns. Experts observe it may be because of Russkiy Reporter that Russkiy Newsweek is now selling worse.

Gazprom refused to provide Maxi Group with the natural gas it needs for putting up an arc-furnace plant in Berezovskiy. This problem was discussed at a meeting chaired by Governor of Sverdlovsk Region Eduard Rossel. Maxi Group is currently trying to construct an arc-furnace plant on the premises of The Urals Precision Alloys Plant (part of Maxi Group) in Berezovskiy; Gazprom denied them their major fuel source, saying there are no gas limits set for Sverdlovsk Region. The spokesperson for the Governor says the company needs at least 320 million cubic meters of natural gas a year to reach its

Ural Airlines offers new prices on Moscow- and Saint Petersburg-bound flights beginning from August 13, 2007. If you book and buy at least 21 days before the flight, the price will only come to 3,535 RUR for a Yekaterinburg-Moscow or Moscow-Yekaterinburg flight, to 3,115 RUR for a Saint Petersburg-Yekaterinburg or Yekaterinburg-Saint Petersburg flight, and to 3,100 RUR for a Chelyabinsk-Moscow or Moscow-Chelyabinsk flight, the airline’s press officer reports. The booking and selling are performed simultaneously, and one can buy the tickets for any day or any flight in any of Ural Airlines’

Governor of Chelyabinsk Region Petr Sumin took part in a meeting chaired by Vice Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in the Government House in Moscow on July 24, 2007. The meeting was devoted to the implementation of regional gasification projects in the first half of the year. Gasification is one of Chelyabinsk Region’s top priority challenges: the region consumes 16 billion cubic meters of natural gas a year, with the consumption levels rising by 2.5 times between 1997 and 2006. Natural gas is now used in all the cities and districts, including even some very remote areas, that is, in 829

Central Bank of Russia reports volume of profit-making self-regulatory organizations’ deposits in Tagilbank valid for 1 to 3 years went down by 57% (from 7 million RUR to 3 million RUR) in January-June 2007.

According to the Central Bank of Russia, volume of loans given by METCOMBANK to non-resident legal entities for 1 to 3 years went down by 59.5% (from 12.815 million RUR to 5.1871 million RUR) in January-June 2007.

Central Bank of Russia reports volume of natural persons’ deposits in SberInvestBank valid for 31 to 90 days went down by 58% (from 1.988 million RUR to 838,000 RUR) in January-June 2007.

The preliminary trial of Pavel Fedulev that was supposed to have resulted in setting the date for the first court hearing was put off until July 24, 2007. Mr. Fedulev is accused of attempted fraud, falsification of evidence, forgery, and mass riots (Articles 30 (part 1), 159 (part 4), 33 (part 3), 303 (part 3), 327 (part 2), and 212 (part 1) of Russian Criminal Code). His accomplice A. Naimushin is charged with attempted fraud and mass riots (Articles 30 (part 1), 159 (part 4), and 212 (part 1) of Russian Criminal Code).

Sverdlovsk Region enterprises’ total arrears of wages amounted to 9.5 million RUR on June 1, 2007, which is 5.5% less than a year earlier, the State Statistical Service reports. As for Ural Federal District, the arrears of wages reached 43.3 million RUR, which is 20.8% less than on June 1, 2006.

IES Multiutilities were faced with a number of problems when trying to get ready for the upcoming heating season. ‘Even though the boiling facilities and the heat networks are being repaired, the equipment used within buildings is almost becoming outright dangerous to use; to make matters worse, a lot of our customers haven’t been paying their bills. These are, for instance, a management company ZHET 3 and PervouralskRemService of Pervouralsk (their debts amount to over 10 million RUR). As regards Mikhailovsk, the town’s total debt comes to 8 million RUR (with 5 million RUR owed by

Governor of Sverdlovsk Region Eduard Rossel accepted the resignation of Boris I. Charniy, CEO of Sverdlovsk Region Territorial Obligatory Medical Insurance Fund. Mr. Charniy will be succeeded by former Deputy CEO Yuri S. Semenov, the spokesperson for the Governor reports.

According to the Central Bank of Russia, volume of loans given by UralTransBank to profit-making self-regulatory organizations for up to 30 days went down by 54% (from 31.25 million RUR to 14.301 million RUR) in April-June 2007.

‘Even though the ban on the supply of Moldavian wines has been removed, they won’t be able to win back their share of the Russian market,’ Omega Incorporated Ltd. Commercial Director Sergey Lapkin said to UrBC. ‘Firstly, there are now only a few Moldavian suppliers who have been allowed to operate in this country. Besides, their produce is bound to be 15% to 20% more expensive than before. Secondly, their niche has already been taken over by Russian winemakers as well as producers of inexpensive wines from Spain, Italy, Chile, and Argentina,’ Mr. Lapkin explained. ‘Prior to the ban, the share

ABN AMRO Bank N.V. based in the Netherlands offered URSA Bank an 836,000-euro loan for up to three years. This money has been used to finance the delivery of JUNTTAN — PM-20 (a pile driver) to Moscow, which is part of a contract signed by SKM Leasing Ltd. on behalf of URSA Bank’s Moscow branch’s customer with the Finnish Junttan Oy. The new equipment is expected to help this customer’s enterprise raise its production output as well as profitability, the bank’s press officer reports.

The Central Bank of Russia reports volume of loans given by GRAN Bank to profit-making self-regulatory organizations for a term of 1 to 3 years went down by 22.7% (from 363.304 million RUR to 280.556 million RUR) in January-June 2007.

According to the Central Bank of Russia, volume of loans given by METCOMBANK to state-owned profit-making organizations for 1 to 3 years went down by 62.5% (from 80 million RUR to 30 million RUR) in January-July 2007.

According to the Central Bank of Russia, volume of self-regulatory financial institutions’ deposits in AGROPROMBANK Credit Ltd. valid for 1 to 3 years went down by 34.6% (from 888.55 million RUR to 581.403 million RUR) in January-June 2007.

Based on the Prosecutor–General’s order, Sverdlovsk Region public prosecution authorities annulled an earlier decision to dismiss the case of NOVA Group chairman Oleg Cherepanov and reopened it, press officer Rimma Bobina said to a UrBC reporter. The case of Mr. Cherepanov has been placed with the authorities of Ordzhonikidzevskiy district of Yekaterinburg. Mr. Cherepanov was initially arrested on January 18, 2007; he was charged with illegal confinement and domestic burglary.

The Bank of Russia registered SKB-Bank’s report on the results of its 1,000,000,000-ruble issue of certified interest-bearing inconvertible and irredeemable bonds (series 01). These bonds will have to be circulated and retired in compliance with the terms declared at the moment of the bond issue. The issue itself took place on June 21, 2007; the bonds are to remain in circulation for three years, with the first coupon annual interest rate coming to 9.75%, SKB-Bank’s press officer reports.