fv3asr
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION
Washington, D.C.
20549
Form F-3
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
MECHEL OAO
(Exact name of
Registrant as specified in its charter)
Not Applicable
(Translation of
Registrants name into English)
Russian Federation
(State or other jurisdiction
of incorporation or organization)
Not Applicable
(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)
Krasnoarmeyskaya Street 1
Moscow 125993
Russian Federation
+7 495 221 8888
(Address and telephone
number of Registrants principal executive
offices)
Puglisi & Associates
850 Library Avenue, Suite 204
Newark, Delaware 19715
+1 302 738 6680
(Name, address and telephone
number of agent for service)
Copy of communications to:
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Varun Gupta, Esq.
Allen & Overy Legal Services
9 Dmitrovsky pereulok
Moscow 107031, Russian Federation
+7 495 725 7900
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Alexander A. Tolkach
Mechel OAO
Krasnoarmeyskaya Street 1
Moscow 125993, Russian Federation
+7 495 221 8888
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Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the
public: From time to time after the effective
date of this Registration Statement.
If the only securities being registered on this Form are being
offered pursuant to dividend or interest reinvestment plans,
please check the following
box. o
If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be
offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to
Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, check the
following
box. þ
If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an
offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act,
please check the following box and list the Securities Act
registration statement number of the earlier effective
registration statement for the same
offering. o
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to
Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following
box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of
the earlier effective registration statement for the same
offering. o
If this Form is a registration statement pursuant to General
Instruction I.C. or a post-effective amendment thereto that
shall become effective upon filing with the Commission pursuant
to Rule 462(e) under the Securities Act, check the
following
box. þ
If this Form is a post-effective amendment to a registration
statement filed pursuant to General Instruction I.C. filed
to register additional securities or additional classes of
securities pursuant to Rule 413(b) under the Securities
Act, check the following
box. o
CALCULATION
OF REGISTRATION FEE
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Amount to be Registered/Proposed Maximum
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Amount of
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Title of Each Class of
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Offering Price Per Share/Proposed
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Registration
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Securities to be Registered
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Maximum Aggregate Offering Price
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Fee
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Preferred shares, par value 10 rubles per
share(1)
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Indeterminate(2
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$
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0
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(2)
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(1) |
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The preferred shares will be represented by preferred American
Depositary Shares (preferred ADSs). Each
preferred ADS represents one-half of a preferred share. A
separate Registration Statement on
Form F-6
is being filed for the registration of preferred ADSs evidenced
by American Depositary Receipts (ADRs)
issuable upon deposit of the preferred shares. |
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(2) |
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In accordance with Rules 456(b) and 457(r), the Registrant
is deferring payment of all of the registration fee. |
The information
in this preliminary prospectus supplement is not complete and
may be changed. This preliminary prospectus supplement together
with the accompanying prospectus is not an offer to sell these
securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these
securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not
permitted.
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SUBJECT TO COMPLETION
PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT DATED APRIL 26,
2010
PROSPECTUS
SUPPLEMENT
(To Prospectus dated April 26,
2010)
MECHEL OAO
(incorporated under the laws
of the Russian Federation)
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Preferred Shares
and Preferred
American Depositary Shares
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The selling shareholders identified in this prospectus
supplement (the Selling Shareholders) are
offering preferred
shares of Mechel OAO, par value 10 rubles per share
and preferred
American Depositary Shares (preferred ADSs).
Each preferred ADS represents one-half of a preferred share. We
will not receive any proceeds from the sale of preferred shares
and preferred ADSs to be offered by the Selling Shareholders.
The preferred ADSs have been approved for listing on the New
York Stock Exchange under the symbol MTL PR and
trading of the preferred ADSs is expected to begin
on ,
2010. We have applied to the Russian Trading System for
admission of the preferred shares to quotation list
V on or prior to April 30, 2010. If so
admitted, the preferred shares are expected to trade on the
Russian Trading System under the symbol MTLPR. Prior
to the offering to which this prospectus supplement relates
there has been no trading or public market for either the
preferred shares or the preferred ADSs.
Investing in our preferred shares and preferred ADSs involves
risks. See Risk Factors beginning on page S-5
of this prospectus supplement and page 12 of our annual
report on
Form 20-F
for the year ended December 31, 2009, which is incorporated
herein by reference, to read about factors you should consider
before investing in the preferred shares or preferred ADSs.
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Per Preferred ADS
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Per Preferred Share
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Total
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Public offering price
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$
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$
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$
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Underwriting
discount(1)
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$
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$
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$
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Proceeds, before expenses, to Selling Shareholders
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$
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$
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(2
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$
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(2
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(1) |
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Does not include
RUR
in brokerage commissions paid by the Selling Shareholders to
Renaissance Broker LLC in connection with the offering of
preferred shares in the Russian Federation.
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(2) |
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For purposes of calculating the net
proceeds to the Selling Shareholders, the brokerage commissions
paid to Renaissance Broker LLC have been converted using an
exchange rate of $1 / RUR .
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The Selling Shareholders are
offering preferred
shares,
including preferred
shares
and preferred
ADSs
(representing preferred
shares) outside the Russian Federation through the underwriters.
In addition, the Selling Shareholders are
offering preferred
shares in the Russian Federation pursuant to Russian brokerage
services agreements. See Plan of Distribution for
more information.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state
securities commission has approved or disapproved of these
securities or determined that this prospectus supplement or the
accompanying prospectus is truthful or complete. Any
representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
Delivery of the American Depositary Receipts evidencing the
preferred ADSs to purchasers through the book-entry facilities
of The Depository Trust Company against payment is expected
on or
about ,
2010. Delivery of the preferred shares to purchasers is expected
to commence on or
about ,
2010.
Joint Global Coordinators and Joint Bookrunners
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Morgan Stanley |
Renaissance
Securities (Cyprus) Limited |
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The date of this prospectus supplement
is ,
2010.
Neither we nor the Selling Shareholders have taken any action to
permit a public offering of the preferred shares outside the
United States and the Russian Federation or to permit a public
offering of the preferred ADSs in the Russian Federation and
elsewhere outside the United States or to permit the possession
or distribution of this prospectus supplement and the
accompanying prospectus outside the United States in any
jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required. Persons
outside the United States who come into possession of this
prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus must
inform themselves about and observe any restrictions relating to
the offering of the preferred shares and preferred ADSs and the
distribution of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying
prospectus outside the United States. We reserve the right to
withdraw the offering at any time.
For information relating to transactions that stabilize the
market price of the preferred ADSs in connection with the
offering, see Plan of Distribution.
ABOUT
THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
You should rely only on information contained in this prospectus
supplement and the accompanying prospectus. We have not, and the
underwriters have not, authorized anyone to provide you with
information different from that contained, or incorporated by
reference, in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying
prospectus. We are offering to sell preferred shares and
preferred ADSs, and seeking offers to buy preferred shares and
preferred ADSs, only in jurisdictions where offers and sales are
permitted. The information contained, or incorporated by
reference, in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying
prospectus is accurate only as of the date of this prospectus
supplement, regardless of the time of delivery of this
prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus or the
time of any sale of the preferred shares and preferred ADSs. Our
business, financial condition, results of operations and
prospects may have changed since that date. In this prospectus
supplement and the accompanying prospectus, unless the context
otherwise requires, references to Mechel refer to
Mechel OAO, and references to our group,
we, us or our refer to
Mechel OAO together with its subsidiaries.
This prospectus supplement contains the terms of the offering of
the preferred shares and preferred ADSs. Certain additional
information about us is contained in the accompanying
prospectus. This prospectus supplement, or the information
incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement or in
the accompanying prospectus, may add, update or change
information in the accompanying prospectus. If the information
in this prospectus supplement or the information incorporated by
reference in this prospectus supplement or in the accompanying
prospectus is inconsistent with the accompanying prospectus,
this prospectus supplement or the information incorporated by
reference in this prospectus supplement or in the accompanying
prospectus, as applicable, will apply and will supersede the
information in the accompanying prospectus.
It is important for you to read and consider all information
contained in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying
prospectus in making your investment decision. You should also
read and consider the information in the documents we have
referred you to under Where You Can Find More Information
About Us on page 2 of the accompanying
prospectus.
S-1
SUMMARY
This summary may not contain all of the information that may
be important to you. You should read the entire prospectus
supplement and the accompanying prospectus, including the
financial data and related notes and the documents incorporated
by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying
prospectus, before making a decision to invest in the preferred
shares or preferred ADSs.
Mechel
OAO
We are a leading Russian mining and metals company headquartered
in Moscow, Russia. We operate in four segments: mining, steel,
ferroalloy and power. We produce coking and steam coal, iron ore
concentrate, steel, nickel, ferrochrome, ferrosilicon, rolled
products, wire products, heat and electric power. Our operations
are principally in Russia, and we also have operations in
Kazakhstan and Eastern Europe. In May 2009, we acquired the
Bluestone coking coal business headquartered in Beckley, West
Virginia. Our principal office is located at Krasnoarmeyskaya
Street 1, Moscow 125993, Russian Federation and our
telephone number is +7 495 221 8888.
Mechel OAO is an open joint stock company incorporated under the
laws of the Russian Federation. We completed our initial public
offering in the United States and internationally in October
2004 and the American Depositary Shares representing our common
shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange (the
NYSE) under the symbol MTL. Our
common shares are listed in Russia on the Russian Trading System
(the RTS) and the Moscow Interbank Currency
Exchange (the MICEX) stock exchanges under
the symbol MTLR.
See our Annual Report on
Form 20-F
for the year ended December 31, 2009 (the Annual
Report) for more information. Our internet address is
www.mechel.com. Information posted on our website is not
part of this prospectus.
The
Offering
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Issuer |
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Mechel OAO, an open joint stock company incorporated under the
laws of the Russian Federation |
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Selling Shareholders |
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James C. Justice II, James C. Justice III, James C. Justice
Companies Inc. and Jillean L. Justice |
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Securities offered |
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The Selling Shareholders propose to offer up to 49,952,488
preferred ADSs (representing 24,976,244 preferred shares)
outside the Russian Federation through the underwriters. The
Selling Shareholders also propose to offer preferred shares in
the Russian Federation pursuant to Russian brokerage services
agreements. |
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Offering price |
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$ per
preferred share |
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$ per
preferred ADS |
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Proceeds from the offering |
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We will not receive any of the proceeds from the offering. |
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Share capital |
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Our share capital consists of 555,027,660 shares, including
416,270,745 common shares of par value 10 rubles per share, and
138,756,915 preferred shares of par value 10 rubles per share,
all of which are fully paid and issued. |
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Voting rights |
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Holders of our preferred shares generally have no voting rights,
except that they are entitled to vote in a limited number of
circumstances specified by Russian law. For more information see
Description of Preferred Shares in the accompanying
prospectus. |
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Dividends |
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The annual fixed dividend for one preferred share amounts to 20%
of our net profit under our annual consolidated financial
statements |
S-2
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prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP divided by 138,756,915.
The amount of dividends on preferred shares must be recommended
by our board of director and approved by the shareholders
meeting. If dividends on preferred shares are not recommended or
approved, our preferred shares would obtain voting rights
equivalent to the common shares until the first subsequent
payment of dividends in full. For more information see
Description of Preferred Shares in the accompanying
prospectus. |
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Lock-up |
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We, our wholly-owned subsidiary Skyblock Limited, Mr. Igor V.
Zyuzin (our chief executive officer and controlling shareholder)
and the Selling Shareholders have agreed to certain lock-up
restrictions as described in more detail under Plan of
Distribution Lock-Up. |
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Lock-down |
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We received permissions from the Russian Federal Service on the
Financial Markets (the FSFM) for 41,627,074
preferred shares to be placed and circulated abroad, including
through depositary receipt programs. In the offering to which
this prospectus supplement relates, the Selling Shareholders
expect to sell preferred ADSs
representing preferred
shares. We will instruct the depositary not to accept any
additional preferred shares in excess of this amount in order to
preserve room in the preferred ADS program for future offerings.
As a result, you will not be able to deposit preferred shares in
the preferred ADS program in order to receive preferred ADSs
unless additional room becomes available under the preferred ADS
program as a result of other holders of preferred ADSs
converting their preferred ADSs into preferred shares. |
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Listing and trading |
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The preferred ADSs have been approved for listing on the NYSE
under the symbol MTL PR and trading of the preferred
ADSs is expected to begin
on ,
2010. We have applied to the RTS for admission of the preferred
shares to quotation list V on or prior to
April 30, 2010. If so admitted, the preferred shares are
expected to trade on the RTS under the symbol MTLPR.
Prior to this offering there has been no trading or public
market for either the preferred shares or the preferred ADSs. |
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Security numbers |
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Preferred shares
ISIN RU000A0JPV70 |
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Preferred ADSs CUSIP |
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Preferred ADSs ISIN |
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Settlement and delivery |
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Delivery of the preferred ADSs is expected to be on or
about ,
2010. Delivery of the preferred shares is expected to commence
on or
about ,
2010. |
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Purchasers of preferred ADSs must pay for the preferred ADSs in
same-day
funds in U.S. dollars on the closing date of the offering. The
preferred shares underlying the preferred ADSs will be delivered
to a custodian for Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, as
depositary, on or prior to the closing date, and the depositary
will issue the preferred ADSs. The depositary will initially
issue the preferred ADSs in the form of a single global ADR
registered in the name of a nominee of the Depository
Trust Company (DTC). Holders of
preferred ADSs will hold |
S-3
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beneficial interests in the preferred ADSs through DTC, and DTC
and its direct and indirect participants will record such
beneficial interests in their books. |
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Purchasers of preferred shares must pay for the preferred shares
on ,
2010 in U.S. dollars. In order to take delivery of the preferred
shares, purchasers must either have a direct account with our
share registrar, NIKoil Registrar OAO, or a depo account with
CJSC Depositary Clearing Company (DCC), or
any other depositary that has an account with DCC or a direct
account with NIKoil Registrar OAO. Any purchasers who choose to
hold the preferred shares through either a direct account in
NIKoil Registrar OAO or through a depo account with a
Russian-licensed depositary other than DCC will not be able to
trade preferred shares held in that way on the RTS. |
S-4
RISK
FACTORS
Your investment in the preferred shares and preferred ADSs
entails risks. You should carefully consider the risk factors
below relating to the preferred shares and preferred ADSs and
their trading markets, as well as the other information
contained in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying
prospectus, and the documents incorporated by reference in this
prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, including
our Annual Report, before investing in the preferred shares and
preferred ADSs. In particular, you should consider the risks
discussed in the Annual Report, such as risks relating to our
financial condition and financial reporting, risks relating to
our business and industry, and risks relating to the Russian
Federation and other countries where we operate.
We and
the Justice Persons may offer additional preferred shares and
preferred ADSs in the future, and these and other sales may
adversely affect the market price of the preferred shares and
preferred ADSs.
Of the 138,756,915 preferred shares issued as of the date of
this prospectus supplement, 83,254,149 preferred shares are held
by James C. Justice II, James C. Justice Companies Inc., James
C. Justice III and Jillean L. Justice (collectively, the
Justice Persons) and the remaining 55,502,766
preferred shares are held by our wholly-owned subsidiary
Skyblock Limited. The Justice Persons acquired their preferred
shares in connection with the sale of their Bluestone coking
coal business located in Beckley, West Virginia to us in May
2009. After the offering to which this prospectus supplement
relates, the Justice Persons will
hold preferred
shares and may dispose of these preferred shares through one or
more offerings or broker trades. It is also possible that we may
decide to offer additional preferred shares and preferred ADSs
in the future, including the 55,502,766 shares held by our
wholly-owned subsidiary Skyblock Limited. Additional offerings
or sales of preferred shares and preferred ADSs by us or the
Justice Persons, or the public perception that such offerings or
sales may occur, could have an adverse effect on the market
price of our preferred shares and preferred ADSs.
There
has been no prior active public trading market for the preferred
shares and preferred ADSs, the offering may not result in an
active or liquid trading market for the preferred shares and
preferred ADSs, and the price of the preferred shares and
preferred ADSs may be highly volatile.
Although we have applied for admission of the preferred shares
to trading on the RTS there can be no assurance that the
preferred shares will be admitted for trading on the RTS and
there has been no trading prior to the offering to which this
prospectus supplement relates. Similarly, while the preferred
ADSs have been approved for listing on the NYSE, there has been
no public market for the preferred ADSs prior to this offering.
We cannot assure you that an active, liquid trading market will
develop or be sustained after the offering. Active, liquid
trading markets generally result in lower price volatility and
more efficient execution of buy and sell orders for investors.
If a liquid trading market for the preferred shares and
preferred ADSs does not develop, the trading price of the
preferred shares and preferred ADSs may be more volatile and it
may be difficult to complete a buy or sell order for the
preferred shares and preferred ADSs.
The
price of preferred shares and preferred ADSs could be volatile
and could drop unexpectedly, making it difficult for investors
to resell our preferred shares or preferred ADSs at or above the
price paid.
The price at which our preferred shares and preferred ADSs trade
will be influenced by a large number of factors, some of which
will be specific to us and our operations and some of which will
be related to the mining, steel and ferroalloy industries and
equity markets in general. As a result of these factors,
investors may not be able to resell their preferred shares or
preferred ADSs at or above the price paid for them. In
particular, the following factors, in addition to other risk
factors described in this section, may have a material impact on
the market price of our preferred shares and preferred ADSs:
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Investor perception of us as a company;
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Actual or anticipated fluctuations in our revenues or operating
results;
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S-5
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Announcement of intended acquisitions, disposals or financings,
or speculation about such acquisitions, disposals or financings;
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Changes in our dividend policy, which could result from changes
in our cash flow and capital position;
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Sales of blocks of our common shares, the American Depositary
Shares representing our common shares or our preferred shares by
significant shareholders, including the Justice Persons;
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Price and timing of any refinancing of our indebtedness;
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Potential litigation involving us;
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Changes in financial estimates and recommendations by securities
research analysts;
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Fluctuations in Russian and international capital markets,
including those due to events in other emerging markets;
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The performance of other companies operating in similar
industries;
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Regulatory developments in the markets where we operate,
especially Russia and the United States;
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International political and economic conditions, including the
effects of fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, interest
rates and oil prices and other events such as terrorist attacks,
military operations and natural disasters and the uncertainty
related to these developments;
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News or analyst reports related to markets or industries in
which we operate; and
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General investor perception of investing in Russia.
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Following
the offering to which this prospectus supplement relates, a
holder of preferred shares will not be able to deposit preferred
shares in the preferred ADS program in order to receive
preferred ADSs and the depositary may be required to take
certain actions due to Russian law requirements which could
adversely impact the liquidity and value of the preferred shares
and preferred ADSs.
We received permissions from the FSFM for 41,627,074 preferred
shares to be placed and circulated abroad, including through
depositary receipt programs, which represents approximately 30%
of the total number of issued preferred shares and which was the
maximum volume allowed under the regulations in effect at that
time. In the offering to which this prospectus supplement
relates, the Selling Shareholders expect to sell preferred ADSs
representing preferred
shares. Moreover, we will instruct the depositary not to accept
any additional preferred shares in excess of this amount in
order to preserve room in the preferred ADS program for future
offerings. As a result, you will not be able to deposit
preferred shares in the ADS program in order to receive
preferred ADSs unless additional room becomes available under
the preferred ADS program as a result of other holders of
preferred ADSs converting their preferred ADSs into preferred
shares.
Moreover, if at any time the depositary believes that the
preferred shares deposited with it against issuance of preferred
ADSs represent (or, upon accepting any additional preferred
shares for deposit, would represent) a percentage of preferred
shares which exceeds any threshold or limit established by any
applicable law, directive, regulation or permit, or satisfies
any condition for making any filing, application, notification
or registration or obtaining any approval, license or permit
under any applicable law, directive or regulation, or taking any
other action, the depositary may (1) close its books to
deposits of additional shares in order to prevent such
thresholds or limits being exceeded or conditions being
satisfied or (2) take such steps as are, in its opinion,
necessary or desirable to remedy the consequences of such
thresholds or limits being exceeded or conditions being
satisfied and to comply with any such law, directive or
regulation, including, causing pro rata cancellation of
preferred ADSs and withdrawal of underlying preferred shares
from the depositary receipt program to the extent necessary or
desirable to so comply.
S-6
In addition, given that the depositary is already the record
owner of approximately 35% of our common shares under our other
depositary receipts programs, if the preferred shares become
entitled to the same voting rights as the common shares, then
the following requirements may become applicable to the
depositary:
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Under Russian corporate law, a person that has acquired more
than 30%, 50% or 75% of the common shares and voting preferred
shares of an open stock company such as Mechel (including, for
such purposes, the shares already owned by such person and its
affiliates) will, except in certain limited circumstances, be
required to make, within 35 days of acquiring such shares,
a public tender offer for all other shares of the same class and
for securities convertible into such shares (mandatory offer).
From the moment of the relevant acquisition until the date the
offer is sent to the company, the person making the offer and
its affiliates will be able to register for quorum purposes and
vote only 30% (or 50% or 75%, as the case may be) of the
companys common shares and voting preferred shares
(regardless of the size of their actual holdings). See
Item 10. Charter and Certain Requirements of Russian
Legislation Change in Control
Anti-takeover protection in the Annual Report. Under
Russian law, the depositary may be considered the owner of the
preferred shares underlying the preferred ADSs, and as such may
be subject to the mandatory public tender offer rules. See
As the depositary may be considered the owner
of the preferred shares underlying the preferred ADSs, these
preferred shares may be arrested or seized in legal proceedings
in Russia against the depositary.
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Under Russian antimonopoly legislation, certain transactions
resulting in a shareholder (or a group of persons, as defined by
Russian law) holding directly more than 25%, 50% or 75% of the
voting capital stock of a company (such as Mechel) or the right
to control the company indirectly must be approved in advance by
the Russian Federal Antimonopoly Service (the
FAS). See Item 10. Charter and
Certain Requirements of Russian Legislation Change
in Control Approval of the Russian Federal
Antimonopoly Service in the Annual Report. The depositary
thus may need such prior approval in the future. The depositary
has received general interpretive guidance from the FAS that it
need not obtain the approval referred to above in connection
with depositary receipt programs such as the preferred ADS
program. If, however, the FAS were to rescind or disregard its
above mentioned interpretation, the preferred ADS program would
be subject to a de facto limit of 24.99% of Mechels
outstanding voting shares, unless the depositary could obtain
FAS approval for a higher percentage.
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Under the Federal Law of the Russian Federation On the
Procedure for Foreign Investment in Companies With Strategic
Impact on the National Defense and Security of the Russian
Federation (the Strategic Industries
Law) dated April 29, 2008, the acquisition by a
foreign investor, or a group of entities which includes a
foreign investor, of (1) 50% or more of the voting capital
stock of a company which is considered to be a strategic
enterprise as defined by the Strategic Industries Law (a
Strategic Company) or (2) 10% or more of
the voting capital stock of a Strategic Company which is engaged
in the geological study, exploration or production of natural
resources on plots that are deemed by the Russian government to
be subsoil plots of federal importance (a Strategic
Subsoil Company), must be previously approved by the
governmental commission. Some of our subsidiaries are considered
Strategic Companies or Strategic Subsoil Companies. See
Item 3. Key Information Risk
Factors Legal Risks and Uncertainties
Expansion of limitations on foreign investment in strategic
sectors could affect our ability to attract
and/or
retain foreign investments in our Annual Report. If,
pursuant to our charter and Russian legislation, the preferred
shares become voting and the total number of our voting common
and preferred shares held by the depositary (together with any
entities within its group) reaches the thresholds described
above, the depositary may be required to obtain approval of the
governmental commission. The depositary has received general
interpretive guidance from FAS, which is competent to issue such
guidance, that it does not need to obtain the approval referred
to above in connection with depositary receipt programs such as
the preferred ADS program. If, however, FAS were to rescind or
disregard its above mentioned interpretation, and if the
preferred shares were to become voting, the preferred ADS
program would be subject to a de facto limit on the number of
preferred shares, unless the depositary could obtain FAS
approval for a higher percentage. Such limit would be determined
on the basis of the number of both our common and preferred
shares held by the
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S-7
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depositary. See Item 4. Information on the
Company Regulatory Matters The Strategic
Industry Law in our Annual Report.
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An inability to deposit preferred shares into the preferred ADS
program in exchange for preferred ADSs due to the aforementioned
limits or other similar regulations or circumstances may affect
the liquidity and the value of your investment in the preferred
shares and preferred ADSs.
The
preferred shares may be de-listed from the RTS, the FSFM
permission for the preferred ADS program may be revoked, and the
preferred ADS program may have to be terminated.
If the preferred shares are admitted to quotation list
V on the RTS, maintenance of our V
listing on the RTS and, upon expiration of the six-month term of
the V listing, either the A or
B listing, will require us to meet relevant listing
requirements, including compliance with securities laws and
regulations of the FSFM and with certain corporate governance
requirements as well as minimum trading volumes. A failure to
comply with these listing requirements may constitute grounds
for de-listing a company such as ours, either by express
de-listing or denial of transition to the A or
B listing upon expiration of the V
listing term.
Furthermore, under Russian securities law and the regulations of
the FSFM, it is not clear whether an preferred ADS permit may be
revoked if a Russian issuer ceases to have its shares listed on
a Russian stock exchange. In case our preferred ADS permits are
revoked, this may result in the termination of the preferred ADS
program and would have a material adverse effect on the value of
the preferred shares and preferred ADSs and the ability of
holders of preferred shares to deposit them into the preferred
ADS program.
Our
ability to pay dividends depends primarily upon receipt of
sufficient funds from our subsidiaries.
Because we are a holding company, our ability to pay dividends
depends primarily upon receipt of sufficient funds from our
subsidiaries. Furthermore, the payment of dividends by our
subsidiaries
and/or our
ability to repatriate such dividends may, in certain instances,
be subject to taxes, statutory restrictions, retained earnings
criteria, and covenants in our subsidiaries financing
arrangements and are contingent upon the earnings and cash flow
of those subsidiaries. See note 20 to our consolidated financial
statements.
As the
depositary may be considered the owner of the preferred shares
underlying the preferred ADSs, these shares may be arrested or
seized in legal proceedings in Russia against the
depositary.
Because a court interpreting Russian law may not recognize
preferred ADS holders as owners of the underlying preferred
shares, it is possible that holders of preferred ADSs could lose
all of their rights to those shares if the assets of the
depositary in Russia are seized or arrested. In that case,
holders of preferred ADSs would lose their entire investment.
A court interpreting Russian law may treat the depositary as the
owner of the preferred shares underlying the preferred ADSs.
This is different from the way other jurisdictions treat
preferred ADSs. In the United States, although shares may be
held in the depositarys name or to its order, making the
depository a legal owner of the shares, the
preferred ADS holders are the beneficial, or real,
owners. In U.S. courts, an action against the depositary
unrelated to its capacity as depositary under the preferred ADS
program would not result in the beneficial owners losing their
rights with regard to the underlying shares. Russian law does
not make the same distinction between legal and beneficial
ownership, and it may only recognize the rights of the
depositary in whose name the underlying shares are held (i.e.
the depositary), but not the rights of preferred ADS holders to
the underlying shares. Thus, in proceedings brought against a
depositary, whether or not related to preferred shares
underlying preferred ADSs, Russian courts may treat those
underlying shares as the assets of the depositary, open to
seizure or arrest.
Voting
rights with respect to the preferred shares represented by the
preferred ADSs are limited by the terms of the deposit agreement
for the preferred ADSs and relevant requirements of Russian
law.
Even in the limited circumstances under which holders of our
preferred shares have voting rights, preferred ADS holders have
no direct voting rights with respect to the preferred shares
represented by the
S-8
preferred ADSs. They can only exercise voting rights with
respect to the preferred shares represented by preferred ADSs in
accordance with the provisions of the deposit agreement relating
to the preferred ADSs and relevant requirements of Russian law.
Therefore, if voting rights become applicable to holders of our
preferred shares, there are practical limitations upon the
ability of preferred ADS holders to exercise their voting rights
due to the additional procedural steps which are involved. For
example, the Federal Law of the Russian Federation No
208-72
On Joint Stock Companies (the Joint-Stock
Companies Law) and our charter require us to notify
shareholders not less than 30 days prior to the date of any
meeting of shareholders and at least 70 days prior to the
date of an extraordinary meeting to elect our board of directors
via publication of a notice in the Russian official newspaper
Rossiyskaya Gazeta. Our shareholders will be able to
exercise their voting rights by either attending the meeting in
person or voting by power of attorney.
Preferred ADS holders, by comparison, will not receive notice
directly from us. Rather, in accordance with the deposit
agreement, we will provide the notice to the depositary. The
depositary has in turn undertaken, as soon as practicable
thereafter, to mail to preferred ADS holders notice of any
meetings of shareholders, copies of voting materials (if and as
received by the depositary from us) and a statement as to the
manner in which instructions may be given by preferred ADS
holders. To exercise their voting rights, preferred ADS holders
must then timely instruct the depositary how to vote their
shares. As a result of this extra procedural step involving the
depositary, the process for exercising voting rights may take
longer for preferred ADS holders than for holders of preferred
shares. Preferred ADSs for which the depositary does not receive
timely voting instructions will not be voted at any meeting.
In addition, although securities regulations expressly permit
the depositary to split the votes with respect to the shares
underlying the preferred ADSs in accordance with instructions
from individual preferred ADS holders, there is little court or
regulatory guidance on the application of such regulations, and
the depositary may choose to refrain from voting at all unless
it receives instructions from all preferred ADS holders to vote
the shares in the same manner. Holders of preferred ADSs may
thus have significant difficulty in exercising voting rights
with respect to the shares underlying the preferred ADSs.
Thus, there can be no assurance that holders and beneficial
owners of preferred ADSs will (1) receive notice of
shareholder meetings to enable the timely return of voting
instructions to the depositary, (2) receive notice to
enable the timely cancellation of preferred ADSs in respect of
shareholder actions or (3) be given the benefit of
dissenting or minority shareholders rights in respect of
an event or action in which the holder or beneficial owner has
voted against, abstained from voting or not given voting
instructions.
Preferred
ADS holders may be unable to repatriate their
earnings.
Dividends that we may pay in the future on the preferred shares
represented by the preferred ADSs are calculated in Russian
rubles and may be declared and paid to the depositary in rubles.
Such dividends will be converted into U.S. dollars by the
depositary and distributed to holders of preferred ADSs, net of
the fees and charges of, and expenses incurred by, the
depositary, together with taxes withheld and any other
governmental charges. The ability to convert rubles into
U.S. dollars is subject to the currency markets. Although
there is an active market for the conversion of rubles into
U.S. dollars, including the interbank currency exchange and
over-the-counter and currency futures markets, the functioning
of this market in the future is not guaranteed.
Preferred
ADS holders may not be able to benefit from the United
States-Russia income tax treaty.
Under Russian law, dividends paid to a non-resident holder of
the shares generally will be subject to Russian withholding tax
at a rate of 15%. This tax may potentially be reduced to 5% or
10% for U.S. holders of the shares that are legal entities
and organizations and to 10% for U.S. holders of the shares
that are individuals under the Convention between the United
States of America and the Russian Federation for the Avoidance
of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with
respect to Taxes on Income and Capital (the United
States-Russia income tax treaty), provided a number of
conditions are satisfied. However, the Russian tax rules on the
application of double tax treaty benefits to individuals are
unclear and there is no certainty that advance clearance would
be possible. The Russian tax rules applicable to preferred ADS
holders are characterized by significant uncertainties. In a
number of clarifications, the Ministry of
S-9
Finance of the Russian Federation expressed a view that
preferred ADS holders (rather than the depositary) should be
treated as the beneficial owners of the underlying shares for
the purposes of the double tax treaty provisions applicable to
taxation of dividend income from the underlying shares, provided
that the tax residencies of the preferred ADS holders are duly
confirmed. However, in the absence of any specific provisions in
the Russian tax legislation with respect to the concept of
beneficial ownership and the taxation of income of beneficial
owners, it is unclear how the Russian tax authorities and courts
will ultimately treat the preferred ADS holders in this regard.
Thus, we may be obliged to withhold tax at standard non-treaty
rates when paying out dividends and U.S. preferred ADS
holders may be unable to benefit from the United States-Russia
income tax treaty. See Taxation Russian Income
and Withholding Tax Considerations in our Annual Report
for additional information.
Capital
gains from the sale of preferred ADSs may be subject to Russian
income tax.
Under Russian tax legislation, gains realized by non-resident
legal entities or organizations from the disposition of Russian
shares and securities, as well as financial instruments derived
from such shares, such as the preferred ADSs, may be subject to
Russian profits tax or withholding income tax if immovable
property located in Russia constitutes more than 50% of
Mechels assets. However, no procedural mechanism currently
exists to withhold and remit this tax with respect to sales made
to persons other than Russian companies and foreign companies
with a registered permanent establishment in Russia. Gains
arising from the disposition on foreign stock exchanges of the
foregoing types of securities listed on these exchanges are not
subject to taxation in Russia.
Gains arising from the disposition of the foregoing types of
securities and derivatives outside of Russia by
U.S. holders who are individuals not resident in Russia for
tax purposes will not be considered Russian source income and
will not be taxable in Russia. Gains arising from disposition of
the foregoing types of securities and derivatives in Russia by
U.S. holders who are individuals not resident in Russia for
tax purposes may be subject to tax either at the source in
Russia or based on an annual tax return, which they may be
required to submit with the Russian tax authorities.
S-10
USE OF
PROCEEDS
All preferred shares and preferred ADSs offered by this
prospectus supplement will be sold by the Selling Shareholders.
See Ownership of the Preferred Shares and Selling
Shareholders and Plan of Distribution. We will
not receive any proceeds from the sale of the preferred shares
and preferred ADSs.
S-11
INDUSTRY
OVERVIEW
Unless otherwise stated, this section is based on data from a
research report on the steel and coal industries prepared for us
by AME Consulting (AME). AME is an
independent, international consulting firm providing focused
advice and solutions on the mining and mineral industries.
We are a vertically integrated group with operations organized
in four industrial segments: mining, steel, ferroalloys and
power. Our mining segment produces coking and steam coal, as
well as iron ore and iron ore concentrate. Our steel segment
produces and sells semi-finished steel products, carbon and
specialty long products, carbon and stainless flat products and
value-added downstream metal products including wire products,
stampings and forgings. Our ferroalloys segment produces and
sells low-ferrous ferronickel, ferrochrome and ferrosilicon and
our power segment generates and sells electricity to internal
and external customers. As most of our mining and ferroalloy,
products, with the exception of steam coal and electricity, are
primarily used in steel production their performance is closely
linked to the performance of the global steel industry.
Steel
Industry
The steel industry is highly cyclical in nature because the
industries in which steel customers operate are cyclical and
sensitive to changes in general economic conditions. The demand
for steel products thus generally correlates to macroeconomic
fluctuations in the economies in which we sell our products, as
well as in the global economy. According to AME, global steel
demand declined to approximately 1.09 billion tonnes in
2009 or 9.2% year on year as a result of the global financial
crisis and sharp economic slowdown that began in late 2008 and
impacted most of 2009. According to AME, global steel demand is
expected to increase by approximately 5% in 2010 and 2011 driven
by the implementation of various government stimulus packages
and a gradual recovery of the global economy. Crude steel
production displayed a similar dynamic, with global crude steel
demand declining to an estimated 1.2 billion tonnes in 2009
from 1.3 billion tonnes in 2008, a decline of approximately
8%. However, with the recovery in steel demand, global steel
production is expected to grow effectively reaching pre-crisis
levels according to AME. The table below sets out the dynamics
of global crude steel production:
Table 1:
Estimated World Crude Steel Production (Mt)
Source: AME, World Steel Association. Regarding
2009s total, consolidated full-year 2009 crude steel
production data has not yet been officially released by the
World Steel Association. In this instance, AME has assumed 2009
production to equal the sum of monthly crude steel production
volumes, as reported by the World Steel Association throughout
the year. Crude steel production forecasts for 2010 are
equivalent to an annualized figure, based on production in the
two months of 2010 as reported by the World Steel Association.
According to AME, steel prices in the near future will be
characterized by significant volatility as steel producers
increase output to meet recovering steel demand with the key
risks being (i) that growth in supply may significantly
exceed growth in demand effectively limiting significant price
increases, (ii) that steel producers may attempt to raise
prices too high too quickly, potentially limiting demand
recovery and (iii) that demand fundamentals in the
developed world are still weak.
The vast majority of our steel products are sold in three
regions: Russia, Europe and the Middle East. We believe that the
Middle East and Russia present particularly attractive markets.
According to AME, demand for finished steel in the Middle East
grew by a CAGR of 8.8% from 33.5 million tonnes in 2005 to
43.1 million tonnes in 2008 and in Russia grew by a CAGR of
6.5% from 29.3 million tonnes to 35.4 million tonnes.
The Russian steel market also has significant potential for
further growth based on relatively low per
S-12
capita finished steel demand compared to other emerging and
established markets. According to AME, Russian per capita steel
demand was 249.6 kg per person compared to 597.2 kg in Japan,
368.9 kg in the EU, 315.6 kg in the US and 318.5 kg in China in
2008.
During the period under review, steel prices were extremely
volatile due to the changing market conditions. The export price
of rebar increased to a high of $933 per tonne (Turkey market)
in 2008, and fell to a low of $469 per tonne in 2009. The export
price of cold rolled coil in 2008 reached a high of $1,037 per
tonne (FOB Black Sea) in 2008, and fell to a low of $532 per
tonne in 2009, according to AME. The prices for steel products
were gradually increasing during 2009 through the first quarter
of 2010, driven by demand stabilization and increases in
production costs, and reached $533 per tonne for rebar in the
export (Turkey market) and $560 per tonne for cold rolled coil
(Russia export market) in 2010, according to AME.
Table 2:
Historical and Forecast Steel Prices (US$/t FOB)
Source: AME, Bloomberg, Tex, Steel Business Briefing,
Metal Bulletin, Platts. 2010 estimates are based on the average
of
year-to-date
prices.
Coal
Growing steel production is closely linked to coking coal
demand. As a result of the high cost of transportation relative
to coal prices, the majority of coal produced is consumed
regionally, with a lower share of total coal production traded
on the seaborne market. According to AME estimates, in 2009, the
global demand for internationally traded coking coal was
estimated at approximately 214 million tonnes, which
represented a 10.7% decline from 240.6 million tonnes in
2008. The decline in coal demand was driven by a slowdown in
steel production as described above. However, anticipated
recovery in steel production is expected to also result in
growing demand for internationally traded coking coal. The table
below presents historical demand for internationally traded
coking coal based on AME data.
Table 3:
Estimated Internationally Traded Metallurgical Coal Demand
(Mt)
Source: AME, IAE, Government Statistical Agencies.
AMEs estimate of global metallurgical coal imports is
calculated as the aggregation of metallurgical coal imports on a
country-level basis. This includes seaborne and non-seaborne
trade. Regarding 2009s total, metallurgical coal import
data for all countries has not yet been released. Where official
data is not available, AME has estimated full-year 2009 data
based on all available
year-to-date
currently released.
The growth in demand for internationally traded metallurgical
coal is further supported by China, which became a significant
net importer of coking coal in 2009. In particular, Chinese net
imports of metallurgical coal increased from 2.9 million
tonnes in 2008 to an estimated 33.2 million tonnes in 2009
with further growth expected in 2010 and 2011 according to AME.
S-13
On the supply side, metallurgical coal exports, particularly for
high-quality hard coking coal, were negatively impacted by
adverse weather conditions in Australia, which temporarily
disrupted coal production in Queensland, and the market is
currently adjusting for the growth in demand and Chinas
increasing import volumes. The expected scarcity of hard coking
coal will likely increase the premium for hard coking coal as
compared to other coking coal types, and may potentially benefit
demand for other types of metallurgical coal such as semi-soft
coking coal and LV PCI, as a greater proportion of softer coals
are used in coke blends.
Coal suppliers have responded to the expected shortage by
attempting to accelerate plans for numerous brownfield
expansions and new projects in Australia, Canada, the United
States, Russia and Mozambique. The stronger demand and pricing
also prompted various restarts of idled or closed mines which
are expected to come into full production over the next three
years. However, based on AMEs view, growth in export
supply will be constrained by the combination of the limited
availability of rail and port infrastructure to support
increases in production capacity, particularly in Australia, in
the short to medium term, and by the availability of capital
funding driven by the lack of appetite for high-cost capital
investments in the post financial crisis period.
An important factor affecting coking coal prices and
availability of coal from different sources is transportation
expenses which are relatively high as compared to coking coal
prices. Proximity to final customers is a significant factor for
a coal producer to be commercially profitable. Based on typical
ports from which coal producers ship coal, Australian, Canadian
and Russian metallurgical coal producers are favorably
positioned to supply Asian and Indian customers, while
U.S. producers are favorably positioned to supply customers
in Brazil.
The majority of coal is sold under term contracts with a small
proportion sold on the spot market with the coking and thermal
coal markets operating relatively independently of each other.
In terms of pricing differentials, coking coal is priced
according to certain coking characteristics, including ash,
sulphur and volatile matter content as well as other
characteristics including dilation swelling index and maximum
reflectance of vitrinite in oil. A recent shift of the major
coking coal suppliers towards quarterly rather than annual
pricing regimes is expected to result in stronger coal prices as
quarterly prices are more correlated to the higher spot prices
in times of strong market demand. The table below presents
historical and expected 2010 prices for various types of coking
coal:
Table 4:
Historical and Forecast Benchmark Metallurgical Coal Contract
Prices (US$/t FOB, Nominal)
Source: AME. Hard Coking prices are for non-premium
average quality hard coking coal, such as Norwick Park.
Semi-Hard coking coal prices based on a cross-section of
semi-hard brands including (but not limited to) coal products
from Gregory, Burton and Metropolitan. Semi-Soft coking coal
prices reflect the price of typical NSW Hunter Valley brands
(7,200kcal/kg GAD).
Impact of
Steel on Iron Ore and Ferroalloys
The demand for iron ore and ferroalloys is primarily influenced
by trends in the production of steel, as iron ore and
ferroalloys are important ingredients in the steel production
process. Due to this relationship, the demand for iron ore and
ferroalloys tends to rise as the demand for steel strengthens.
Iron ore is one of the key raw materials used for steel
production. It is usually smelted in blast furnaces to produce
pig iron, which is the primary metallic feed for steelmaking
furnaces in integrated steel plants. Approximately 98% of the
total mined iron ore is used for steel production. Ferroalloys
are primarily used as additions during the steelmaking process.
They are melted together with iron to add various chemical
elements such as nickel, manganese or silicon which impart
distinct qualities to steel or serve important functions during
production and are therefore closely related to the steel
industry.
S-14
RATIOS OF
EARNINGS TO COMBINED FIXED CHARGES AND PREFERENCE
DIVIDENDS
The following table sets forth our ratio of earnings to combined
fixed charges and preference dividends for each of the five
years ended December 31, 2009.
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Year Ended December 31
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2009
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2008
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2007
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2006
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2005
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(In thousands of U.S. dollars)
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Earnings
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|
|
|
|
|
|
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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Pre-tax income from continuing operations before income/loss
from equity investees
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94,024
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1,347,551
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1,385,439
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874,691
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513,433
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Fixed charges
|
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586,238
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358,828
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|
|
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110,207
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54,049
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58,192
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Depreciation of capitalized interests
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5,706
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4,261
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3,449
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2,632
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1,037
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Dividends received from equity investees
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11
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6,569
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4,618
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4,100
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5,262
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Interest capitalized
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(87,252
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(34,745
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)
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(11,231
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)
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(15,866
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)
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(17,363
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)
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Total
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598,727
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1,682,464
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1,492,482
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919,606
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560,561
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Fixed charges
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Interest expenses
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498,986
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324,083
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98,976
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38,183
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40,829
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Interests capitalized
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87,252
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34,745
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11,231
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15,866
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17,363
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Total
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586,238
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|
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358,828
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110,207
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54,049
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58,192
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Preference security
dividend(1)
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134,498
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|
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Fixed charges and preference dividends
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|
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720,736
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|
|
|
358,828
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|
|
|
110,207
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|
|
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54,049
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|
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58,192
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|
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Ratio of earnings to combined fixed charges and preference
dividends
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(2
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4.69
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13.54
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17.01
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9.63
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(1)
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There were no preferred shares
outstanding during the four years ended December 31, 2008.
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(2)
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Earnings for the year ended
December 31, 2009 were inadequate to cover fixed charges
and preference dividends. The coverage deficiency was
$122.0 million
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S-15
CAPITALIZATION
The following table sets forth our capitalization at
December 31, 2009. You should read this table together with
the information under Operating and Financial Review and
Prospects and our consolidated financial statements
included in our Annual Report.
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|
At December 31, 2009
|
|
|
|
(In thousands of U.S. dollars)
|
|
|
Long-term debt and finance lease liabilities, net of current
portion
|
|
|
4,133,152
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shareholders equity:
|
|
|
|
|
Common shares
|
|
|
133,507
|
|
Preferred shares
|
|
|
25,314
|
|
Treasury shares
|
|
|
|
|
Additional paid-in capital
|
|
|
874,327
|
|
Retained earnings
|
|
|
3,188,973
|
|
Accumulated other comprehensive income
|
|
|
(172,400
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Equity attributable to shareholders of Mechel OAO
|
|
|
4,049,721
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Non-controlling interests
|
|
|
280,968
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total shareholders equity
|
|
|
4,330,689
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total capitalization
|
|
|
8,463,841
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Except for the additional long-term indebtedness incurred
subsequent to December 31, 2009 as set out in note 27
to our consolidated financial statements included in the Annual
Report, there has been no material change in our capitalization
since December 31, 2009.
S-16
OWNERSHIP
OF PREFERRED SHARES AND SELLING SHAREHOLDERS
The following table sets forth information with respect to the
ownership of the preferred shares as of the date of this
prospectus supplement and about each Selling Shareholder,
including (1) the number and percentage of preferred shares
each Selling Shareholder owns as of the date of this prospectus
supplement; (2) the number of preferred shares offered for
sale by each Selling Shareholder through this prospectus
supplement; and (3) the number and percentage of
outstanding preferred shares each Selling Shareholder will own
after the offering.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Preferred Shares Owned
|
|
Preferred Shares
|
|
Preferred Shares Owned
|
|
|
Prior to This Offering
|
|
Sold in This
Offering(3)
|
|
After This Offering
|
|
|
Number
|
|
%
|
|
Number
|
|
%
|
|
Number
|
|
%
|
|
Justice Persons:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
James C. Justice II
|
|
|
34,474,564
|
|
|
|
24.85
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
James C. Justice III
|
|
|
23,739,676
|
|
|
|
17.11
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
James C. Justice Companies
Inc.(1)
|
|
|
15,818,288
|
|
|
|
11.40
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jillean L. Justice
|
|
|
9,221,621
|
|
|
|
6.65
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mechel:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Skyblock
Limited(2)
|
|
|
55,502,766
|
|
|
|
40.00
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
55,502,766
|
|
|
|
40.00
|
%
|
Public
float(3)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
|
138,756,915
|
|
|
|
100.00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
138,756,915
|
|
|
|
100.00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1)
|
|
James C. Justice Companies Inc. is
directly owned by James C. Justice II (51%), James C.
Justice III (35%) and Jillean L. Justice (14%).
|
|
(2)
|
|
Skyblock Limited is a wholly owned
subsidiary of Mechel OAO. Preferred shares owned by Skyblock
Limited are considered outstanding shares under Russian law and
have all the rights attaching to other preferred shares. The
preferred shares owned by Skyblock Limited are not considered
outstanding for purposes of our U.S. GAAP financial statements.
|
|
(3)
|
|
Includes preferred shares
represented by preferred ADSs.
|
S-17
PLAN OF
DISTRIBUTION
The Selling Shareholders propose to offer up to a maximum of
49,952,488 preferred ADSs (representing 24,976,244 preferred
shares) outside the Russian Federation. The offering of the
preferred shares and preferred ADSs in the United States and
elsewhere outside the Russian Federation will be made by the
underwriters as described below. The preferred shares will also
be offered by the Selling Shareholders in the Russian
Federation, including through Renaissance Broker LLC
(Renaissance Broker) pursuant to Russian
brokerage services agreements as described below.
There can be no assurance that the total number of the preferred
shares and preferred ADSs offered pursuant to this prospectus
supplement will be sold and the Selling Shareholders may sell
fewer than the maximum number the preferred shares and preferred
ADSs offered hereby.
Sales
Through Underwriters
Under the terms and subject to the conditions contained in an
underwriting agreement dated the date of this prospectus
supplement, Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated and
Renaissance Securities (Cyprus) Limited, as the underwriters,
have agreed severally to purchase, and the Selling Shareholders
have agreed to sell to them, the number of preferred shares and
preferred ADSs set forth opposite their names in the table below:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Number of Preferred
|
|
|
Number of Preferred
|
|
Name
|
|
ADSs
|
|
|
Shares
|
|
|
Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Renaissance Securities (Cyprus)
Limited(1)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1)
|
Renaissance Securities (Cyprus) Limited is not registered as a
broker-dealer with the SEC. Any offers and sales of preferred
shares and preferred ADSs by Renaissance Securities (Cyprus)
Limited in the United States will be made through its
SEC-registered broker-dealer affiliate RenCap Securities, Inc.
|
The underwriters are offering the preferred shares and preferred
ADSs subject to their acceptance of the preferred shares and
preferred ADSs from the Selling Shareholders and subject to
prior sale. The underwriting agreement provides that the
obligations of the underwriters to pay for and accept delivery
of the preferred shares and preferred ADSs offered by this
prospectus supplement are subject to the receipt of opinions on
specified legal matters by their counsel and to other
conditions. The underwriters are obligated to take and pay for
all of the preferred shares and preferred ADSs sold pursuant to
the underwriting agreement, if any.
We and the Selling Shareholders have agreed to indemnify the
underwriters against certain liabilities, including liabilities
under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the
Securities Act) or to contribute to payments
the underwriters may be required to make because of any of these
liabilities.
The underwriters have informed us that they do not intend sales
to discretionary accounts to exceed five percent of the total
number of preferred shares and preferred ADSs offered by them
pursuant to the underwriting agreement.
The representatives of the underwriters may be contacted at the
following addresses: Morgan Stanley & Co.
Incorporated, 1585 Broadway, New York, New York 10036, United
States; and Renaissance Securities (Cyprus) Limited, c/o RenCap
Securities, Inc., 780 3rd Avenue, 20th Floor, New York, New York
10017, United States.
Sales
Through Broker in the Russian Federation
In addition to the preferred shares and preferred ADSs sold to
the underwriters pursuant to the underwriting agreement, the
Selling Shareholders have informed us that they have
sold
preferred shares in the Russian Federation through Renaissance
Broker pursuant to the terms of Russian brokerage services
agreements entered into between Renaissance Broker and each
Selling Shareholder. Under the terms of the brokerage services
agreements, Renaissance Broker agrees, among other things, to
advise, and to provide certain brokerage services to, each
Selling Shareholder in connection with an offering of the
preferred shares in the Russian Federation.
S-18
Renaissance Broker and the Selling Shareholders have informed us
that they do not intend sales to discretionary accounts to
exceed five percent of the total number of preferred shares
offered in the Russian Federation pursuant to the brokerage
services agreements.
Commissions
and Discounts
The underwriters have informed us that they propose initially to
offer part of the preferred shares and preferred ADSs sold
pursuant to the underwriting agreement directly to the public at
the public offering price listed on the cover page of this
prospectus supplement and part to certain dealers at a price
that represents a concession not in excess of
$ per share or
$ per preferred ADS under the
public offering price. After the initial offering of the
preferred shares and the preferred ADSs, the offering price and
other selling terms may from time to time be varied by the
underwriters.
The underwriting fee is equal to the public offering price per
preferred share or per preferred ADS, as the case may be, less
the amount paid by the underwriters to the Selling Shareholders
per preferred share or preferred ADS, as the case may be. The
underwriting fee is $ per
preferred share and $ per
preferred ADS.
The Selling Shareholders have informed us that they propose to
sell preferred shares in the Russian Federation at the public
offering price listed on the cover page of this prospectus
supplement pursuant to the brokerage services agreements with
Renaissance Broker and that they have agreed to pay Renaissance
Broker a commission in the aggregate amount of
RUR for
its services in connection with the offering of the preferred
shares in the Russian Federation.
The following table shows the public offering price per
preferred share and per preferred ADS, the total underwriting
discounts to be paid to the underwriters for the offering and
the total proceeds to the Selling Shareholders from the
offering, after deduction of underwriting discounts and
brokerage commissions to Renaissance Broker, but before expenses.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Per Preferred ADS
|
|
|
Per Preferred Share
|
|
|
Total
|
|
|
Public offering price
|
|
$
|
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
Underwriting
discount(1)
|
|
$
|
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
Proceeds, before expenses, to Selling Shareholders
|
|
$
|
|
|
|
$
|
(2
|
)
|
|
$
|
(2
|
)
|
|
|
|
(1) |
|
Does not include
RUR
in brokerage commissions paid by the Selling Shareholders to
Renaissance Broker in connection with the offering of preferred
shares in the Russian Federation.
|
|
(2) |
|
For purposes of calculating the net
proceeds to the Selling Shareholders, the brokerage commissions
paid to Renaissance Broker have been converted using an exchange
rate of $1 / RUR.
|
We estimate that the total expenses of the offering, including
registration, filing and listing fees, Road show expenses,
printing fees and legal and accounting expenses, but excluding
underwriting discounts and brokerage commissions, will be
approximately
$ .
The Selling Shareholders have agreed to reimburse us for
substantially all such expenses incurred by us in connection
with the offering.
Lock-Up
We will agree that, without the prior written consent of Morgan
Stanley & Co. Incorporated and Renaissance Securities
(Cyprus) Limited, we will not, during the period ending
90 days following the pricing of the offering to which this
prospectus supplement relates:
|
|
|
|
|
issue, offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or
contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell,
grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, lend, or
otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, any
common shares, par value 10 rubles per share, of Mechel OAO or
any preferred shares (the common shares together with the
preferred shares, Company Stock) or any
securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for
Company Stock; or
|
|
|
|
enter into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to
another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences
of ownership of the Company Stock, whether any such transaction
described in
|
S-19
|
|
|
|
|
this bullet point or the one above is to be settled by delivery
of Company Stock or such other securities, in cash or
otherwise; or
|
|
|
|
|
|
file any registration statement with the SEC relating to the
offering of any shares of Company Stock or any securities
convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Company
Stock.
|
Our wholly-owned subsidiary Skyblock Limited will agree that,
without the prior written consent of Morgan Stanley &
Co. Incorporated and Renaissance Securities (Cyprus) Limited, it
will not, during the period ending 90 days following the
pricing of the offering to which this prospectus supplement
relates:
|
|
|
|
|
offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or
contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell,
grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, lend, or
otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, any
shares of Company Stock beneficially owned by it or any other
securities so owned convertible into or exercisable or
exchangeable for Company Stock; or
|
|
|
|
enter into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to
another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences
of ownership of the Company Stock, whether any such transaction
described in this bullet point or the one above is to be settled
by delivery of Company Stock or such other securities, in cash
or otherwise; or
|
|
|
|
make any demand for or exercise any right with respect to, the
registration of any shares of Company Stock or any security
convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Company
Stock.
|
The restrictions on us and Skyblock Limited described above do
not apply to:
|
|
|
|
|
the establishment of a trading plan pursuant to
Rule 10b5-1
under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the
Exchange Act), for the transfer of shares of
Company Stock, provided that such plan does not provide
for the transfer of Company Stock during the 90 days
restricted period, and no public announcement or filing under
the Exchange Act regarding the establishments of such plan shall
be required of or voluntarily made by or on behalf of us or
Skyblock Limited, as the case may be;
|
|
|
|
a transfer of preferred shares (or any securities convertible
into or exchangeable into preferred shares, including preferred
ADSs representing preferred shares) to a single transferee or
group of transferees as consideration for the acquisition of
assets by us, provided that the transferee(s) agree to
lock-up
arrangements substantially the same as those that apply to us or
Skyblock Limited, as the case may be; or
|
|
|
|
transfers of preferred shares among or between any of our
subsidiaries, provided that the transferee(s) agree to a
lock-up
substantially the same as those that apply to us or Skyblock
Limited, as the case may be.
|
In addition, the restrictions on us described above also do not
apply to the issuance by us of shares of Company Stock upon the
exercise of an option or warrant or the conversion of a security
outstanding on the date of pricing of which the underwriters
have been advised in writing. The restrictions on Skyblock
Limited described above also do not apply to transactions
relating to shares of Company Stock or other securities acquired
in open market transactions after the completion of the offering
to which this prospectus supplement relates, provided
that no public filing shall be voluntarily made in
connection with subsequent sales of Company Stock or other
securities acquired in such open market transactions.
The Selling Shareholders will agree that, without the prior
written consent of Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated
and Renaissance Securities (Cyprus) Limited, they will not,
during the period ending 180 days following the pricing of
the offering to which this prospectus supplement relates:
|
|
|
|
|
offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or
contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell,
grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, lend, or
otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, any
shares of Company Stock or any securities convertible into or
exercisable or exchangeable for Company Stock; or
|
S-20
|
|
|
|
|
enter into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to
another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences
of ownership of the Company Stock, whether any such transaction
described in this bullet point or the one above is to be settled
by delivery of Company Stock or such other securities, in cash
or otherwise.
|
The restrictions on the Selling Shareholders described above do
not apply to (1) a bona fide gift or gifts, including as a
result of the operation of law or estate or intestate
succession, (2) to transfers to any trust, partnership,
limited liability company or other entity for the direct or
indirect benefit of a Selling Shareholder or the immediate
family of a Selling Shareholder (for purposes of this paragraph,
immediate family shall mean any relationship by
blood, marriage or adoption, not more remote than first cousin),
(3) distributions to limited partners or stockholders of a
Selling Shareholder, or (4) transfers to a Selling
Shareholders affiliates or to any investment fund or other
entity controlled or managed by a Selling Shareholder;
(5) the transactions contemplated by the underwriting
agreement or (6) transactions pursuant to the Russian
brokerage agreements with Renaissance Broker in connection with
the offering of the preferred shares in the Russian Federation;
provided that in connection with each of cases (1), (2),
(3) and (4) above (A) the Selling Shareholder
receives and delivers to the underwriters a signed
lock-up
agreement with substantially identical restrictions as apply to
such Selling Shareholder for the balance of the restricted
period from each donee, trustee, distributee or transferee, as
the case may be, (B) any such transfer shall not involve a
disposition for value, (C) such transfers are not required
to be reported in any public report or filing with the SEC, or
otherwise and (D) the Selling Shareholder does not
otherwise voluntarily effect any public filing or report
regarding such sales.
Finally, Mr. Igor V. Zyuzin, our chief executive officer
and controlling shareholder, will agree that, without the prior
written consent of Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated
and Renaissance Securities (Cyprus) Limited, he will not and he
will ensure that any entities through which he indirectly holds
common shares will not, during the period ending 90 days
following the pricing of the offering to which this prospectus
supplement relates, (1) sell any of the common shares
beneficially held by him or them as of the date of pricing or
(2) make any demand for or exercise any right with respect
to, the registration of any common shares or any security
convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for common
shares. The restrictions on Mr. Zyuzin described under (1)
do not apply to:
|
|
|
|
|
transactions relating to shares of Company Stock or other
securities acquired in open market transactions after the
completion of the offering to which this prospectus supplement
relates, provided that no public filing shall be
voluntarily made in connection with subsequent sales of Company
Stock or other securities acquired in such open market
transactions;
|
|
|
|
the establishment of a trading plan pursuant to
Rule 10b5-1
under the Exchange Act for the transfer of shares of Company
Stock, provided that such plan does not provide for the
transfer of Company Stock during the restricted period and no
public announcement or filing under the Exchange Act regarding
the establishment of such plan shall be required of or
voluntarily made by or on behalf of Mr. Zyuzin or
us; and
|
|
|
|
transfers of Company Stock to members of Mr. Zyuzins
immediate family or to persons or entities under common control
with any of them, other than us and our subsidiaries,
provided that the transferee(s) agree to a
lock-up
substantially the same as applied to Mr. Zyuzin.
|
Price
Stabilization and Short Positions
In order to facilitate the offering of the preferred ADSs, the
underwriters may engage in transactions that stabilize, maintain
or otherwise affect the price of the preferred ADSs.
Specifically, the underwriters may sell more preferred ADSs than
they are obligated and entitled to purchase under the
underwriting agreement, creating a naked short position. The
underwriters must close out any such naked short position by
purchasing preferred ADSs in the open market. A naked short
position is more likely to be created if an underwriter is
concerned that there may be downward pressure on the price of
the preferred ADSs in the open market after pricing that could
adversely affect investors who purchase in the offering to which
this prospectus supplement
S-21
relates. In addition, to stabilize the price of the preferred
ADSs, the underwriters may bid for, and purchase, preferred ADSs
in the open market.
An underwriter may reclaim selling concessions allowed to a
dealer for distributing preferred ADSs in this offering if it
repurchases previously distributed preferred ADSs in
transactions to cover short positions or to stabilize the price
of the preferred ADSs. Any of these activities may stabilize or
maintain the market price of the preferred ADSs above
independent market levels. The underwriters are not required to
engage in these activities and may end any of these activities
at any time.
Other
Relationships
From time to time, the underwriters, Renaissance Broker and
their affiliates have provided, and may provide in the future,
investment banking, commercial banking and other financial
services to us for which they have received and may continue to
receive customary fees and commissions.
Foreign
Selling Restrictions
Russian
Federation
This prospectus supplement and the base prospectus, and the
preferred ADSs have not been registered under the Federal Law of
the Russian Federation
No. 39-FZ
dated April 22, 1996 On the Securities Market,
as amended, and the preferred ADSs are not being offered, sold
or delivered in the Russian Federation; it being understood and
agreed that the underwriters may distribute this prospectus
supplement and the base prospectus to qualified investors (as
defined under Russian law) in the Russian Federation in a manner
that does not constitute advertisement (as defined in Russian
law) of preferred ADSs and may sell preferred ADSs to Russian
qualified investors in a manner that does not constitute
placement or public circulation of the
preferred ADSs in the Russian Federation (as defined in Russian
law). This prospectus supplement and the base prospectus should
not be considered as a public offer or advertisement of
preferred ADSs in the Russian Federation, and is not an offer,
or an invitation to make offers, to purchase any preferred ADSs
in the Russian Federation or to any Russian resident except as
may be permitted by Russian law.
European
Economic Area
Each underwriter agreed that, in relation to each Member State
of the European Economic Area that has implemented the
Prospectus Directive (each, a Relevant Member
State), an offer of preferred shares and preferred
ADSs that are the subject of the offering contemplated by this
prospectus supplement to the public may not be made in that
Relevant Member State prior to the publication of a prospectus
in relation to the preferred shares and preferred ADSs which has
been approved by the competent authority in that Relevant Member
State or, where appropriate, approved in another Relevant Member
State and notified to the competent authority in that Relevant
Member State, all in accordance with the Prospectus Directive,
except that an offer of preferred shares and preferred ADSs to
the public in that Relevant Member State may be made at any time
under the following exceptions under the Prospectus Directive,
if they have been implemented in that Relevant Member State:
(a) to legal entities that are authorized or regulated to
operate in the financial markets or, if not so authorized or
regulated, whose corporate purpose is solely to invest in
securities;
(b) to any legal entity that has two or more of (1) an
average of at least 250 employees during the last financial
year; (2) a total balance sheet of more than
43,000,000 and (3) an annual net turnover of more
than 50,000,000, as shown in its last annual or
consolidated accounts;
(c) to fewer than 100 natural or legal persons (other than
qualified investors as defined in the Prospectus Directive)
subject to obtaining the prior consent of the other
underwriters; or
(d) in any other circumstances falling within
Article 3(2) of the Prospectus Directive.
For the purposes of this section, the expression an
offer of preferred shares or ADSs to the public in
relation to any preferred shares and preferred ADSs in any
Relevant Member State means the communication
S-22
to persons in any form and by any means of sufficient
information on the terms of the offer and the preferred shares
and preferred ADSs to be offered so as to enable an investor to
decide to purchase or subscribe the preferred shares and
preferred ADSs, as the same may be varied in that Member State
by any measure implementing the Prospectus Directive in that
Member State, and the expression Prospectus
Directive means Directive 2003/71/EC and includes any
relevant implementing measure in each Relevant Member State.
United
Kingdom
Each underwriter severally represented, warranted and agreed
that (a) it has only communicated or caused to be
communicated and will only communicate or cause to be
communicated any invitation or inducement to engage in
investment activity (within the meaning of section 21 of
the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000
(FSMA)) received by it in connection with the
issue or sale of any preferred shares and preferred ADSs in
circumstances in which section 21(1) of FSMA does not apply
and (b) it has complied and will comply with all applicable
provisions of FSMA with respect to anything done by it in
relation to the preferred shares and preferred ADSs in, from or
otherwise involving the United Kingdom.
LEGAL
MATTERS
Certain matters of United States law in connection with the
offering will be passed upon for us by Allen & Overy
Legal Services, Moscow, Russian Federation and certain matters
of Russian law in connection with the offering will be passed
upon for us by Liniya Prava, Moscow, Russian Federation. Certain
matters of United States law in connection with the offering
will be passed upon for the underwriters by Skadden Arps Slate
Meagher and Flom (UK) LLP, London, United Kingdom and certain
matters of Russian law in connection with the offering will be
passed upon for the underwriters by Skadden Arps Slate Meagher
and Flom LLP, Moscow, Russian Federation.
S-23
PROSPECTUS
MECHEL
OAO
(incorporated under the laws of
the Russian Federation)
Preferred
Shares and Preferred American Depositary Shares
This prospectus relates to preferred shares, par value 10 rubles
per share, of Mechel OAO and preferred American Depositary
Shares (preferred ADSs) that may be offered
for sale from time to time by our wholly-owned subsidiary
Skyblock Limited or by the other selling shareholders identified
in this prospectus (the Selling
Shareholders). Each preferred ADS represents one-half
of a preferred share.
We, through Skyblock Limited, or the other Selling Shareholders
may sell the preferred shares and preferred ADSs in amounts, at
prices and on terms that will be determined at the time of sale.
The registration of these preferred shares and preferred ADSs
does not necessarily mean that any of the preferred shares or
preferred ADSs will be offered or sold by us or the Selling
Shareholders.
Each time preferred shares or preferred ADSs are offered
pursuant to this prospectus, you will, if necessary or required,
be provided with a prospectus supplement attached to this
prospectus. The prospectus supplement will contain more specific
information about the offering, and may add, update or change
information contained in this prospectus.
We or the Selling Shareholders may offer and sell preferred
shares or preferred ADSs directly, through agents, dealers or
underwriters as designated from time to time, or through a
combination of these methods. If any agents, dealers or
underwriters are involved in the sale of any of our common
shares, the applicable commissions or discounts will, to the
extent not set forth herein, be described in a prospectus
supplement. See Plan of Distribution for a further
description of the manner in which we or the Selling
Shareholders may dispose of the preferred shares and preferred
ADSs covered by this prospectus.
Except for any sales of preferred shares or preferred ADSs by
our wholly-owned subsidiary Skyblock Limited, the Selling
Shareholders will receive all of the net proceeds from the sales
of the preferred shares or preferred ADSs made pursuant to this
prospectus and will pay all underwriting discounts and selling
commissions, if any, applicable to those sales. We will not
receive any proceeds from sales of any of these preferred shares
or preferred ADSs.
You should carefully read this prospectus and any applicable
prospectus supplement, together with the documents incorporated
by reference, before you invest in the preferred shares or
preferred ADSs.
See Risk Factors beginning on page 13 of our
annual report on
Form 20-F
for the year ended December 31, 2009, which is incorporated
herein by reference, and the section titled Risk
Factors included in any applicable prospectus supplement,
to read about factors you should consider before investing in
the preferred shares or preferred ADSs.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state
securities commission has approved or disapproved of these
securities or determined that this prospectus is truthful or
complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal
offense.
The date of this prospectus is April 26, 2010.
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
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34
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CAUTIONARY
NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
The statements contained and incorporated by reference in this
prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement may
constitute forward-looking statements, as defined in the safe
harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995. We wish to caution you that these statements
are only predictions and that actual events or results may
differ materially. Forward-looking statements include statements
concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events
or performance, and underlying assumptions and other statements,
which are other than statements of historical facts. The words
believe, expect, anticipate,
intend, estimate, forecast,
project, will, may,
should and similar expressions identify
forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include
statements regarding:
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strategies, outlook and growth prospects;
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future plans and potential for future growth;
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liquidity, capital resources and capital expenditures;
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growth in demand for our products;
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economic outlook and industry trends;
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developments in our markets;
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the impact of regulatory initiatives; and
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the strength of our competitors.
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These forward-looking statements are based upon various
assumptions, many of which are based, in turn, upon further
assumptions, including without limitation, managements
examination of historical operating trends, data contained in
our records and other data available from third parties.
Although we believe that these assumptions were reasonable when
made, these assumptions are inherently subject to significant
uncertainties and contingencies which are difficult or
impossible to predict and are beyond our control and we may not
achieve or accomplish these expectations, beliefs or
projections. In addition to these important factors and matters
discussed elsewhere herein. See Item 3. Key
InformationRisk Factors in our Annual Report on
Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2009 for a
discussion of important factors that, in our view, could cause
actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the
forward-looking statements.
Except to the extent required by law, neither we, nor any of our
agents, employees or advisers intend or have any duty or
obligation to supplement, amend, update or revise any of the
forward-looking statements contained or incorporated by
reference in this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus
supplement.
1
ABOUT
THIS PROSPECTUS
This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission utilizing the
shelf registration process. Under the shelf
registration process, we may sell the securities described in
this prospectus in one or more offerings.
This prospectus provides you with a general description of the
securities we may offer. Each time we sell securities, we will,
if necessary or required, provide a prospectus supplement that
will contain specific information about the terms of the
securities. The prospectus supplement may add to or update or
change information about us contained in this prospectus. You
should read this prospectus and any prospectus supplement
together with the additional information described under
Where You Can Find More Information About Us.
In this prospectus, unless the context otherwise requires,
references to Mechel refer to Mechel OAO, and references to
our group, we, us, or
our refer to Mechel OAO together with its
subsidiaries.
MECHEL
OAO
We are a leading Russian mining and metals company headquartered
in Moscow, Russia. We operate in four segments: mining, steel,
ferroalloy and power. We produce coking and steam coal, iron ore
concentrate, steel, nickel, ferrochrome, ferrosilicon, rolled
products, wire products, heat and electric power. Our operations
are principally in Russia, and we also have operations in
Kazakhstan and Eastern Europe. In May 2009, we acquired the
Bluestone coking coal business headquartered in Beckley, West
Virginia. Our principal office is located at Krasnoarmeyskaya
Street 1, Moscow 125993, Russian Federation and our telephone
number is +7 495 221 8888.
Mechel OAO is an open joint stock company incorporated under the
laws of the Russian Federation. We completed our initial public
offering in the United States and internationally in October
2004 and the American Depositary Shares representing our common
shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the
symbol MTL. Our common shares are listed in Russia
on the RTS and MICEX stock exchanges under the symbol
MTLR. Each of the American Depositary Shares
representing our common shares represents one common share.
See our Annual Report on
Form 20-F
for the year ended December 31, 2009 (the Annual
Report) for more information.
Our internet address is www.mechel.com. Information
posted on our website is not part of this prospectus.
WHERE YOU
CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION ABOUT US
We file annual reports with and furnish other information to the
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the
SEC). You may read and copy any document that
we have filed with or furnished to the SEC at the SECs
public reference room at 100 F Street, N.E.,
Room 1580, Washington, D.C. 20549. Our SEC filings are
also available to the public through the SECs web site at
www.sec.gov. Please call the SEC at
1-800-SEC-0330
for further information on the public reference room in
Washington, D.C. and in other locations.
We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on
Form F-3
relating to the securities covered by this prospectus. This
prospectus is a part of the registration statement and does not
contain all of the information in the registration statement.
Whenever a reference is made in this prospectus to a contract or
other document of ours, please be aware that the reference is
only a summary. You may review a copy of the registration
statement at the SECs public reference room in
Washington, D.C., as well as through the SECs web
site.
2
INCORPORATION
OF CERTAIN INFORMATION WE FILE WITH THE SEC
As permitted by the SEC, this prospectus does not contain all
the information you can find in our registration statement or
the exhibits to the registration statement. The SEC allows us to
incorporate by reference information into this
prospectus and the accompanying prospectus supplement, which
means that:
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incorporated documents are considered part of this prospectus
and the accompanying prospectus supplement;
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we can disclose important information to you by referring you to
those documents;
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information that we file with the SEC after the date of this
prospectus that is incorporated by reference in this prospectus
and the accompanying prospectus supplement automatically updates
and supersedes this prospectus and the accompanying prospectus
supplement; and
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information that is more recent that is included in this
prospectus and the accompanying prospectus supplement
automatically updates and supersedes information in documents
incorporated by reference with a date earlier than this
prospectus.
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We incorporate by reference into this prospectus and the
accompanying prospectus supplement our documents listed below.
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Annual Report on
Form 20-F
for the year ended December 31, 2009; and
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each of the following documents that we file with or furnish to
the SEC after the date of this prospectus from now until we
terminate the offering of securities under this prospectus, the
accompanying prospectus supplement and the registration
statement:
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reports filed under Section 13(a), 13(c) or 15(d) of the
Exchange Act; and
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reports filed or furnished on
Form 6-K
that expressly indicate that they are incorporated by reference
into this prospectus.
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These documents contain important information about us and our
financial condition. You may obtain copies of these documents
from the SEC in the manner described above. You may also request
a copy of these filings (excluding exhibits) at no cost by
contacting us as follows:
Alexander A. Tolkach
Director, Department of Communications
Mechel OAO
Krasnoarmeyskaya street 1
Moscow 125993
Russian Federation
Tel: +7 495 221 8888
Fax: +7 495 221 8800
e-mail:
Alexander.Tolkach@mechel.com
No person is authorized to give any information or represent
anything not contained in this prospectus. We are only offering
the securities in places where sales of those securities are
permitted. The information contained in this prospectus, as well
as information incorporated by reference, is current only as of
the date of that information. Our business, financial condition,
results of operations and prospects may have changed since that
date.
3
ENFORCEMENT
OF CIVIL LIABILITIES
Mechel is incorporated under the laws of the Russian Federation.
Most of our directors and all of our executive officers and all
or a substantial portion of their and our assets are located
outside the United States, principally in Russia. As a result,
you may not be able to effect service of process within the
United States upon us or our directors and executive officers or
to enforce in U.S. courts judgments obtained against us or
our directors and executive officers in jurisdictions outside
the United States, including actions under the civil liability
provisions of U.S. securities laws. In addition, it may be
difficult for you to enforce, in original actions brought in
courts in jurisdictions outside the United States, liabilities
predicated upon U.S. securities laws.
Judgments rendered by a court in any jurisdiction outside the
Russian Federation may not be recognized by courts in the
Russian Federation unless an international treaty providing for
the recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil cases
exists between the Russian Federation and the country where the
judgment is rendered
and/or a
federal law of the Russian Federation providing for the
recognition and enforcement of foreign court judgments is
adopted. No such treaty exists between the United States and the
Russian Federation for the reciprocal enforcement of foreign
court judgments.
The deposit agreement with, Deutsche Bank Trust Company
Americas, as depositary, is governed by the laws of the State of
New York. We and the depositary have irrevocably submitted to
the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the federal or state courts in
the City of New York and have irrevocably waived, to the fullest
extent permitted by law, any objections to laying venue in such
courts. Furthermore, we and the depositary agreed that,
notwithstanding the foregoing, with regard to any claim or
dispute arising directly or indirectly from the deposit
agreement, the depositary, in its sole discretion, is entitled
to refer such dispute or difference for final settlement by
arbitration in New York in accordance with the applicable rules
of the American Arbitration Association. The Russian Federation
is a party to the United Nations (New York) Convention on the
Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards, but it
may be difficult to enforce arbitral awards in the Russian
Federation due to a number of factors, including the
inexperience of Russian courts in international commercial
transactions, official and unofficial political resistance to
enforcement of awards against Russian companies in favor of
foreign investors and Russian courts inability to enforce
such orders and corruption.
We have appointed Puglisi & Associates as our agent
for service of process in any action with respect to the
registration statement on
Form F-3
of which this prospectus is a part. We have appointed CT
Corporation System as agent for service of process in any suit,
action or proceeding that may arise out of or in connection with
the deposit agreement pursuant to which the preferred ADSs are
issued and that may be brought in any U.S. federal or state
court located in the City of New York, Borough of Manhattan. We
will submit to such jurisdiction; however, such appointment may
not be respected by a Russian court.
4
USE OF
PROCEEDS
Unless otherwise set forth in the related prospectus supplement,
we intend to use the net proceeds we receive from any sales of
preferred shares or preferred ADSs by our wholly-owned
subsidiary Skyblock Limited under this prospectus for general
corporate purposes, which include financing our operations, debt
repayment and refinancing, capital expenditures and
acquisitions. The specific purpose of any individual offering of
preferred shares or preferred ADSs will be described in the
related prospectus supplement. We will not receive any proceeds
from the sale of preferred shares or preferred ADSs by any of
the other Selling Shareholders identified in this prospectus.
5
OWNERSHIP
OF PREFERRED SHARES AND SELLING SHAREHOLDERS
The following table sets forth information with respect to the
preferred shares held by our wholly-owned subsidiary Skyblock
Limited and the other Selling Shareholders as of the date of
this prospectus. The preferred shares or preferred ADSs being
offered under this prospectus may be offered for the account of
the Selling Shareholders, including Skyblock Limited. As of the
date of this prospectus, Skyblock Limited and the other Selling
Shareholders listed below own all of the 138,756,915 preferred
shares issued as of the date of this prospectus.
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Number of Preferred
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Number of Preferred
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Number of Preferred
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Shares Owned Prior to
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Shares Sold in This
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Shares Owned After
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Selling Shareholders
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This Offering
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Offering(3)
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This Offering
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Justice Persons:
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James C. Justice II
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34,474,564
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up to 34,474,564
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(4
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James C. Justice III
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23,739,676
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up to 23,739,676
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(4
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James C. Justice Companies
Inc.(1)
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15,818,288
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up to 15,818,288
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(4
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Jillean L. Justice
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9,221,621
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up to 9,221,621
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(4
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Mechel:
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Skyblock
Limited(2)
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55,502,766
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up to 55,502,766
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(4
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Total
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138,756,915
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up to 138,756,915
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(4
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(1) |
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James C. Justice Companies Inc. is directly owned by James C.
Justice II (51%), James C. Justice III (35%) and
Jillean L. Justice (14%). |
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(2) |
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Skyblock Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mechel OAO.
Preferred shares owned by Skyblock Limited are considered
outstanding shares under Russian law and have all the rights
attaching to other preferred shares. The preferred shares owned
by Skyblock Limited are not considered outstanding for purposes
of our U.S. GAAP financial statements. |
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(3) |
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Includes preferred shares represented by preferred ADSs. |
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(4) |
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Because we, through our wholly-owned subsidiary Skyblock
Limited, or the other Selling Shareholders may sell all or a
portion of the preferred shares that are being offered pursuant
to this prospectus, the number of preferred shares that will be
owned by us and each Selling Shareholder upon termination of
this offering cannot be determined as of the date of this
prospectus. |
6
DESCRIPTION
OF PREFERRED SHARES
Set out below is a summary of certain terms of the preferred
shares, including voting rights, dividends, liquidation value
and priority. The terms of our preferred shares are set out in
our charter. See Item 10. Charter and Certain
Requirements of Russian Legislation in the Annual Report.
In addition to the summary below and the description of our
charter, we urge you to review our charter, which is included as
an exhibit to the registration statement of which this
prospectus forms a part, to learn more about the preferred
shares and the Russian legal framework for all of our shares.
Preferred ADS holders will be able to exercise their rights with
respect to the preferred shares underlying the preferred ADSs
only in accordance with the provisions of the deposit agreement
and the relevant requirements of Russian law. See
Description of Preferred American Depositary Shares
for more information.
Voting
Rights
According to the Joint-Stock Companies Law and our charter, the
holders of our preferred shares generally have no voting rights,
except they are entitled to vote on the following matters:
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(1)
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a reorganization or liquidation. The term
reorganization, as defined by the Joint-Stock
Companies Law, is comprised of:
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(i)
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a merger, which is defined as the formation of a new company
with transfer to it of all rights and obligations of two or more
other companies which cease to exist;
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(ii)
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a consolidation, which is defined as the termination of one or
more companies with transfer of all their rights and obligations
to another company;
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(iii)
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a division, which is defined as the creation of several new
companies with transfer to them of all rights and obligations of
an existing company terminated as a result of the division;
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(iv)
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a separation, which is defined as the transfer of certain rights
and obligations of a company to one or several new companies
without the existing company being terminated; and
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(v)
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a transformation, which is defined as a change of the
companys corporate form.
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You should note that other types of corporate restructurings
(e.g., reorganizations involving subsidiaries, creation or
acquisition of new subsidiaries and other transactions) would
not be considered a reorganization under Russian law;
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(2)
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any amendment of our charter or approval of a new version of our
charter that restricts the rights of holders of preferred
shares, including restrictive amendments to the formula for
calculation of dividends
and/or the
amount of the liquidation value attached to the preferred
shares; and
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(3)
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all matters on which holders of common shares are entitled to
vote if for any reason the annual shareholders meeting did
not adopt a resolution to pay the full amount of dividends to
which holders of preferred shares are entitled under our
charter, commencing after the annual shareholders meeting
at which the shareholders failed to declare such dividends.
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In the cases described in (1) and (3) above, the
decisions will be voted upon by all shareholders (i.e., both
holders of common shares and holders of preferred shares) and
the decision requires a simple majority or three-quarters
majority vote of all shares present at the meeting, depending on
the nature of the matter being voted upon.
In the cases described in (2) above, the decision will be
voted upon by all shareholders (i.e., holders of both common
shares and preferred shares) and the decision requires both
(i) a three-quarters majority vote of all shares present at
the meeting less the number of preferred shares, and (ii) a
three-quarters majority vote of all preferred shares. Each
preferred share has one vote in the situations described above.
To the extent the preferred shares do not carry the right to
vote on all matters on which holders of common shares are
entitled to vote, holders of preferred shares will not
(1) take part with the holders of common shares in
approving major transactions or interested party transactions
under the Joint-Stock
7
Companies Law; (2) have the benefit of the anti-takeover
protections provided by the Joint-Stock Companies Law to holders
of common shares; and (3) have the benefit of provisions of
the Joint-Stock Companies Law that provide shareholders the
right to demand that we repurchase their shares if they voted
against or did not participate in the voting on a decision
approving major transactions.
Dividends
The dividends on our preferred shares are specified in our
charter, as follows:
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The annual fixed dividend for one preferred share amounts to 20%
of our net profit under our annual consolidated financial
statements prepared in accordance with the applicable
international accounting standards which we apply for the
relevant accounting period, including IFRS and U.S. GAAP,
and audited by an independent auditor, divided by 138,756,915
(the denominator), which is equal to the total number of
currently issued preferred shares. If the number of issued
preferred shares is increased or decreased, such increase or
decrease, as the case may be, would not automatically change the
denominator.
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For the purpose of calculating the amount of dividends for the
preferred shares we convert our net profit under the applicable
international accounting standards into rubles using the
official exchange rate of the Central Bank of the Russian
Federation as of the date our board of directors decides to
recommend the amount of dividends for the preferred shares.
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If the dividend to be paid for one common share exceeds the
dividend to be paid for one preferred share for the same year,
we must increase the dividend to be paid for one preferred share
up to the amount of dividend to be paid for one common share.
For this purpose, if the nominal value of our common shares has
changed (e.g., through a share split), the dividend to be paid
for one common share is calculated as if its nominal value has
not changed.
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The Joint-Stock Companies Law provides that dividends on common
shares cannot be declared until dividends on preferred shares
have been declared in full for the relevant period.
We will determine the amount of dividends payable on our common
shares based on the cash needs of our business, which will be
influenced by the market situation, the level and availability
of debt and the requirements of our investment program.
The amount of dividends on preferred shares must be recommended
by our board of directors and approved by the shareholders
meeting. If dividends on preferred shares are not recommended or
approved, our preferred shares would obtain voting rights
equivalent to the common shares. They become non-voting as of
the first subsequent payment of dividends in full. Accordingly,
our preferred shares are not cumulative. If dividends are
declared but not paid, the holders of our preferred shares will
be entitled to claim from us such dividends in court.
The Joint-Stock Companies Law allows dividends to be declared
only out of net profits calculated under Russian accounting
standards and as long as the following conditions have been met
at the date any dividend is being declared:
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the charter capital of the company has been paid in full;
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the value of the companys net assets is not less (and
would not become less as a result of the proposed dividend
payment) than the sum of the companys charter capital, the
companys reserve fund and the difference between the
liquidation value and the par value of the issued and
outstanding preferred shares of the company;
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the company has repurchased all shares from shareholders who had
exercised rights under Russian law to demand repurchase; and
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the company is not, and would not become, insolvent as the
result of the proposed dividend payment.
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8
Moreover, declared dividends cannot be paid if:
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at the date of payment the company is insolvent, or if it would
become insolvent as the result of the proposed dividend
payment; or
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at the date of payment the value of the companys net
assets is less (or would become less as a result of the proposed
dividend payment) than the sum of the companys charter
capital, the companys reserve fund and the difference
between the liquidation value and the par value of the issued
and outstanding preferred shares of the company,
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provided that when and if these circumstances cease to
exist, any previously declared dividends must be paid to the
holders of the preferred shares.
Liquidation
Value and Priority
The liquidation value for each of our preferred shares has been
specified in our charter as the amount equal to the total assets
of Mechel under Russian accounting standards remaining after
paying the creditors, divided by the total number of outstanding
common shares and preferred shares. Upon liquidation, the
preferred shares will be paid the liquidation value (as
described in the previous sentence) prior to distribution of the
remaining assets of Mechel to holders of our common shares.
Charter
Capital Increases and Pre-emptive Rights
An increase in our charter capital requires either a decision by
our board of directors or a vote by our shareholders at a
shareholders meeting. To the extent our preferred shares
do not carry the right to vote on all matters on which holders
of common shares are entitled to vote, any charter capital
increase (whether through the issuance of common shares or
preferred shares) would not otherwise require the vote of the
preferred shares.
The holders of our preferred shares do not have pre-emptive
rights to purchase additional common shares. The holders of our
preferred shares have the pre-emptive right to purchase
additional preferred shares on a pro rata basis with other
holders of preferred shares, only in the case of (1) an
open subscription to newly issued preferred shares or securities
convertible into preferred shares and (2) a closed
subscription if the shareholders voted against or did not
participate in the voting on the decision approving such
subscription. The pre-emptive right does not apply to placement
of shares or securities convertible into shares through a closed
subscription among existing shareholders only, provided that
such shareholders may each acquire a whole number of shares or
securities convertible into shares being placed in an amount
proportionate to their existing holdings. We must provide
shareholders with written notice of the proposed placement of
preferred shares at least 45 days prior to the offering,
during which time shareholders may exercise their pre-emptive
rights, unless the price for new preferred shares is set
following the expiration of the pre-emptive rights period, in
which case such period shall be not less than 20 days.
The Joint-Stock Companies Law limits the amount of preferred
shares to no more than 25% of total charter capital. Currently,
our preferred shares constitute 25% of our charter capital, so
the issuance of additional preferred shares will require us to
first issue additional common shares. Furthermore, the holders
of preferred shares will be entitled to vote on the issuance of
a new class of preferred shares having priority in the payment
of dividends or liquidation value over the existing class of
preferred shares.
Repurchase
Offers
Under the Joint-Stock Companies Law, we may make an offer to
repurchase shares of one or more classes of our capital stock.
Such offer, among other things, must treat the entire class on
an equal basis. However, we are not required to make a similar
or related offer to holders of other classes of our capital
stock.
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DESCRIPTION
OF PREFERRED AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES
Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, as depositary, will
issue the preferred ADSs. Each preferred ADS will represent an
ownership interest in one-half of a preferred share which we and
the Selling Shareholders will deposit with Deutsche Bank Ltd.,
as the custodian under the deposit agreement among Mechel, the
depositary and the holders and beneficial owners from time to
time of the preferred ADSs. Each preferred ADS also will
represent any securities, cash or other property deposited with
the depositary but which the depositary has not distributed
directly to you. Your preferred ADSs will be evidenced by
American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) in the
same way a share is evidenced by a share certificate.
Because the depositarys nominee will be the registered
owner of the preferred shares, you must rely on the depositary
to exercise the rights of a shareholder on your behalf. The
obligations of the depositary are set out in the deposit
agreement. The deposit agreement, the preferred ADSs and the
ADRs are governed by New York law.
If you become an owner of preferred ADSs, you will become a
party to the deposit agreement and therefore will be bound by
its terms and by the terms of the ADRs and preferred ADSs. The
deposit agreement and the form of ADR specify the rights and
obligations of Mechel, your rights and obligations as owner of
preferred ADSs and the rights and obligations of the depositary.
As an owner of preferred ADS you appoint the depositary as your
attorney-in-fact, with full power to delegate, to act on your
behalf and to take any and all actions contemplated in the
deposit agreement, to adopt any and all procedures necessary to
comply with applicable laws and to take such action as the
depositary in its sole discretion may deem necessary or
appropriate to carry out the purposes of the deposit agreement.
The following is a summary of the material terms of the deposit
agreement. Because it is a summary, it does not contain all the
information that may be important to you. For more complete
information, you should read the entire deposit agreement and
the form of ADR which contains the terms of your preferred ADSs.
The depositary is filing with the SEC a registration statement
on
Form F-6
relating to your preferred ADSs and a copy of the form of
deposit agreement is being filed as an exhibit to such
registration statement. You may read and copy the registration
statement on
Form F-6
and the form of deposit agreement at the SECs public
reference room, which is located at 100 F Street N.E.,
Room 1580, Washington, D.C. 20549. The registration
statement on
Form F-6
is also available to the public on the SECs website at
www.sec.gov. Please call the SEC at
1-800-SEC-0330
for further information on the public reference room in
Washington, D.C. and its other locations. Copies of the
deposit agreement and the form of ADR are also available for
inspection at the principal office of Deutsche Bank
Trust Company Americas, currently located at 60 Wall
Street, New York, New York 10005, and at the principal office of
Deutsche Bank Ltd., as the custodian, currently located at 4
Shepkina Street, Moscow 129090, Russia. The depositary will keep
books at its principal office for the registration of ADRs and
transfers of ADRs which, at all reasonable times, will be open
for inspection by preferred ADS holders, provided that
inspection will not be for the purpose of communicating with
preferred ADS holders in the interest of a business or object
other than our business or a matter related to the deposit
agreement or the preferred ADSs.
Holding
the Preferred ADSs
How
will I hold my preferred ADSs?
The preferred ADSs will only be issued in book entry
form, represented by a Master American Depositary Receipt
registered in the name of the nominee of The Depositary
Trust Company (DTC) to each holder. The
preferred ADSs will be evidenced by ADRs issued through
DRS/Profile unless certificated ADRs are specifically requested
by a holder. The depositary will maintain books on which each
ADR executed and delivered, in the case of definitive ADRs, and
each ADR issued through DRS/Profile, in either case as provided
by the deposit agreement, and the transfer of each such ADR will
be registered. Participants in DTC will then keep a record of
their clients who purchased the preferred ADSs. Beneficial
interests in the Master American Depositary Receipt will be
shown on, and transfers of interests in the Master American
Depositary Receipt will be made only through, records maintained
by DTC and its participants.
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The depositary will wire any cash distribution it receives on
the preferred shares represented by the ADRs to DTCs
nominee net of applicable fees and charges of, and expenses
incurred by, the depositary and taxes withheld or other
governmental charges paid or payable in conjunction with such
conversion. The depositary will treat DTCs nominee as the
owner of the ADRs for all purposes. Accordingly, the depositary
will have no direct responsibility or liability to pay amounts
due on the ADR to owners of beneficial interests in the ADRs.
It is DTCs current practice, upon receipt of any cash
payment, to credit direct participants accounts on the
payment date according to their respective holdings of
beneficial interests in the ADRs as shown on DTCs records.
In addition, it is DTCs current practice to assign any
voting rights to direct participants whose accounts are credited
with preferred ADSs on a record date, by using an omnibus proxy.
Payments by participants to owners of beneficial interests in
the ADRs, and voting by participants, will be governed by the
customary practices between the participants and owners of
beneficial interests, as is the case with preferred ADSs held
for the account of customers registered in street
name. Payments will be the responsibility of the
participants and not of DTC, the depositary or us.
You may hold preferred ADSs either directly or indirectly
through your broker or other financial institution, and the
remaining part of this description assumes you hold your
preferred ADSs directly. If you hold the preferred ADSs through
your broker or financial institution nominee, you must rely on
the procedures of that broker or financial institution to assert
the rights of preferred ADS holders described in this section.
You should consult with your broker or financial institution to
find out what those procedures are.
Share
Dividends and Other Distributions
How
will I receive dividends and other distributions on the
preferred shares underlying my preferred ADSs?
The depositary has agreed to pay to you the cash dividends or
other distributions it or the custodian receives on preferred
shares or other deposited securities, after deducting its fees
and expenses taxes and other governmental charges paid or
payable. You will receive these distributions in proportion to
the number of underlying preferred shares that your preferred
ADSs represent. You must hold the preferred ADSs on the date
established by the depositary in order to be eligible for
dividends and other distributions. In general, the depositary
will attempt to set a record date for the preferred ADSs that is
the same record date used by us for dividends and other
distributions on the preferred shares. It is possible, however,
that the record dates we use for dividends and other
distributions on the preferred shares and the record date used
by the depositary for the preferred ADSs may not be the same.
Cash
The depositary will as promptly as practicable convert any cash
dividend or other cash distribution we pay on the preferred
shares into U.S. dollars, if it can do so in its judgment,
on a practicable basis and can transfer the U.S. dollars to
the United States. If that is not possible or if any
governmental approval is needed and cannot be obtained, the
deposit agreement allows the depositary to distribute
U.S. dollars only to those preferred ADS holders to whom it
is possible to do so. It will either distribute the currency it
cannot convert into U.S. dollars to preferred ADS holders
or hold it for the account of the preferred ADS holders who have
not been paid. It will not invest the currency it cannot convert
and it will not be liable for any interest.
Before making a distribution, the depositary will deduct any
withholding taxes and governmental charges paid or payable that
must be paid under applicable law. See Taxation in the
Russian Federation and Taxation in the United
States. It will distribute only whole U.S. dollars
and cents and will round fractional cents down to the nearest
whole cent. Amounts received on foreign currency conversions are
calculated at a rate which may exceed the number of decimal
places used by the depositary to report distribution rates
(which in any case will not be less than two decimal places),
and the excess amount may be retained by the depositary as an
additional cost of conversion, irrespective of any other fees
and expenses payable or owing hereunder and will not be subject
to escheatment. If the exchange rates fluctuate during a time
when the depositary cannot carry out a conversion, you may lose
some or all of the value of the distribution.
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Preferred
shares
The depositary may distribute new preferred ADSs representing
any preferred shares which we distribute as a dividend or free
distribution if we furnish the depositary promptly with
satisfactory evidence that it is legal. The depositary will
distribute new preferred ADSs in proportion to the number of
preferred ADSs you already own. The depositary will only
distribute whole preferred ADSs. It will sell preferred shares
which would require it to issue a fractional ADS and distribute
the net proceeds in the same way as it does with cash. If the
depositary does not distribute additional preferred ADSs, each
ADS will also represent the new preferred shares.
Rights
to receive additional preferred shares
If we offer holders of our securities any rights to subscribe
for additional preferred shares or any other rights in
accordance with the deposit agreement, we in conjunction with
the depositary have discretion to determine how these rights
become available to you as a holder of preferred ADSs. We must
first instruct the depositary to do so and furnish it with
satisfactory evidence that it is legal to do so. The depositary
could decide it is not legal or reasonably practical to make the
rights available to you, or it could decide that it is only
legal or reasonably practical to make the rights available to
some but not all holders of the preferred ADSs. The depositary
may decide to sell the rights and distribute the proceeds in the
same way as it does with cash. If the depositary decides that it
is not legal or reasonably practical to make the rights
available to you or to sell the rights, the rights that are not
distributed or sold could lapse. In that case, you will receive
no value for them. The depositary is not responsible for
(1) a failure in determining whether or not it is legal or
reasonably practical to distribute the rights, (2) any
foreign exchange exposure or loss incurred in connection with
such sale, or exercise, or (3) the content of any materials
forwarded to the holders on behalf of us in connection with the
rights distribution. The depositary is liable for damages,
however, if it acts negligently or in bad faith.
If the depositary makes rights available to you, it will
exercise the rights and purchase the preferred shares on your
behalf. The depositary will then deposit the preferred shares
and issue preferred ADSs to you. It will only exercise rights if
you pay it the exercise price and any other fees, charges and
expenses and taxes
and/or
governmental charges the rights require you to pay.
U.S. or Russian securities laws may restrict the sale,
deposit, cancellation, and transfer of the preferred ADSs issued
after an exercise of rights. For example, you may not be able to
trade the new preferred ADSs freely in the United States. In
this case, the depositary may issue the new preferred ADSs under
a separate restricted deposit agreement which will contain the
same provisions as the deposit agreement, except for changes
needed to put the restrictions in place.
Other
distributions
The depositary will send you anything else we distribute on
deposited securities by any means it thinks is legal and
reasonably practical upon notice from us that we wish such
distribution to be made available to you. If it cannot make the
distribution in that way, the depositary has a choice. It may,
after consultation with us, decide to sell what we distributed,
by public or private sale upon such terms as it may deem proper
and distribute the net proceeds, in the same way as it does with
cash. If unable to sell, the depositary can dispose of such
property in any way it deems reasonably practicable under the
circumstances for nominal or no consideration and you will have
no rights thereafter arising therefrom.
The depositary is not responsible if it decides that it is
unlawful or impractical to make a distribution available to any
preferred ADS holders. We have no obligation (including no
obligation to register securities under U.S. or Russian
securities laws) to take any action to permit the distribution
of preferred ADSs, preferred shares, rights or anything else to
preferred ADS holders. This means you may not receive the
distributions we make on our preferred shares or any value for
them if it is illegal or impractical for us or the depositary to
make them available to you.
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Deposit,
Withdrawal and Cancellation
How
does the depositary issue preferred ADSs?
Subject to the provisions of the depositary agreement, the
depositary will issue preferred ADSs if you or your broker
deposits preferred shares with the custodian. In the case of the
preferred ADSs to be issued under this prospectus, we and the
Selling Shareholders will arrange with the underwriters named in
the applicable prospectus supplement to deposit the preferred
shares. Neither the depositary nor the custodian assumes any
obligation or responsibility to make any payments for, nor will
either of them be subject to any liability under the deposit
agreement or otherwise for nonpayment for, any shares newly
issued and placed by us or sold by any Selling Shareholders in
any offering.
Preferred shares deposited in the future with the custodian must
be accompanied by documents, including instruments showing that
those preferred shares have been properly transferred or
endorsed to the person on whose behalf the deposit is being made.
The custodian will hold all deposited preferred shares,
including those being deposited by us or on our behalf in
connection with the offering to which this prospectus relates,
for the account of the depositary. You thus have no direct
ownership interest in the preferred shares and only have the
rights as are set out in the deposit agreement. The custodian
also will hold any additional securities, property and cash
received on or in substitution for the deposited preferred
shares. The deposited preferred shares and any such additional
items are all referred to as deposited securities.
Upon each deposit of preferred shares, receipt of related
delivery documentation and compliance with the other provisions
of the deposit agreement, including the payment of the fees and
expenses of the depositary and of any taxes or charges, such as
stamp taxes or stock transfer taxes or fees, the depositary will
issue an ADR or ADRs in the name of the person entitled thereto
evidencing the number of preferred ADSs to which that person is
entitled. Alternatively, at your request, risk and expense, the
depositary will deliver certificated ADRs at the
depositarys principal New York office or any other
location that it may designate as its transfer office.
How do
Preferred ADS holders Cancel an ADS and Obtain Deposited
Securities?
When you turn in your ADS at the depositarys office, upon
payment of applicable fees, charges, expenses and taxes and
governmental charges, a share extract evidencing your ownership
of the underlying preferred shares will be delivered to you at
the custodians office.
You have the right to cancel your preferred ADSs and withdraw
the underlying preferred shares at any time except in connection
with:
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temporary delays caused by closing transfer books of the
depositary or the company or the deposit of preferred shares in
connection with voting at a shareholders meeting, or the
payment of dividends;
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the payment of fees, taxes and similar charges; or
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compliance with any U.S. or foreign laws or governmental
regulations or securities exchange upon which the receipts or
preferred shares are listed relating to the preferred ADSs or
the withdrawal of the underlying preferred shares.
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You should note that the depositary may, in its discretion,
refuse to accept for surrender a number of preferred ADSs
representing a number other than a whole number of preferred
shares. In the case of surrender of an ADR evidencing a number
of preferred ADSs representing other than a whole number of
preferred shares, the depositary shall cause ownership of the
appropriate whole number of preferred shares to be delivered in
accordance with the terms of the deposit agreement, and shall,
at the discretion of the depositary, either (1) issue and
deliver to the person surrendering such ADR a new ADR evidencing
ADSs representing any remaining fractional preferred share, or
(2) sell or cause to be sold the fractional preferred
shares represented by the ADR surrendered and remit the proceeds
of such sale (net of (a) applicable fees and
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charges of, and expenses incurred by, the depositary and
(b) taxes withheld or other governmental charges paid or
payable in conjunction with such conversion) to the person
surrendering the ADR.
U.S. securities laws provide that this right of withdrawal
may not be limited by any other provision of the deposit
agreement.
Transmission
of Notices to Shareholders
We will promptly transmit to the depositary those communications
that we make generally available to our shareholders. If those
communications were not originally in English, we will translate
them. Upon our request, the depositary will arrange for the
timely mailing of copies of such communications to all preferred
ADS holders and will make a copy of such communications
available for inspection at the depositarys principal
office.
Voting
Rights
How do
I vote?
Under certain circumstances, Russian law provides that holders
of the preferred shares underlying your ADRs may obtain voting
rights. See Description of Preferred Shares. In such
cases you may instruct the depositary to vote the preferred
shares underlying your ADRs. You could exercise your right to
vote in such cases directly if you withdraw the preferred
shares. However, you may not know about the meeting sufficiently
in advance to withdraw the preferred shares.
Upon receipt of timely notice from us, the depositary will
notify you of the upcoming vote and arrange to deliver our
voting materials to you. The materials will describe the matters
to be voted on and explain how you, if you obtain voting rights
and hold the preferred ADSs on a date specified by the
depositary, may instruct the depositary to vote the preferred
shares or other deposited securities underlying your preferred
ADSs as you direct. For your instructions to be valid, the
depositary must receive them in writing on or before a date
specified by the depositary. The depositary will try, as far as
practical, subject to applicable law and the provisions of our
charter, to vote or to have its agents vote the preferred shares
or other deposited securities as you instruct. The depositary
will only vote or attempt to vote as you instruct and will not
vote any preferred shares where no instructions have been
received.
Under the terms of the deposit agreement, neither the depositary
nor the custodian will, under any circumstances exercise any
discretion as to voting, and neither the depositary nor the
custodian will vote, attempt to exercise the right to vote, or
in any way make use of for purposes of establishing a quorum or
otherwise, the preferred shares or other deposited securities
represented by preferred ADSs except pursuant to and in
accordance with such written instructions from holders.
Preferred shares or other deposited securities represented by
preferred ADSs for which no specific voting instructions are
received by the depositary from the holder will not be voted. We
cannot assure you that you will receive the voting materials in
time to ensure that you can instruct the depositary to vote your
preferred shares. In addition, the depositary and its agents are
not responsible for failing to carry out voting instructions or
for the manner of carrying out voting instructions. This means
that you may not be able to exercise your right to vote and if
your preferred shares are not voted as you requested, you may
have no recourse.
Fees and
Expenses
What
fees and expenses will I be responsible for
paying?
Persons depositing preferred shares will be charged a fee for
each issuance of preferred ADSs, including issuances resulting
from distributions of preferred shares, stock dividends, stock
splits, bonus and rights distributions and other property, and
for each surrender of preferred ADSs in exchange for deposited
securities. The fee in each case is up to $0.05 per preferred
ADS, or any portion thereof, issued or surrendered. The
depositary will also charge a fee of up to $0.02 per preferred
ADS for distribution of cash proceeds pursuant to a cash
distribution, sale of rights and other entitlements or
otherwise. The depositary may also charge an annual fee of up to
$0.02 per preferred ADS for the operation and maintenance costs
in
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administering the facility and a fee of up to $0.01 per
preferred ADS annually to cover the depositarys and the
custodians or other respective agents expenses in
inspecting the records of the local share registrar of our
preferred shares. You or persons depositing preferred shares
also may be charged the following expenses:
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stock transfer or other taxes and other governmental charges;
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cable, telex facsimile and electronic transmission and delivery
charges;
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transfer or registration fees for the registration of transfer
of deposited securities on any applicable register in connection
with the deposit or withdrawal of deposited securities including
those of a central depository for securities;
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expenses of the depositary in connection with the conversion of
foreign currency into U.S. dollars;
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fees and expenses incurred by the depositary in connection with
compliance with exchange control regulations and other
regulatory requirements applicable to the preferred shares,
deposited securities and preferred ADSs; and
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any other fees, charges, costs or expenses that may be incurred
by the depositary from time to time.
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We will pay all other charges and expenses of the depositary and
any agent of the depositary, except the custodian, pursuant to
agreements from time to time between us and the depositary. We
and the depositary may amend the fees described above from time
to time.
Payment
of Taxes
You will be responsible for any taxes or other governmental
charges payable on your preferred ADSs or on the deposited
securities underlying your preferred ADSs. The depositary may
refuse to transfer your preferred ADSs or allow you to withdraw
the deposited securities underlying your preferred ADSs until
such payment is made, or it may deduct the amounts of taxes owed
from any payments to you. It may also sell deposited securities,
by public or private sale, to pay any taxes owed. You will
remain liable if the proceeds of the sale are not enough to pay
the taxes. If the depositary sells deposited securities, it
will, if appropriate, reduce the number of preferred ADSs to
reflect the sale and pay to you any proceeds, or send to you any
property remaining after it has paid the taxes.
Reclassifications,
Recapitalizations and Mergers
If we take actions that affect the deposited securities,
including (1) any change in par value,
split-up,
consolidation or other reclassification of deposited securities;
(2) any distribution on the preferred shares that is not
distributed to you; and (3) any recapitalization,
reorganization, merger, consolidation, liquidation or sale of
all or substantially all of our assets, then the cash, preferred
shares or other securities received by the depositary will
become deposited securities, and the depositary may choose to:
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distribute additional ADRs;
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distribute cash, securities or other property it has received in
connection with such actions;
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sell any securities or property received and distribute the
proceeds as cash; or
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treat the cash, securities or other property it receives as part
of the deposited securities, and each preferred ADS will then
represent a proportionate interest in that property.
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Amendment
and Termination
How
may the agreement be amended?
We may agree with the depositary to amend the deposit agreement
and the preferred ADSs without your consent for any reason
deemed necessary or desirable. You will be given at least
30 days notice of any amendment that imposes or
increases any fees or charges, except for taxes, governmental
charges, delivery expenses or expenses incurred in connection
with foreign exchange control regulations and other charges
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specifically payable by preferred ADS holders under the deposit
agreement, or which otherwise materially prejudices any
substantial existing right of holders or beneficial owners of
preferred ADSs. If an preferred ADS holder continues to hold
preferred ADSs after being so notified of these changes, that
preferred ADS holder is deemed to agree to that amendment and be
bound by the ADRs and the agreement as amended. An amendment can
become effective before notice is given if necessary to ensure
compliance with a new law, rule or regulation.
How May
the Agreement be Terminated?
We may instruct the depositary to terminate the deposit
agreement at any time, provided that the depositary must mail
notice to all preferred ADS holders of such termination at least
90 days prior to the date fixed for such termination.
Additionally, if (i) the depositary delivers written notice
to us of its election to resign as depositary or (ii) we
deliver written notice to the depositary of its removal as
depositary and, in either case, a successor depositary is not in
place within 90 days after the delivery of such notice,
then the depositary may terminate the deposit agreement by
mailing notice of such termination to all preferred ADS holders
at least 30 days prior to the date fixed for such
termination. After termination, the depositarys only
responsibility will be to deliver deposited securities to
preferred ADS holders who surrender their preferred ADSs
following payment of any fees and charges of, and expenses
incurred by the depositary, and taxes and governmental charges
and to hold or sell distributions received on deposited
securities. Six months after the termination date, the
depositary may sell the deposited securities which remain and
hold the net proceeds of such sales, without liability for
interest after deduction of such fees, charges and expenses,
taxes and governmental charges in accordance with the deposit
agreement and terms and conditions thereof, for the preferred
ADS holders who have not yet surrendered their preferred ADSs.
After selling the deposited securities, the depositary has no
obligations except to account for those proceeds and other cash.
Limitations
on Obligations and Liability to Preferred ADS holders
Limits
on the obligations of the company and the obligations of the
depositary; limits on liability to preferred ADS
holders
The deposit agreement expressly limits our and the
depositarys obligations and liability.
We and the depositary:
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are only obligated to take the actions specifically set forth in
the deposit agreement without negligence or bad faith;
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are not liable if either of us is prevented, forbidden or
delayed in performing any obligation by law (present or future)
or circumstances beyond our control from performing our
obligations under the agreement, including, without limitation,
requirements of law, regulation, governmental authority or stock
exchange or possible civil or criminal penalties or our charter,
the terms of the deposited securities, and acts of God;
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are not liable if either of us exercises or fails to exercise
the discretion permitted under the deposit agreement or any
action or inaction in reliance upon advice of or information
from legal counsel, accountants, depositors, holders or
beneficial owners;
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are not liable if you are unable to benefit from any
distributions, offerings, rights or other benefits otherwise
available pursuant to the deposit agreement;
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have no obligation to become involved in a lawsuit or other
proceeding related to any deposited securities or the preferred
ADSs or the deposit agreement on your behalf or on behalf of any
other party;
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may rely upon any documents we believe in good faith to be
genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper
party; and
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will not incur any liability for any special consequential,
indirect or punitive damages for any breach of the terms of the
deposit agreement.
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Indemnification
We have agreed to indemnify the depositary, the custodian and
any of their respective directors, officers, employees, agents
and affiliates against, and hold each of them harmless from, any
losses, liabilities, taxes, costs, claims, judgments,
proceedings, actions, demands and any charges or expenses of any
kind whatsoever (including, but not limited to, reasonable
attorneys fees and expenses and, in each case, irrevocable
value added tax and any similar tax charged or otherwise imposed
in respect thereof) which the depositary or any agent thereof
may incur or which may be made against it as a result of or in
connection with its appointment or the exercise of its powers
and duties under the deposit agreement or that may arise, among
other things, (a) out of or in connection with any offer,
issuance, sale, resale, transfer, deposit or withdrawal of ADRs,
preferred ADSs, the preferred shares, or other deposited
securities, as the case may be, (b) out of or in connection
with any offering documents in respect thereof or (c) out
of or in connection with acts performed or omitted, including,
but not limited to, any delivery by the depositary on our behalf
of information regarding our company in connection with the
deposit agreement, the ADRs, preferred ADSs, the preferred
shares, or any deposited securities (1) by the depositary,
the custodian or any of their respective directors, officers,
employees, agents and affiliates, except to the extent any such
losses directly arise out of the negligence or bad faith of any
of them, or (2) by our company or any of our directors,
officers, employees, agents and affiliates.
The depositary has agreed to indemnify us, and our directors,
employees, agents and affiliates against, and hold them harmless
from, any liability or expense (including, but not limited to,
the reasonable fees and expenses of counsel) which may arise out
of acts performed (or omitted) negligently or in bad faith by
the depositary under the terms of the deposit agreement.
Notwithstanding the above, in no event will we or the depositary
or any of our or the depositarys directors, officers,
employees, agents
and/or
affiliates be liable for any indirect, special, punitive or
consequential damages to the depositary, the company, you or any
other person, as the case may be.
Requirements
for Depositary Actions
Before the depositary will issue or register transfer of an ADR,
make a distribution on a preferred ADS or permit withdrawal of
preferred shares, the depositary may require:
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payment of stock transfer or other taxes or other governmental
charges and transfer or registration fees charged by third
parties for the transfer of any preferred shares or other
deposited securities;
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production of satisfactory proof of the identity and genuineness
of any signature or other information it deems
necessary; and
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compliance with regulations it may establish, from time to time,
consistent with the deposit agreement, including presentation of
transfer documents.
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The depositary also may suspend the issuance of preferred ADSs,
the deposit of preferred shares, the registration, transfer,
split-up or
combination of ADRs or the withdrawal of deposited securities,
unless the deposit agreement provides otherwise, if the register
for ADRs is closed or if we or the depositary decide any such
action is necessary or advisable.
Pursuant to the terms of the deposit agreement, the depositary
will not knowingly accept for deposit under the deposit
agreement (a) any preferred shares required to be
registered under the provisions of the United States Securities
Act of 1933, unless a registration statement is in effect as to
such preferred shares
and/or
(b) any preferred shares which, if accepted for deposit
under the deposit agreement, will make the total number of
preferred shares accepted for deposit under the deposit
agreement exceed the maximum number of preferred shares allowed
for circulation outside the Russian Federation under the notices
of the Russian Federal Service on the Financial Markets (the
FSFM)
No. 08-BH-03/13588
dated 27 June 2008,
17
No. 08-EK-03/23924
dated 1 November 2008 or other notices or permits of the
FSFM regarding maximum number of preferred shares allowed for
circulation outside the Russian Federation which from time to
time may be granted to us by the FSFM
and/or
(c) any preferred shares which, if accepted for deposit
under the deposit agreement, shall make the total number of
preferred shares accepted for deposit under the deposit
agreement exceed such number as may be communicated to the
depositary by us from time to time in writing.
The depositary will be entitled to close its books to the
issuance of preferred ADSs against new deposits of preferred
shares if: (i) in the absence of any necessary approval
from the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS)
or such other state authority as will at the relevant time carry
out functions in relation to the regulation of competition and
anti-monopoly policy in Russia or an exemption, exemptive
interpretation or waiver from FAS of a requirement to obtain
such an approval, at any time the depositary believes that the
preferred shares deposited with it against issuance of preferred
ADSs together with any other securities which will have been
deposited with the depositary against issuance of depositary
receipts, represent (or, upon accepting any additional preferred
shares for deposit, would represent) in the aggregate
twenty-four and ninety-nine hundredths of one percent (24.99%)
or more of our voting shares, or any such other percentage as
will at the relevant time require an approval from FAS; or
(ii) at any time the depositary believes that the preferred
shares deposited with it against issuance of preferred ADSs
together with any other securities of our company which will
have been deposited with the depositary against issuance of
depositary receipts, represent (or, upon accepting any
additional preferred shares for deposit, would represent) in the
aggregate twenty-nine and ninety-nine hundredths of one percent
(29.99%) of our voting shares or any such other percentage as
will at the relevant time require a shareholder of a Russian
open joint stock company to make a mandatory tender offer.
If at any time the depositary believes that the preferred shares
deposited with it against issuance of preferred ADSs, together
with any other securities of our company which will have been
deposited with the depositary against issuance of depositary
receipts, represent (or, upon accepting any additional preferred
shares for deposit, would represent) such percentage as exceeds
any threshold or limit established by any applicable law,
directive, regulation or permit, or satisfies any condition for
making any filing, application, notification or registration or
obtaining any approval, license or permit or taking any other
action required by any applicable law, directive or regulation,
including without limitation any of the conditions described in
the deposit agreement, the depositary may (1) upon written
notice to us, close its books to deposits of additional
preferred shares in order to prevent such thresholds or limits
being exceeded or conditions being satisfied, or (2) take
such steps as are, in its opinion, and upon consultation with
us, necessary or desirable to remedy the consequences of such
thresholds or limits being exceeded or conditions being
satisfied and to comply with any such law, directive or
regulation, including without limitation causing pro rata
cancellation of preferred ADSs and withdrawal of preferred
shares or other deposited securities to the extent necessary or
desirable to so comply.
In considering whether any applicable shareholding threshold has
been reached or exceeded or condition has been satisfied for
purposes of the foregoing, the depositary may, in addition to
preferred shares deposited with it against the issuance of
preferred ADSs and other securities deposited with it against
issuance of depositary receipts, take into consideration
preferred shares or our other securities (if any) held by itself
and its affiliates for its or their proprietary account(s) or as
to which it or they exercise voting or investment power.
The depositary will be entitled to provide to the FSFM or other
relevant Russian state authorities of competent jurisdiction, as
may be necessary or appropriate to satisfy the requirements of
Russian law, directly or through us, all such information or
documents (in the form of copies or originals) of any kind or
nature whatsoever concerning you, it being understood that the
depositary accepts no responsibility for or liability arising
out of or in connection with any inaccuracies or misstatements
in or misleading omissions from any information or documents
furnished to it directly or indirectly by or on behalf of you,
or in connection with any failure by us to timely provide to the
relevant Russian state authorities any such information as the
depositary submits indirectly through us.
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Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas will keep books for
the registration and transfer of ADRs at its offices. You may
reasonably inspect such books, except if you have a purpose
other than our business or a matter related to the deposit
agreement or the ADRs.
Pre-Release
of Preferred ADSs
In limited circumstances, subject to the provisions of the
deposit agreement, the depositary may issue preferred ADSs
before deposit of the underlying preferred shares. This is
called a pre-release of the preferred ADS. The depositary may
also deliver preferred shares upon cancellation of pre-released
preferred ADSs, even if the preferred ADSs are cancelled before
the pre-release transaction has been closed out. A pre-release
is closed out as soon as the underlying preferred shares are
delivered to the depositary. The depositary may receive
preferred ADSs instead of preferred shares to close out a
pre-release. Except as noted below, the depositary may
pre-release preferred ADSs only under the following conditions:
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before or at the time of the pre-release, the person to whom the
pre-release is being made must represent to the depositary in
writing that it or its customer owns the preferred shares or
preferred ADSs to be delivered in a pre-release transaction;
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the pre-release must be fully collateralized with cash or other
collateral that the depositary considers appropriate; and
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the depositary must be able to close out the pre-release on not
more than five business days notice.
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In addition, the depositary will limit the number of preferred
ADSs that may be outstanding at any time as a result of
pre-release, although the depositary may disregard the limit
from time to time, if it thinks it is appropriate to do so.
Disclosure
of Interests and Filings
By purchasing the preferred ADSs, you agree to comply with
our charter and the laws of Russia, the United States and any
other relevant jurisdiction regarding any disclosure
requirements regarding ownership of preferred shares, all as if
the preferred ADSs were, for this purpose, the preferred shares
they represent. Failure by you to provide in a timely fashion
the information requested by us may, in our sole discretion,
result in the withholding of certain rights in respect of your
preferred ADSs (including voting rights and certain rights as to
dividends in respect of the preferred shares represented by
preferred ADSs).
Applicable laws, regulations and stock exchange rules,
including those of the FSFM, the Central Bank of Russia, FAS,
other state authorities in the Russian Federation and the
Russian stock exchanges, may require you to satisfy reporting
requirements and obtain regulatory approvals in certain
circumstances. Holders and beneficial owners of preferred ADSs
are solely responsible for complying with such reporting
requirements and obtaining such approvals. Each holder and each
beneficial owner hereby agrees to file such reports and obtain
such approvals to the extent and in the form required by
applicable laws and regulations as in effect from time to time.
Neither we, or the depositary, the custodian, or any of their
respective agents or affiliates will be required to take any
actions whatsoever on behalf of holders or beneficial owners to
satisfy such reporting requirements or obtain such regulatory
approvals under applicable laws and regulations.
By holding preferred ADSs or interests therein, you agree to
notify us in writing at such time as you own or otherwise
control such number of preferred ADSs together with any other
securities that, taken together, equal or exceed five percent
(5%) (or subsequently increase or decrease your holding by five
percent (5%) increments) of our preferred shares. We reserve the
right to instruct you to deliver your preferred ADSs for
cancellation and withdrawal of the deposited preferred shares so
as to permit us to deal directly with you as a holder of
preferred shares and you agree to comply with such instructions.
At all times we agree to post on our website (www.mechel.com)
the number of outstanding preferred shares so as to enable you
to determine if you have met or exceeded the thresholds set
forth above.
The depositary will be entitled to provide to the FSFM or
other relevant Russian state authorities of competent
jurisdiction, as may be necessary or appropriate to satisfy the
requirements of Russian law, directly
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or through us, all such information or documents (in the form
of copies or originals) of any kind or nature whatsoever
concerning holders and beneficial owners, and the depositary
accepts no responsibility for or liability arising out of or in
connection with any inaccuracies or misstatements in or
misleading omissions from any information or documents furnished
to it directly or indirectly by or on behalf of the holders and
beneficial owners.
You agree and acknowledge that we may restrict transfers of
the preferred shares where such transfer might result in
ownership of preferred shares exceeding the limits applicable to
the preferred shares under applicable law or our charter.
The
Depositary
Who is
the depositary?
The depositary is Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas. The
depositary is a state chartered New York banking corporation and
a member of the United States Federal Reserve System, subject to
regulation and supervision principally by the United States
Federal Reserve Board and the New York State Banking Department.
The depositary was incorporated on 5 March 1903 in the
State of New York. The registered office of the depositary is
located at 60 Wall Street, New York, NY 10005 and the registered
number is BR1026. The principal executive office of the
depositary is located at 60 Wall Street, New York, New York
10005. The depositary operates under the laws and jurisdiction
of the State of New York.
Russian
Local Registrar
Who is
the registrar in the local jurisdiction?
We expect that the preferred shares will be registered on the
share register maintained by the local share registrar in the
name of Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, as
depositary, the custodian of the depositary or their nominees.
Pursuant to the deposit agreement, we have designated and
appointed NIKoil Registrar OAO in Russia, as the local share
registrar in respect of the preferred shares for so long as any
preferred ADSs remain outstanding or the deposit agreement
remains in force.
What
will we require the Russian share registrar to do for preferred
ADS holders?
We will, at any time and from time to time:
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take any and all actions necessary to assure the accuracy and
completeness of all information set forth in the share register
maintained by the Russian share registrar in respect of the
preferred shares or deposited securities;
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provide, or use our best efforts to cause the Russian share
registrar to provide, the depositary, the custodian or their
agents unrestricted access to the share register, as the
depositary may, in its reasonable discretion, deem appropriate,
to permit the depositary, the custodian or their agents to
confirm regularly, but not less than monthly, the number of
deposited securities registered in the name of the depositary,
the custodian or their nominees, as applicable, pursuant to the
terms of the deposit agreement;
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use our reasonable efforts to cause the Russian share registrar
to provide the depositary, the custodian or their agents, upon
request, with copies of extracts from the share register duly
certified by the Russian share registrar in a manner that the
depositary, in its reasonable discretion, deems sufficient;
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use our reasonable efforts to cause the Russian share registrar
to effect the re-registration of ownership of deposited
securities in the share register in connection with any deposit
or withdrawal of preferred shares or deposited securities under
the agreement promptly and, in any event, within three business
days in Russia from the time it is requested to do so by the
depositary or the custodian or any of their agents;
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permit, and use our reasonable efforts to cause the Russian
share registrar to permit, the depositary or the custodian to
register any preferred shares or other deposited securities held
hereunder in the name of the depositary, the custodian or their
nominees, which may, but need not be, a non-resident of
Russia; and
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use our reasonable efforts to cause the Russian share registrar
promptly to notify the depositary in writing at any time that
the Russian share registrar:
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eliminates the name of a shareholder of ours from the share
register or otherwise alters a shareholders interest in
our preferred shares where that shareholder alleges to us, the
Russian share registrar or publicly that such elimination or
alteration is unlawful;
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no longer will be able materially to comply with, or has engaged
in conduct that indicates it will not materially comply with,
the provisions of the deposit agreement relating to it;
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refuses to re-register our preferred shares in the name of a
particular purchaser and that purchaser or its respective seller
alleges that such refusal is unlawful;
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holds our preferred shares for its own account; or
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has materially breached the provisions of the deposit agreement
relating to it and has failed to cure such breach within a
reasonable time.
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We will be solely liable for any act or failure to act on the
part of the Russian share registrar (other than any act or
failure to act arising in connection with any act or failure to
act of the depositary or the custodian to act) and for the
unavailability of deposited securities or for the failure of the
depositary to make any distribution of cash or other
distributions with respect thereto as a result of:
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any act or failure to act by us or our agents, including the
Russian share registrar (other than any act or failure to act
arising in connection with any act or failure to act of the
depositary or the custodian to act);
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any provision of our charter or any other instrument of ours
governing the deposited securities; and
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any provision of any securities issued or distributed by us, or
any offering or distribution of those securities.
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What
Happens If There Is a Problem With the Russian Share
Registrars Records?
Pursuant to the deposit agreement, the depositary or the
custodian will confirm regularly, and not less than monthly, the
number of deposited securities registered in the name of the
depositary, the custodian or their nominees, as applicable. We
and the depositary have agreed in the deposit agreement that the
records of the depositary and the custodian will be controlling
for all purposes with respect to the number of preferred shares
or other deposited securities which should be registered in the
name of the depositary, the custodian or their nominees, as
applicable, pursuant to the terms of the deposit agreement.
The depositary has agreed in the deposit agreement that it will
instruct the custodian to maintain custody of all copies of
share extracts or other evidence of verification provided to the
depositary, the custodian or their agents pursuant to the
deposit agreement. In the event of any material discrepancy
between the records of the depositary or the custodian and the
share register, then, if an officer of the depositary has actual
knowledge of such discrepancy, the depositary will promptly
notify us. In the event of any discrepancy between the records
of the depositary or the custodian and the share register, we
have agreed that, whether or not we have received any
notification from the depositary, we will:
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use our reasonable efforts to cause the Russian share registrar
to reconcile its records to the records of the depositary or the
custodian and to make such corrections or revisions in the share
register as may be necessary in connection therewith; and
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to the extent we are unable to so reconcile those records, and
the number of preferred shares reflected in the records of the
Russian share registrar differs by more than one-half of one
percent from the
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number of preferred shares reflected in the records of the
depositary or the custodian, promptly instruct the depositary to
notify the preferred ADS holders of the existence of the
discrepancy.
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Upon receipt of instruction from us, the depositary will notify
the preferred ADS holders promptly pursuant to the deposit
agreement. The depositary may, however, at any time notify the
preferred ADS holders, whether or not it has received
instructions from us. The depositary will cease issuing
preferred ADSs pursuant to the deposit agreement until the
records have been appropriately reconciled in the opinion of the
depositary.
Governing
Law
The deposit agreement, the preferred ADSs and the ADRs are
governed by the laws of the State of New York. However, the
rights of holders of the preferred shares and other deposited
securities and our obligations and duties in respect of such
holders will be governed by the laws of Russia (or such other
jurisdictions laws as may govern the deposited securities).
Arbitration
Courts in the Russian Federation will not recognize or enforce
judgments of the federal courts of the United States or the
courts of the State of New York.
Any dispute, controversy or cause of action brought against us
under the deposit agreement will be settled by arbitration under
the Commercial Arbitration Rule of the American Arbitration
Association. If the dispute, controversy or cause of action
arises under the federal securities laws of the United States,
it may be, but does not have to be, submitted to arbitration at
the election of the party bringing the claim.
If the dispute, controversy or cause of action arising out of
the deposit agreement is not subject to arbitration, it will be
litigated in the federal or state courts in the Borough of
Manhattan. We have appointed CT Corporation System as an agent
for service of process in New York.
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TAXATION
IN THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
The following is a summary of certain Russian tax considerations
relevant to payments to Russian resident and non-resident
holders of the preferred shares and the preferred ADSs and to
the purchase, ownership and disposition of the preferred shares
and the preferred ADSs by Russian resident and non-resident
holders. This summary is based on the laws of Russia in effect
as of the date of this prospectus. The discussion with respect
to Russian legislation is based on our understanding of current
Russian law and tax rules, which are subject to frequent change
and varying interpretations.
This summary does not seek to address the applicability of, and
procedures in relation to, taxes levied by the regions,
municipalities or other non-federal level authorities of the
Russian Federation. Nor does the summary seek to address the
availability of double tax treaty relief, and it should be noted
that there might be practical difficulties involved in claiming
relief under an applicable double tax treaty. You should consult
your own professional advisors regarding the tax consequences of
investing in the preferred shares and preferred ADSs. No
representations with respect to the Russian tax consequences to
any particular holder are made hereby.
The Russian tax rules applicable to preferred ADSs are
characterized by uncertainties and by an absence of special
provisions with respect to transactions with preferred ADSs.
Both the substantive provisions of Russian tax law and the
interpretation and application of those provisions by the
Russian authorities may be subject to more rapid and
unpredictable change than in a jurisdiction with more developed
capital markets and more developed taxation systems. In
particular, the interpretation and application of such
provisions will in practice rest substantially with local tax
inspectors.
For the purposes of this summary, a Russian resident
holder means (1) an individual holder of the
preferred shares and preferred ADSs, actually present in the
Russian Federation for 183 days or more in
12 consecutive months or (2) an organization, in each
case organized under Russian law, or (3) an organization,
in each case organized under a foreign law, that holds and
disposes of the preferred shares and preferred ADSs through its
permanent establishment in Russia. Individual presence in Russia
is not considered interrupted if an individual departs for short
periods (less than six months) for the purpose of medical
treatment or education.
For the purposes of this summary, a non-resident
holder is a holder of the preferred shares or preferred
ADSs which is not qualified to be a Russian resident holder
defined in the previous paragraph.
Taxation
of Acquisition of the Preferred Shares and Preferred
ADSs
No Russian tax implications should arise for holders of the
preferred shares and preferred ADSs upon purchase of the
preferred shares and preferred ADSs. However, under the certain
conditions the taxable material gain may arise for individuals
if the preferred shares and preferred ADSs are purchased at the
price below the deemed market value.
Taxation
of Dividends
A Russian company that pays dividends is generally obliged to
act as a tax agent to withhold tax on the dividends and remit
the amount of tax due to the Russian Federation state budget.
However, the applicable withholding tax rate will depend on the
status of the dividends recipient.
Russian
resident holders
Preferred
shares
Dividends paid to a Russian resident holder of the preferred
shares that is a Russian organization or an individual will be
generally subject to Russian withholding tax at the rate of 9%.
Dividends received by Russian organizations are subject to
withholding tax at the rate of 0% providing the following
conditions have been met: (1) either the recipient
organization constantly owns for 365 calendar days or more at
least 50% of participation shares in the share capital of the
paying organization or share depositary receipts qualifying for
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dividends equal to at least 50% of the total amount of dividends
paid by the organization, and (2) the acquisition cost of
participation or depositary receipts is not less than
500 million rubles. However it is difficult to predict how
the Russian tax authorities may interpret the conditions above
listed. Therefore, there can be no assurance that the 0%
withholding tax rate will apply.
The effective rate of this tax may be lower than 9% owing to the
fact that generally we should calculate this tax by multiplying
the basic tax rate (9%) by the difference between (1) the
dividends to be distributed by us to our shareholders (other
than to non-resident companies and non-resident individuals) and
(2) dividends collected by us in the current and preceding
tax periods from other Russian persons (except for dividends
which are taxable at the rate of 0% under the current Russian
tax law).
According to clarifications issued by the Russian tax
authorities, it may be possible to claim that the reduced
withholding tax rate should apply to dividends paid to a Russian
permanent establishment of a foreign organization, based on
non-discrimination provisions of a double tax treaty between
Russia and the country of tax residency of the respective
foreign organization. However, as the Russian Tax Code does not
specifically provide for the application of the reduced tax rate
in such situations and application of treaty-based
non-discrimination cases is still rare in Russian tax practice,
no assurance can be given that the claims for application of the
reduced tax rate would not be challenged by the Russian tax
authorities, hence it is likely that 15% withholding tax rate
would be applied by us.
Preferred
ADSs
There are uncertainties in relation to withholding tax on
dividends payable to Russian resident holders of preferred ADSs
primarily because the taxation of dividends payable under
preferred ADSs is not specifically addressed in Russian tax law.
In the absence of any official interpretative guidance and as
the depositary (and not the holders of the preferred ADSs) is
the legal holder of preferred shares under Russian law, we will
likely withhold tax at a domestic rate of 15% applicable to
dividends payable to non-resident holders (as described below).
Upon receiving dividends Russian holders which are organizations
may be required to pay additional Russian profits tax at the
rate of 9% (the rate applied to dividends received from
non-residents) or 20% (if the income received will not be
recognized as dividends) while Russian holders who are
individuals personal income tax at the rate of 9% or
13% (the higher rate applies if the income received will not be
recognized as dividends for Russian tax purposes). There is also
no established procedure providing for the refund of tax
withheld from dividends payable through the depositary to
Russian resident holders of preferred ADSs. Accordingly, Russian
residents are urged to consult their own tax advisors regarding
the tax treatment of the purchase, ownership and disposition of
the preferred ADSs.
Non-resident
holders
Preferred
shares
Dividends paid to a non-resident holder of preferred shares will
generally be subject to Russian withholding tax, which we will
withhold. Under Russian domestic law dividends paid to a
non-resident holder, which is an organization or individual will
be subject to Russian withholding tax at a rate of 15%.
Withholding tax on dividends may be generally reduced under the
terms of a double tax treaty between the Russian Federation and
the country of tax treaty residence of a non-resident holder of
the preferred shares.
Preferred
ADSs
Comments provided in the previous section (see
Taxation of Dividends Non Resident
Holders Preferred Shares) are also applicable
to preferred ADSs. Notwithstanding the foregoing, treaty relief
for dividends received may not be available to non-resident
holders of preferred ADSs. The Ministry of Finance of the
Russian Federation repeatedly expressed an opinion in their
private responses that depositary receipt holders (rather than
the depositary) should be treated as the beneficial owners of
dividends for the purposes of the double tax treaty provisions
applicable to taxation of dividend income from the underlying
shares, provided that tax residencies of the depositary receipt
holders are duly confirmed. However, in the absence of any
specific provisions in Russian tax legislation with respect to
taxation of dividends attributable to preferred
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ADS holders it is unclear how the Russian tax authorities and
courts would ultimately treat the preferred ADS holders in this
regard. Moreover, from a practical perspective, it may not be
possible for the depositary to collect residence confirmations
from all preferred ADS holders and submit such information to us
and, in addition, we may be unaware of the exact amount of
income payable to each particular holder.
Although non-resident holders of preferred ADSs may apply for a
refund of a portion of the tax withheld under an applicable tax
treaty, the procedure to do so may be time-consuming and no
assurance can be given that the Russian tax authorities will
grant refund. See Tax Treaty Procedures
below.
The following should be noted with respect to individuals who
are non-resident holders of preferred ADSs. We will not be able
to act as a tax agent for these individuals and will not be able
to withhold personal income tax with respect to such dividend
payments. We may also be obligated to withhold income tax at the
rate of 15% from dividend payments made to the depositary. In
practice, it may be impossible to apply a beneficial withholding
tax rate in advance with respect to payments made in favor of
individuals, as documentation is to be first provided to the tax
authorities to obtain their approval for the double tax treaty
relief. Individuals who are non-resident holders of preferred
ADSs will then be obliged to submit a personal tax return to the
Russian tax authorities. When submitting the tax return,
individuals may claim an application of the reduced rates of
withholding tax established by the respective international
double tax treaties, provided that the procedures described in
Tax Treaty Procedures are complied with.
Obtaining the respective approvals from the tax authorities may
be time-consuming and burdensome. In practice, the tax
authorities may not take into account the 15% tax withheld from
payment of dividends to the depositary, as the tax authorities
are unlikely to treat the 15% withholding tax as a tax liability
of individual holders. Therefore, it is possible that
non-resident holders may be subject to up to a 45% effective tax
on dividends accrued on shares held on deposit, i.e. 15% income
tax withheld by us plus 30% Russian personal income tax payable
on the self-assessed basis.
Dividends taxation rate may be reduced to 5% or to 10% under the
United States-Russia income tax treaty for
U.S. Non-Resident holders; a 10% rate applies to dividends
paid to U.S. holders owning less than 10% of the
entitys outstanding shares and 5% for U.S. holders,
which is a legal entity, owning 10% or more of the entitys
outstanding shares. Under current regulations, authorization
from the Russian tax authorities is not required to allow us to
withhold at reduced rates under applicable double tax treaties
provided that all other requirements are met. See
Tax Treaty Procedures.
If U.S. Non-Resident holder does not provide to us
appropriate evidence of a U.S. residency before the
dividend payment date, we are required to withhold tax at the
full rate. In this case, U.S. holders qualifying for a
reduced rate under the United States-Russia income tax treaty
may claim refund from Russian tax authorities within three
years. There is significant uncertainty regarding the
availability and timing of such refunds.
Taxation
of Capital Gains
The following sections summarize the taxation of capital gains
in respect of the disposition of the preferred shares and
preferred ADSs.
Russian
resident holders
As the Russian legislation related to taxation of capital gains
derived by Russian resident holders (including organizations and
individuals) in connection with preferred ADSs is not entirely
clear, we urge Russian residents to consult their own tax
advisors regarding the tax treatment of the purchase, ownership
and disposition of preferred ADSs.
Organizations
Capital gains arising from the sale of the preferred shares and
preferred ADSs by a Russian resident holder that is an
organization will be taxable at the regular Russian corporate
income tax rate of 20%. Russian tax legislation contains a
requirement that a profit arising from activities connected with
securities quoted on a
25
stock exchange must be calculated and accounted for separately
from a profit from activities connected with securities that are
not quoted on a stock exchange and from other profits.
Therefore, Russian resident holders may be able to apply losses
arising in respect of the listed preferred shares and the
preferred ADSs to offset capital gains, or as a carry-forward
amount to offset future capital gains, from the sale, exchange
or other disposition of securities quoted on a stock exchange
and, in respect of the non-listed preferred ADSs, from the sale,
exchange or other disposition of securities not quoted on a
stock exchange. Special tax rules apply to Russian organizations
that hold a broker and/ or dealer license.
The Russian Tax Code also establishes special rules for
calculation of the tax base for the purposes of transactions
with securities.
Individuals
Capital gains arising from the sale, exchange or other
disposition of the preferred shares and preferred ADSs by
individuals who are Russian resident holders must be declared on
the holders tax return and are subject to personal income
tax at a rate of 13%.
The income in respect of sale of the preferred shares or the
preferred ADSs by an individual is calculated as sale proceeds
less documented expenses related to purchase of these securities
(including cost of securities and expenses associated with
purchase, safe-keeping and sale of these securities).
Under Russian law, the acquisition value can be deducted at the
source of payment if the sale was made by a holder through a
professional trustee, dealer or broker that is a Russian
organization or a foreign company with a permanent establishment
in Russia. This professional trustee, dealer or broker should
also act as a tax agent and withhold the applicable tax. Such a
tax agent will be required to report to the Russian tax
authorities the amount of income realized by the individual and
tax withheld upon the sale of the preferred shares and preferred
ADSs not later than on April 1 of the year following the
reporting year.
Non-resident
holders
Organizations
Capital gains arising from the sale, exchange or other
disposition of the preferred shares and preferred ADSs by
organizations that are non-resident holders should not be
subject to tax in Russia if immovable property located in Russia
constitutes 50% or less of our assets. If more than 50% of our
assets were to consist of immovable property located in Russia,
organizations that are non-resident holders of the preferred
shares and preferred ADSs should be subject (except as described
below) to a 20% withholding tax on the gross proceeds from sale,
exchange or other disposition of the preferred shares and
preferred ADSs or 20% withholding tax on the difference between
the sales, exchange or other disposition price and the
acquisition costs of the preferred shares and preferred ADSs.
However, it should be noted that the determination of whether
more than 50% of our assets consist of immovable property
located in Russia is inherently factual and is made on an
on-going basis, and the relevant Russian legislation and
regulations in this respect are not entirely clear. Hence, there
can be no assurance that immovable property owned by us and
located in Russia will not constitute more than 50% of the
Companys assets as at the date of the sale of preferred
shares and preferred ADSs by non-residents. Certain
international double tax treaties may provide for protection
from the Russian taxation in the case in question.
Where the preferred shares and preferred ADSs are sold by
organizations to persons other than a Russian company or a
foreign company with a registered permanent establishment in
Russia, even if the resulting capital gain is considered taxable
in Russia, there is currently no mechanism under which the
purchaser will be able to withhold the tax and remit it to the
Russian budget.
Individuals
The taxation of the income of non-resident individuals depends
on whether this income is received from Russian or non-Russian
sources. Russian tax law considers the place of sale as an
indicator of source.
26
Accordingly, the sale of the preferred shares and preferred ADSs
outside of Russia by individuals who are non-resident holders
should not be considered Russian source income and, therefore,
should not be taxable in Russia. However the Russian tax law
gives no clear indication as to how the place of sale of the
preferred shares and preferred ADSs should be defined in this
respect. Therefore, the Russian tax authorities may have a
certain amount of flexibility in concluding whether a
transaction is in Russia or out of Russia.
The sale, exchange or other disposal of the preferred shares and
the preferred ADSs by non-resident holders in Russia will be
considered Russian source income and will be subject to tax at
the rate of 30% on the difference between the sales price and
the acquisition value of such preferred shares and preferred
ADSs as well as other documented expenses, such as depositary
expenses and broker fees, among others. Under Russian law, the
acquisition value can only be deducted at the source of payment
if the sale was made by a non-resident holder through a
professional trust manager, dealer or broker that is a Russian
organization or a foreign company with a permanent establishment
in Russia. Such professional trust manager, dealer or broker
should also act as a tax agent and withhold the applicable tax.
Such a tax agent will be required to report to the Russian tax
authorities the amount of income realized by the non-resident
individual and tax withheld upon the sale of the preferred
shares and preferred ADSs not later than on April 1 of the year
following the reporting year.
Otherwise, if the sale is made to other organizations and
individuals, generally no withholding needs to be made and the
non-resident holder will have an obligation to file a tax
return, report his income realized and apply for a deduction of
acquisition expenses (which includes filing of support
documentation).
Although Russian tax law imposes this responsibility only on
professional trust manager, brokers or dealers, in practice, the
tax authorities may require Russian organizations or foreign
companies with a permanent establishment in Russia that are not
professional trust manager, dealers or brokers to act as tax
agents and withhold the applicable tax when purchasing
securities from non-resident individuals.
Regardless of the residence of the purchaser, a U.S. holder
which is a legal entity should not be subject to any Russian
income or withholding taxes in connection with the sale,
exchange or other disposition of preferred ADSs if immovable
property constitutes 50% or less of our assets or if preferred
ADSs are sold via foreign exchanges where they are legally
circulated.
In some circumstances, a non-resident holder may be exempt from
Russian personal income tax on the sale, exchange or other
disposition of the preferred shares and preferred ADSs under the
terms of a double tax treaty between the Russian Federation and
the country of residence of the non-resident holder. Under the
United States-Russia income tax treaty, capital gains from the
sale of the preferred shares
and/or
preferred ADSs by U.S. holders should be relieved from taxation
in Russia, unless 50% or more of our assets (as the term
fixed assets is used in the Russian version of the
United States-Russia Tax Treaty) were to consist of immovable
property located in Russia. If this 50% threshold is not met,
individuals who are U.S. holders may seek to obtain the benefit
of the United States-Russia Tax Treaty in relation to capital
gains resulting from the sale, exchange or other disposition of
the preferred shares
and/or
preferred ADSs. Regardless of the residence of the purchaser, a
U.S. holder which is a legal entity should not be subject
to any Russian income or withholding taxes in connection with
the sale, exchange or other disposition of preferred ADSs if
immovable property constitutes 50% or less of our assets or if
preferred ADSs are sold via foreign exchanges where they are
legally circulated.
In order to apply the provisions of relevant double tax
treaties, the individual holders should receive clearance from
the Russian tax authorities as described below. See
Tax Treaty Procedures below.
Tax
Treaty Procedures
The Russian Tax Code does not contain a requirement that a
non-resident holder that is an organization must obtain tax
treaty clearance from the Russian tax authorities prior to
receiving any income in order to qualify for benefits under an
applicable tax treaty. However, a non-resident organization
seeking to obtain relief from Russian withholding tax under a
tax treaty must provide to a tax agent (i.e. the entity paying
27
income to a non-resident) a confirmation of its tax treaty
residence that complies with the applicable requirements in
advance of receiving the relevant income.
In accordance with the Russian Tax Code, a non-resident holder
who is an individual must present to the tax authorities a
document confirming his residency in the home country and also
other supporting documentation including a statement confirming
the income received and the tax paid offshore, confirmed by the
foreign tax authorities. Technically, such a requirement means
that an individual cannot rely on the tax treaty until he or she
pays the tax in the jurisdiction of his or her residence.
Therefore advance relief from withholding taxes for individuals
will generally be impossible as it is very unlikely that the
supporting documentation for the treaty relief can be provided
to the tax authorities and approval from the latter obtained
before the year end a non-resident holder which is an individual
may apply for treaty-based benefits within one year following
the end of the tax period in which the relevant income was
received.
If a non-resident holder that is an organization does not obtain
double tax treaty relief at the time that income or gains are
realized and tax is withheld by a Russian tax agent, the
non-resident holder may apply for a refund within three years
from the end of the tax period (a calendar year) in which the
tax was withheld. To process a claim for a refund, the Russian
tax authorities require (i) a confirmation of the tax
treaty residence of the non-resident at the time the income was
paid, (ii) an application for the refund of the tax
withheld in a format provided by the Russian tax authorities and
(iii) copies of the relevant contracts under which the
foreign entity received income as well as payment documents
confirming the payment of the tax withheld to the Russian budget
(Form 1012DT for dividends and interest and
Form 1011DT for other income are designed by the Russian
tax authorities to combine requirements (i) and
(ii) specified above and recommended for application). The
Russian tax authorities may require a Russian translation of the
above documents if they are prepared in foreign language. The
refund of the tax withheld should be granted within one month of
the filing of the above set of documents with the Russian tax
authorities. However, procedures for processing such claims have
not been clearly established and there is significant
uncertainty regarding the availability and timing of such
refunds.
The procedures referred to above may be more complicated with
respect to preferred ADSs, because Russian tax law does not
specifically address taxation and tax treaty procedures for
dividends payable under preferred ADSs. Thus, no assurance can
be given that we will be able to apply the respective double tax
treaties when paying dividends to non-resident holders.
A resident of the United States who is fully eligible for
benefits under the United States-Russia income tax treaty is
referred to in this Taxation in the Russian
Federation section as a U.S. holder.
Subject to certain provisions of the United States-Russia income
tax treaty relating to limitations on benefits, a person
generally will be a resident of the United States for treaty
purposes and entitled to treaty benefits if such person is:
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liable, under the laws of the United States, for
U.S. federal income tax (other than taxes in respect only
of income from sources in the United States or capital situated
therein) by reason of the holders domicile, residence,
citizenship, place of incorporation, or any other similar
criterion (and, for income derived by a partnership, trust or
estate, residence is determined in accordance with the residence
of the person liable to tax with respect to such
income); and
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not also a resident of the Russian Federation for purposes of
the United States-Russia income tax treaty.
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The benefits under the United States-Russia income tax treaty
discussed in this prospectus generally are not available to
United States persons who hold preferred shares or preferred
ADSs in connection with the conduct of a business in the Russian
Federation through a permanent establishment as defined in the
United States-Russia
income tax treaty. Subject to certain exceptions, a United
States persons permanent establishment under the United
States-Russia income tax treaty is a fixed place of business
through which such person carries on business activities in the
Russian Federation (generally including, but not limited to, a
place of management, a branch, an office and a factory). Under
certain circumstances, a United States person may be deemed to
have a permanent establishment in the Russian Federation as a
result of activities carried
28
on in the Russian Federation through agents of the United States
person. This summary does not address the treatment of those
holders.
United
States-Russia income tax treaty procedures
Under current rules, to claim the benefit of a reduced rate of
withholding under the United States-Russia income tax treaty, a
non-resident generally must provide official certification from
the U.S. tax authorities of eligibility for the treaty
benefits in the manner required by Russian law.
A U.S. holder may obtain the appropriate certification by
mailing completed forms, together with the holders name,
taxpayer identification number, the tax period for which
certification is required, and other applicable information, to
the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (the
IRS). The procedures for obtaining
certification are described in greater detail in the
instructions to IRS Form 8802. As obtaining the required
certification from the IRS may take at least six to eight weeks,
U.S. holders should apply for such certification as soon as
possible.
If tax is withheld by a Russian resident on dividends or other
amounts at a rate different from that provided in the tax
treaty, a U.S. holder may apply for a tax refund by filing
a package of documents with the Russian local tax inspectorate
to which the withholding tax was remitted within three years
from the withholding date for U.S. holders which are legal
entities, and within one year from the withholding date for
individual U.S. holders. The package should include
confirmations of residence of the foreign holder (IRS
Form 6166), a copy of the agreement or other documents
substantiating the payment of income, documents confirming the
beneficial ownership of the dividends recipient and the transfer
of tax to the budget. Under the provisions of the Tax Code the
refund of the tax should be effected within one month after the
submission of the documents. However, procedures for processing
such claims have not been clearly established, and there is
significant uncertainty regarding the availability and timing of
such refunds.
Neither the depositary nor we will have any obligation to assist
a U.S. holder of preferred shares or preferred ADSs with the
completion and filing of any tax forms.
Stamp
Duties
No Russian stamp duty will be payable by the holders of
preferred shares and preferred ADSs upon carrying out of
transactions with the preferred shares and preferred ADSs as
discussed in the Taxation section of this prospectus (i.e. on a
purchase of the preferred shares and preferred ADSs, sale of the
preferred shares and preferred ADSs, etc.).
29
TAXATION
IN THE UNITED STATES
U.S.
Federal Income Tax Considerations
The following is a summary of material U.S. federal income
tax consequences of the purchase, ownership and disposition of
preferred shares or preferred ADSs by a
U.S. Holder. Solely for purposes of the
U.S. Federal Income Tax
Considerations section, a U.S. Holder is a beneficial
owner of preferred ADSs or preferred shares that is, for
U.S. federal income tax purposes, (1) an individual
who is a citizen or resident of the United States, (2) a
corporation created or organized in or under the laws of the
United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia,
(3) an estate the income of which is subject to
U.S. federal income tax regardless of its source, or
(4) a trust, if a U.S. court can exercise primary
supervision over the administration of the trust and one or more
United States persons can control all substantial trust
decisions, or if the trust has a valid election in place to be
treated as a United States person.
If a partnership (including any entity treated as a partnership
for U.S. federal income tax purposes) is a beneficial owner
of preferred ADSs or preferred shares, the U.S. federal
income tax treatment of a partner in the partnership will
generally depend on the status of the partner and the activities
of the partnership. A partner of a partnership holding preferred
shares or preferred ADSs should consult its tax adviser
regarding the associated tax consequences.
This summary does not discuss all aspects of U.S. federal
income taxation that may be relevant to investors in light of
their particular circumstances, such as investors subject to
special tax rules (including, without limitation:
(i) financial institutions; (ii) insurance companies;
(iii) dealers in stocks, securities, or currencies or
notional principal contracts; (iv) regulated investment
companies; (v) real estate investment trusts;
(vi) tax-exempt organizations; (vii) partnerships,
pass-through entities, or persons that hold preferred shares or
preferred ADSs through pass-through entities;
(viii) holders that are not U.S. Holders;
(ix) holders that own (directly, indirectly or
constructively) 10% or more of the voting stock of the Issuer;
(x) investors that hold preferred shares or preferred ADSs
as part of a straddle, hedge, conversion, constructive sale or
other integrated transaction for U.S. federal income tax
purposes; (xi) investors that have a functional currency
other than the U.S. dollar and
(xii) U.S. expatriates and former long-term residents
of the United States), all of whom may be subject to tax rules
that differ significantly from those summarised below. This
summary does not address tax consequences applicable to holders
of equity interests in a holder of the preferred shares or
preferred ADSs, U.S. federal estate, gift or alternative
minimum tax considerations, or
non-U.S.,
state or local tax considerations. This summary only addresses
investors that will acquire preferred shares or preferred ADSs
in the offering, and it assumes that investors will hold their
preferred shares or preferred ADSs as capital assets for
U.S. federal income tax purposes (generally, property held
for investment).
U.S. Holders of preferred ADSs should be treated for
U.S. federal income tax purposes as owners of the
underlying preferred shares represented by those preferred ADSs.
Accordingly, except as noted, the U.S. federal income tax
consequences discussed below should apply equally to
U.S. Holders of preferred ADSs and preferred shares.
This summary is based upon current U.S. federal income tax
law, including the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the
Code), its legislative history, existing, temporary
and proposed regulations thereunder, published rulings and court
decisions, all of which are subject to differing interpretations
or change (possibly with retroactive effect), and the United
States-Russia income tax treaty.
The discussion below assumes that the representations contained
in the deposit agreement are true and that the obligations in
the deposit agreement and any related agreement have been and
will be complied with in accordance with the terms.
Investors should consult their tax advisers as to the
consequences under U.S. federal, estate, gift, state, local
and applicable
non-U.S. tax
laws of the purchase, ownership and disposition of preferred
shares and preferred ADSs.
30
Taxation
of dividends on Preferred Shares or Preferred ADSs
For U.S. federal income tax purposes, the gross amount of a
distribution, including any Russian withholding taxes, with
respect to preferred shares or preferred ADSs will be treated as
a taxable dividend to the extent of our current and accumulated
earnings and profits, computed in accordance with
U.S. federal income tax principles. For taxable years
beginning before January 1, 2011, certain dividends
received by non-corporate U.S. Holders should be taxed at
the lower applicable capital gains rate. This lower capital
gains rate is only applicable to dividends paid by
qualified foreign corporations (which term excludes
PFICs, as defined below) and only with respect to preferred
shares or preferred ADSs held for a minimum holding period
(generally, 61 days during the
121-day
period beginning 60 days before the ex-dividend date). We
will be a qualified foreign corporation if we are eligible for
the benefits of the United States-Russia income tax treaty.
Non-corporate U.S. Holders are strongly urged to consult
their tax advisers as to the applicability of the lower capital
gains rate to dividends received with respect to preferred ADSs
or preferred shares. Distributions in excess of our current and
accumulated earnings and profits will be applied against and
will reduce a U.S. Holders tax basis in preferred
shares or preferred ADSs and, to the extent in excess of such
tax basis, will be treated as gain from a sale or exchange of
such preferred shares or preferred ADSs. We do not intend to
calculate our earnings and profits for U.S. federal income
tax purposes and, unless we make such calculations,
U.S. Holders should expect that any distributions with
respect to preferred shares or preferred ADSs generally will be
reported to them as a dividend, even if that distribution would
otherwise be treated as a return of capital or as a capital gain
pursuant to the rules described above. Such dividends will not
be eligible for the dividends received deduction allowed to
corporations.
If a dividend distribution is paid in rubles, the amount
includible in income will be the U.S. dollar value of the
dividend, calculated using the exchange rate in effect on the
date the dividend is includible in income by the
U.S. Holder, regardless of whether the payment is actually
converted into U.S. dollars. Any gain or loss resulting
from currency exchange rate fluctuations during the period from
the date the dividend is includible in the income of the
U.S. Holder to the date the rubles are converted into
U.S. dollars will be treated as ordinary income or loss.
U.S. Holders should be required to recognize foreign
currency gain or loss on the receipt of a refund of Russian
withholding tax pursuant to the United States-Russia income tax
treaty to the extent the U.S. dollar value of the refund
differs from the U.S. dollar equivalent of that amount on
the date of receipt of the underlying dividend.
Russian withholding tax under the United States-Russia income
tax treaty should be treated as a foreign income tax that,
subject to generally applicable limitations and conditions, is
eligible for a U.S. foreign tax credit against the
U.S. federal income tax liability of the U.S. Holder
or, at the election of the U.S. Holder, may be deducted in
computing taxable income. If, however, the holder of a preferred
ADS is not treated as the owner of the underlying preferred
shares represented by the preferred ADS for U.S. federal
income tax purposes, then Russian withholding tax would not be
treated as a foreign income tax eligible for a U.S. foreign
tax credit as described in the preceding sentence. If Russian
tax is withheld at a rate in excess of the applicable rate under
the United States-Russia income tax treaty, a U.S. foreign
tax credit for the excess amount may not be allowed to be
claimed, even though the procedures for claiming refunds and the
practical likelihood that refunds will be made available in a
timely fashion are uncertain.
For U.S. foreign tax credit purposes, a dividend
distribution will be treated as foreign source income and will
generally be classified as passive category income
but could, in the case of certain U.S. Holders, constitute
general category income. The rules relating to the
determination of the U.S. foreign tax credit, or deduction
in lieu of the U.S. foreign tax credit, are complex and
U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisers with respect
to those rules.
Taxation
on Sale or Other Disposition of Preferred Shares or Preferred
ADSs
The sale or other disposition of preferred shares or preferred
ADSs will generally result in the recognition of gain or loss in
an amount equal to the difference between the amount realized on
the sale or other disposition and the adjusted basis in such
preferred shares or preferred ADSs. Such gain or loss generally
will be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the
preferred shares or preferred ADSs have been held for more than
one year.
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Capital gains of individuals derived from capital assets held
for more than one year are currently eligible for reduced rates
of taxation. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to
significant limitations.
Deposits and withdrawals of preferred shares by
U.S. Holders in exchange for preferred ADSs should not
result in the realization of gain or loss for U.S. federal
income tax purposes.
Gain or loss realized on the sale or other disposition of
preferred shares or preferred ADSs will generally be treated as
U.S. source income and therefore the use of
U.S. foreign tax credits relating to any Russian taxes
imposed upon such sale may be limited. U.S. Holders are
strongly urged to consult their tax advisers as to the
availability of tax credits for any Russian taxes withheld on
the sale or other disposition of preferred shares or preferred
ADSs.
If a U.S. Holder receives any foreign currency on the sale
or other disposition of preferred shares or preferred ADSs, such
U.S. Holder generally will realize an amount equal to the
U.S. dollar value of such foreign currency on the
settlement date of such sale or other disposition if
(1) such U.S. Holder is a cash basis or electing
accrual basis taxpayer and the preferred shares or preferred
ADSs are treated as being traded on an established
securities market or (2) such settlement date is also
the date of such sale or other disposition. If the foreign
currency so received is converted to U.S. dollars on the
settlement date, such U.S. Holder should not recognize
foreign currency gain or loss on such conversion. If the foreign
currency so received is not converted into U.S. dollars on
the settlement date, such U.S. Holder will have a basis in
such foreign currency equal to its U.S. dollar value on the
settlement date. Any gain or loss on a subsequent conversion or
other disposition of such foreign currency generally will be
treated as ordinary income or loss to such U.S. Holder and
generally will be income or loss from sources within the United
States for U.S. foreign tax credit purposes. Each
U.S. Holder should consult its tax adviser regarding the
U.S. federal income tax consequences of receiving foreign
currency from the sale or other disposition of preferred shares
or preferred ADSs.
Passive
Foreign Investment Company Status
A
non-U.S. company
is a passive foreign investment company
(PFIC) in any taxable year in which, after
taking into account the income and assets of certain
subsidiaries, either (1) at least 75% of its gross income
is passive income or (2) at least 50% of the average value
of its assets (based on an average of the quarterly values of
the assets) is attributable to assets that produce or are held
to produce passive income. We believe, and the foregoing
discussion assumes, that for U.S. federal income tax
purposes, we were not a PFIC for the taxable year ending in
2009, we will not be a PFIC for the current taxable year and we
will not become a PFIC in the future. However, the PFIC
determination is made annually and may involve facts that are
not within our control. If we were a PFIC, materially adverse
U.S. federal income tax consequences could result for
U.S. Holders. Investors should consult their tax advisers
as to the consequences of an investment in a PFIC.
Information
Reporting and Backup Withholding
Non-corporate U.S. Holders may be subject to the
information reporting requirements of the Code, as well as to
backup withholding on the payment of dividends on, and the
proceeds received from the disposition of, preferred shares or
preferred ADSs. Backup withholding may apply if a
U.S. Holder (1) fails to furnish its taxpayer
identification number (TIN), which, in the
case of an individual, is his or her social security number;
(2) fails to provide certification of exempt status;
(3) is notified by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (the
IRS) that he has failed properly to report payments
of interest and dividends; (4) under certain circumstances,
fails to certify, under penalties of perjury, that he has
furnished a correct TIN or we have been notified by the IRS that
such U.S. Holder is subject to backup withholding for
failure to furnish a correct TIN; or (5) otherwise fails to
comply with the applicable requirements of the backup
withholding rules. U.S. Holders should consult their tax
advisers regarding their qualification for exemption from backup
withholding and the procedure for obtaining such an exemption,
if applicable.
Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Amounts withheld as
backup withholding may be credited against a
U.S. Holders federal income tax liability, and a
U.S. Holder may obtain a refund of any excess amounts
withheld under the backup withholding rules by timely filing the
appropriate claim for refund with the IRS and furnishing all
required information.
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PLAN OF
DISTRIBUTION
This prospectus relates to preferred shares that may be offered
for sale from time to time by our wholly-owned subsidiary
Skyblock Limited or by the other Selling Shareholders. The
preferred shares may be offered in the form of preferred shares
and in the form of preferred ADSs. We, through Skyblock Limited,
or the other Selling Shareholders may sell the preferred shares
offered by this prospectus in and outside the United States
in one or more of the following ways:
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through underwriters;
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through dealers;
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through agents; or
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directly to purchasers.
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The distribution of the preferred shares or preferred ADSs may
be carried out from time to time in one or more transactions at
a fixed price or prices, which may be changed, at market prices
prevailing at the time of sale, at prices related to such
prevailing market prices or at negotiated prices. Underwriters,
dealers and agents may be customers of, engage in transactions
with or perform services for us in the ordinary course of
business.
The prospectus supplement relating to any offering will include
the following information:
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the terms of the offering;
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the names of any underwriters, dealers or agents;
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the purchase price of, or consideration payable for, the
preferred shares or preferred ADSs;
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the net proceeds to us or the other Selling Shareholders, as
applicable, from the sale of the preferred shares or preferred
ADSs;
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any delayed delivery arrangements;
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|
|
any underwriting discounts or other underwriters
compensation;
|
|
|
|
any discounts or concessions allowed or re-allowed or paid to
dealers; and
|
|
|
|
any other information we think is important.
|
Sales
Through Underwriters or Dealers
If we or the Selling Shareholders use underwriters in an
offering using this prospectus, we and the Selling Shareholders,
if applicable, will execute an underwriting agreement with one
or more underwriters. The underwriting agreement will provide
that the obligations of the underwriters with respect to a sale
of the offered preferred shares or preferred ADSs are subject to
specified conditions precedent and that the underwriters will be
obligated to purchase all of the offered preferred shares or
preferred ADSs if they purchase any. Underwriters may sell those
preferred shares or preferred ADSs through dealers. The
underwriters may change the initial offering price and any
discounts or concessions allowed or re-allowed or paid to
dealers. If we or the Selling Shareholders use underwriters in
an offering of preferred shares or preferred ADSs using this
prospectus, the related prospectus supplement will contain a
statement regarding the intention, if any, of the underwriters
to make a market in the preferred shares or preferred ADSs.
We may grant to the underwriters an option to purchase
additional preferred shares or preferred ADSs, to cover
over-allotments, if any, at the public offering price (with
additional underwriting discounts or commissions), as may be set
forth in the related prospectus supplement or, if applicable,
the pricing supplement. If we grant any over-allotment option,
the terms of the over-allotment option will be set forth in the
prospectus supplement relating to such offered preferred shares
or preferred ADSs.
If we use a dealer in an offering of preferred shares or
preferred ADSs using this prospectus, we will sell the offered
preferred shares or preferred ADSs to the dealer as principal.
The dealer may then resell those
33
preferred shares or preferred ADSs to the public or other
dealers at a fixed price or varying prices to be determined at
the time of resale.
Direct
Sales and Sales through Agents
We may also use this prospectus to directly solicit offers to
purchase preferred shares or preferred ADSs. In this case, no
underwriters or agents would be involved. Except as set forth in
the related prospectus supplement, none of our directors,
officers or employees will solicit or receive a commission in
connection with those direct sales. Those persons may respond to
inquiries by potential purchasers and perform ministerial and
clerical work in connection with direct sales.
We may also sell the offered preferred shares or preferred ADSs
through agents we designate from time to time. In the prospectus
supplement, we will describe any commission payable by us to the
agent. Unless we inform you otherwise in the prospectus
supplement, any agent will agree to use its reasonable best
efforts to solicit purchases for the period of its appointment.
Delayed
Delivery Contracts
We may authorize underwriters and agents to solicit offers by
certain institutions to purchase preferred shares or preferred
ADSs pursuant to delayed delivery contracts providing for
payment and delivery on a future date specified in the
prospectus supplement. Institutions with which delayed delivery
contracts may be made include commercial and savings banks,
insurance companies, educational and charitable institutions and
other institutions we may approve. The obligations of any
purchaser under any delayed delivery contract will not be
subject to any conditions except that any related sale of
offered preferred shares or preferred ADSs to underwriters shall
have occurred and the purchase by an institution of the
preferred shares or preferred ADSs covered by its delayed
delivery contract shall not at the time of delivery be
prohibited under the laws of any jurisdiction in the United
States to which that institution is subject. Any commission paid
to agents and underwriters soliciting purchases of preferred
shares or preferred ADSs pursuant to delayed delivery contracts
accepted by us will be detailed in the prospectus supplement.
Indemnification
Underwriters, dealers or agents participating in a distribution
of preferred shares or preferred ADSs using this prospectus may
be deemed to be underwriters under the Securities Act. Pursuant
to agreements that we and the Selling Shareholders, if
applicable, may enter into, underwriters, dealers or agents who
participate in the distribution of preferred shares or preferred
ADSs by use of this prospectus may be entitled to
indemnification by us
and/or the
Selling Shareholders against certain liabilities, including
liabilities under the Securities Act, or contribution with
respect to payments that those underwriters, dealers or agents
may be required to make in respect of those liabilities.
LEGAL
MATTERS
Certain matters of U.S. law relating to the securities offered
through this prospectus will be passed upon for us by
Allen & Overy Legal Services, Moscow, Russian
Federation. Certain matters of Russian law relating to the
securities offered through this prospectus will be passed upon
for us by Liniya Prava, Moscow, Russian Federation.
EXPERTS
Ernst & Young LLC, independent registered public
accounting firm, have audited our consolidated financial
statements included in our Annual Report on
Form 20-F
for the year ended December 31, 2009, as set forth in their
report, which is incorporated by reference in this prospectus
and elsewhere in the registration statement. Our financial
statements are incorporated by reference in reliance on
Ernst & Young LLCs report, given on their
authority as experts in accounting and auditing.
34
PART II
INFORMATION
NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS
|
|
Item 8.
|
Indemnification
of Directors and Officers
|
Russian law does not contain the concept of indemnification of
directors or officers of a company from liabilities arising from
their actions as directors or officers. Moreover, Russian law
does not expressly allow for insurance against the risk of these
liabilities. Neither the Registrants charter, nor any of
its bylaws, require the Registrant to indemnify or provide
insurance to its directors or officers for liabilities which
they may incur in connection with their actions in such
capacity. Pursuant to its agreements with its directors and
officers, the Registrant procures and maintains directors and
officers insurance for its directors and executive officers.
Any underwriter of securities registered under this registration
statement will agree, severally, to indemnify the directors and
officers of the Registrant who sign this Registration Statement
from and against certain civil liabilities, including
liabilities under the Securities Act or to contribute with
respect to payments which such persons may be required to make
in respect thereof, based on information supplied by such
underwriter for use herein and in any prospectus supplement.
|
|
|
|
|
Exhibit
|
|
|
Number
|
|
Description
|
|
|
1
|
.1
|
|
Form of Underwriting
Agreement(1)
|
|
4
|
.1
|
|
Charter of Mechel OAO registered on February 20,
2007(2)
|
|
4
|
.2
|
|
Amendment to Charter of Mechel OAO registered on August 27,
2007(3)
|
|
4
|
.3
|
|
Amendment to Charter of Mechel OAO registered on May 7,
2008(4)
|
|
4
|
.4
|
|
Amendment to Charter of Mechel OAO registered on May 29,
2008(5)
|
|
4
|
.5
|
|
Amendment to Charter of Mechel OAO registered on May 7,
2009(6)
|
|
4
|
.6
|
|
Amendment to Charter of Mechel OAO registered on July 17,
2009(7)
|
|
4
|
.7
|
|
Amendment to Charter of Mechel OAO registered on August 24,
2009(8)
|
|
4
|
.8
|
|
Amendment to Charter of Mechel OAO registered on
January 27,
2010(9)
|
|
5
|
.1
|
|
Opinion of Liniya Prava, Moscow, Russian Federation
|
|
23
|
.1
|
|
Consent of Liniya Prava, Moscow, Russian Federation (included in
Exhibit 5.1)
|
|
23
|
.2
|
|
Consent of Ernst & Young LLC, Independent Registered
Public Accounting Firm
|
|
24
|
.1
|
|
Powers of Attorney (included on signature pages)
|
|
|
|
(1) |
|
To be filed by post-effective amendment or under Form 6-K and
incorporated by reference herein. |
|
(2) |
|
Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 1.1 to
Form 20-F
(file no.
001-32328)
filed with the SEC on April 26, 2010. |
|
(3) |
|
Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 1.2 to
Form 20-F
(file no.
001-32328)
filed with the SEC on April 26, 2010. |
|
(4) |
|
Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 1.3 to
Form 20-F
(file no.
001-32328)
filed with the SEC on April 26, 2010. |
|
(5) |
|
Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 1.4 to
Form 20-F
(file no.
001-32328)
filed with the SEC on April 26, 2010. |
|
(6) |
|
Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 1.5 to
Form 20-F
(file no.
001-32328)
filed with the SEC on April 26, 2010. |
|
(7) |
|
Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 1.6 to
Form 20-F
(file no.
001-32328)
filed with the SEC on April 26, 2010. |
|
(8) |
|
Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 1.7 to
Form 20-F
(file no.
001-32328)
filed with the SEC on April 26, 2010. |
|
(9) |
|
Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 1.8 to
Form 20-F
(file no.
001-32328)
filed with the SEC on April 26, 2010. |
(a) The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:
(1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are
being made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration
Statement:
(i) To include any prospectus required by
Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act;
II-1
(ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events
arising after the effective date of this Registration Statement
(or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which,
individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change
in the information set forth in this Registration Statement.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in
volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of
securities offered would not exceed that which was registered)
and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated
maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of
prospectus filed with the SEC pursuant to Rule 424(b) if,
in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no
more than a 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price
set forth in the Calculation of Registration Fee
table in the effective registration statement;
(iii) To include any material information with respect to
the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in this
Registration Statement or any material change to such
information in this Registration Statement;
provided, however, that paragraphs (1)(i), (1)(ii) and
(1)(iii) do not apply if the information required to be included
in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained
in reports filed with or furnished to the SEC by the Registrant
pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the
Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference in this
Registration Statement or is contained in a form of prospectus
filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) that is part of this
Registration Statement.
(2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability
under the Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment
shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to
the securities offered therein, and the offering of such
securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona
fide offering thereof.
(3) To remove from registration by means of a
post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered
which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.
(4) To file a post-effective amendment to this Registration
Statement to include any financial statements required by
Item 8.A. of
Form 20-F
at the start of any delayed offering or throughout a continuous
offering. Financial statements and information otherwise
required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act need not be
furnished, provided that the Registrant includes in the
prospectus, by means of a post-effective amendment, financial
statements required pursuant to this subparagraph (4) and
other information necessary to ensure that all other information
in the prospectus is at least as current as the date of those
financial statements. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a
post-effective amendment need not be filed to include financial
statements and information required by Section 10(a)(3) of
the Securities Act or Item 8.A. of
Form 20-F
if such financial statements and information are contained in
periodic reports filed with or furnished to the SEC by the
Registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the
Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference in this
Registration Statement.
(5) That, for the purpose of determining liability under
the Securities Act to any purchaser:
(i) Each prospectus filed by the Registrant pursuant to
Rule 424(b)(3) shall be deemed to be part of this Registration
Statement as of the date the filed prospectus was deemed part of
and included in this Registration Statement; and
(ii) Each prospectus required to be filed pursuant to Rule
424(b)(2), (b)(5), or (b)(7) as part of a registration statement
in reliance on Rule 430B relating to an offering made
pursuant to Rule 415(a)(1)(i), (vii), or (x) for the
purpose of providing the information required by
Section 10(a) of the Securities Act shall be deemed to be
part of and included in this Registration Statement as of the
earlier of the date such form of prospectus is first used after
effectiveness or the date of the first contract of sale of
securities in the offering described in the prospectus. As
provided in Rule 430B, for liability purposes of the issuer
and any person that is at that date an underwriter, such date
shall be deemed to be a new effective date of this Registration
Statement relating to the securities in this Registration
Statement to which that prospectus relates, and the offering of
such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial
bona fide offering thereof. Provided, however, that no
statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is
part of this Registration Statement or
II-2
made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by
reference into this Registration Statement or prospectus that is
part of this Registration Statement will, as to a purchaser with
a time of contract of sale prior to such effective date,
supersede or modify any statement that was made in this
Registration Statement or prospectus that was part of this
Registration Statement or made in any such document immediately
prior to such effective date;
(6) That, for the purpose of determining liability of the
Registrant under the Securities Act to any purchaser in the
initial distribution of the securities, the undersigned
Registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities
of the undersigned Registrant pursuant to this Registration
Statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell
the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered
or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following
communications, the undersigned Registrant will be a seller to
the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such
securities to such purchaser:
(i) Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the
undersigned Registrant relating to the offering required to be
filed pursuant to Rule 424;
(ii) Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering
prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned Registrant or used
or referred to by the undersigned Registrant;
(iii) The portion of any other free writing prospectus
relating to the offering containing material information about
the undersigned Registrant or their securities provided by or on
behalf of the undersigned Registrant; and
(iv) Any other communication that is an offer in the
offering made by the undersigned Registrant to the purchaser.
(b) The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes that, for
purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act,
each filing of the Registrants annual report pursuant to
Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act
(and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit
plans annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the
Exchange Act) that is incorporated by reference in this
Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a new registration
statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the
offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be
the initial bona fide offering thereof.
(c) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising
under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers
and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the
foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant has been
advised that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is
against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is,
therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for
indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment
by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director,
officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the
successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is
asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in
connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant
will, unless in the opinion of their counsel the matter has been
settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of
appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such
indemnification by them is against public policy as expressed in
the Securities Act and will be governed by the final
adjudication of such issue.
II-3
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the
Registrant, Mechel OAO, certifies that it has reasonable grounds
to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on
Form F-3
and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on
its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in
Moscow, Russian Federation, on this 26th day of April, 2010.
MECHEL OAO
Name: Igor V. Zyuzin
|
|
|
|
Title:
|
Chief Executive Officer and Director
|
Each person whose signature appears below hereby constitutes and
appoints Igor V. Zyuzin and Stanislav A. Ploschenko, and each of
them, their true and lawful attorneys and agents, with full
power of substitution, each with power to act alone, to sign and
execute on behalf of the undersigned any amendment or amendments
(including post-effective amendments) to this Registration
Statement on
Form F-3
and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other
documents in connection therewith, including registration
statements filed in connection with this offering pursuant to
Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act of 1933 with the SEC,
granting unto each of said attorneys-in-fact and agents full
power and authority to do everything necessary to accomplish the
foregoing, as fully to all intents and purposes as he or she
might or could do in person, and each of the undersigned does
hereby ratify and confirm all that each of said attorneys and
agents, or their substitutes, shall do or cause to be done by
virtue hereof.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this
Registration Statement has been signed by the following in the
capacities and on the dates indicated.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Signature
|
|
Title
|
|
Date
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
/s/ Alexander
E. Yevtushenko
Alexander
E. Yevtushenko
|
|
Chairman
|
|
April 26, 2010
|
|
|
|
|
|
/s/ Igor
V. Zyuzin
Igor
V. Zyuzin
|
|
Chief Executive Officer and Director (principal executive
officer)
|
|
April 26, 2010
|
|
|
|
|
|
/s/ Vladimir
A. Polin
Vladimir
A. Polin
|
|
Director
|
|
April 26, 2010
|
|
|
|
|
|
/s/ Valentin
V. Proskurnya
Valentin
V. Proskurnya
|
|
Director
|
|
April 26, 2010
|
|
|
|
|
|
/s/ Roger
I. Gale
Roger
I. Gale
|
|
Director
|
|
April 26, 2010
|
|
|
|
|
|
/s/ A.
David Johnson
A.
David Johnson
|
|
Director
|
|
April 26, 2010
|
|
|
|
|
|
/s/ Serafim
Kolpakov
Serafim
Kolpakov
|
|
Director
|
|
April 26, 2010
|
II-4
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Signature
|
|
Title
|
|
Date
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
/s/ Igor
S. Kozhukhovsky
Igor
S. Kozhukhovsky
|
|
Director
|
|
April 26, 2010
|
|
|
|
|
|
/s/ Vladimir
V. Gusev
Vladimir
V. Gusev
|
|
Director
|
|
April 26, 2010
|
|
|
|
|
|
/s/ Stanislav
A. Ploschenko
Stanislav
A. Ploschenko
|
|
Chief Financial Officer
(principal financial officer)
|
|
April 26, 2010
|
|
|
|
|
|
/s/ Tatiana
Kalyadina
Tatiana
Kalyadina
|
|
Chief Accountant
(principal accounting officer)
|
|
April 26, 2010
|
|
|
|
|
|
/s/ Donald
J. Puglisi
Puglisi
& Associates
|
|
Authorized U.S. Representative
|
|
April 26, 2010
|
II-5
EXHIBIT INDEX
|
|
|
|
|
Exhibit
|
|
|
Number
|
|
Description
|
|
|
1
|
.1
|
|
Form of Underwriting
Agreement(1)
|
|
4
|
.1
|
|
Charter of Mechel OAO registered on February 20,
2007(2)
|
|
4
|
.2
|
|
Amendment to Charter of Mechel OAO registered on August 27,
2007(3)
|
|
4
|
.3
|
|
Amendment to Charter of Mechel OAO registered on May 7,
2008(4)
|
|
4
|
.4
|
|
Amendment to Charter of Mechel OAO registered on May 29,
2008(5)
|
|
4
|
.5
|
|
Amendment to Charter of Mechel OAO registered on May 7,
2009(6)
|
|
4
|
.6
|
|
Amendment to Charter of Mechel OAO registered on July 17,
2009(7)
|
|
4
|
.7
|
|
Amendment to Charter of Mechel OAO registered on August 24,
2009(8)
|
|
4
|
.8
|
|
Amendment to Charter of Mechel OAO registered on
January 27,
2010(9)
|
|
5
|
.1
|
|
Opinion of Liniya Prava, Moscow, Russian Federation
|
|
23
|
.1
|
|
Consent of Liniya Prava, Moscow, Russian Federation (included in
Exhibit 5.1)
|
|
23
|
.2
|
|
Consent of Ernst & Young LLC, Independent Registered
Public Accounting Firm
|
|
24
|
.1
|
|
Powers of Attorney (included on signature pages)
|
|
|
|
(1) |
|
To be filed by post-effective amendment or under Form 6-K and
incorporated by reference herein. |
|
(2) |
|
Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 1.1 to
Form 20-F
(file no.
001-32328)
filed with the SEC on April 26, 2010. |
|
(3) |
|
Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 1.2 to
Form 20-F
(file no.
001-32328)
filed with the SEC on April 26, 2010. |
|
(4) |
|
Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 1.3 to
Form 20-F
(file no.
001-32328)
filed with the SEC on April 26, 2010. |
|
(5) |
|
Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 1.4 to
Form 20-F
(file no.
001-32328)
filed with the SEC on April 26, 2010. |
|
(6) |
|
Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 1.5 to
Form 20-F
(file no.
001-32328)
filed with the SEC on April 26, 2010. |
|
(7) |
|
Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 1.6 to
Form 20-F
(file no.
001-32328)
filed with the SEC on April 26, 2010. |
|
(8) |
|
Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 1.7 to
Form 20-F
(file no.
001-32328)
filed with the SEC on April 26, 2010. |
|
(9) |
|
Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 1.8 to
Form 20-F
(file no.
001-32328)
filed with the SEC on April 26, 2010. |