Rusneftegaz can announce that our office in New York shall partially reopen to a skeleton staff on the 22 June, although the vast majority of employees shall continue to work remotely. All returning personnel will be required to adhere to distancing measures and receive comprehensive training in regards to the new procedures. Those who are functioning from their workstations shall be issued with an adequate provision of face masks, hand sanitizer and any other protective equipment as required by state law, with all staff working on a rotating schedule primarily focusing on maintaining communications by mail and by telephone. Any visitors wishing to speak personally with a member of staff being required to make an appointment in advance, either via telephone or email, and to also wear a face covering whilst on site. Management is welcome to any queries regarding this reopening plan, and also wishes to inform all employees and visitors that it is maintaining the highest standards of safety and hygiene, with routine cleaning conducted daily by dedicated cleaning staff. 

​Rusneftegaz can announce that from Monday 15 June all of our offices in Russia shall fully reopen, including our headquarters in Moscow, with our international office in New York reopening at a later date. As a result, the majority of administrative capacity will have been fully restored, and there will no longer be any delays to telephone or electronic enquiries or communications. Whilst certain staff shall continue to work remotely, Management has made further alterations to the layout of said workplaces in order to accommodate distancing measures and maintain the highest standards of hygiene. All employees arriving for work on Monday shall receive a comprehensive briefing in regards to the new guidelines, including the regular use of sanitizer, how to clean workstations effectively, the deployment of personal protection equipment and how to prevent contagion. All employees should also be reassured that offices will continue to be deep cleaned regularly by external contractors, and any workers with queries should contact their manager at their earliest convenience.

​Rusneftegaz hosted its Annual General Meeting electronically on 29 May, seven weeks later than the original scheduled date of 10 April due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. During the video conference, the Board of Directors discussed the results in the 2019 Financial Statements, which were later unanimously approved alongside the Annual Report, and the Group’s pandemic mitigation procedures. All proposed resolutions were passed, including the re-election of the Board of Directors and a motion to reappoint Deloitte as the Group's independent auditor. Moreover, it has also been resolved that there will not be any alterations to the composition of the Audit Committee, and in lieu of the current situation, there will not be a dividend paid for the last financial year.

​Rusneftegaz can publish results for the first quarter of the year as of and for the three months ended 31 March. These statements were prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards, otherwise known as IFRS, and have not been audited. The full results are disclosed in the financial section of the Group's website.
 
Trading for the period was heavily influenced by the coronavirus pandemic, with significant resources being deployed to mitigate the impact on Rusneftegaz’s operations. During the quarter, electricity generation significantly reduced due to a lack of demand and global commodity prices deflated as a result of worldwide overproduction. As such, management can report an overall pre-tax loss of $29.8m for the three months until 31 March, with revenues recorded receding by 7.6% to $120.6m. This was primarily due to the value of the Russian Ruble subsiding upon expectations of an imminent economic recession, in addition to the supplementary costs borne, financially and in terms of efficiency, productivity and performance, to maintain production levels throughout this time. In April, the Group also published its financial statements for the year before; with revenues totalling $563.7m yielding a post-tax profit of $223.2m, and convened a virtual Annual General Meeting in May for the first time in Rusneftegaz’s corporate history after the gathering had to be postponed from its original date. Furthermore, the second quarter of the year has been challenging and it is anticipated that the financial results will reflect this, with the further deterioration of oil prices of particular note and the imposition of stringent procedures to allay the pandemic. Management projects that the second half of 2020 will be more profitable for the Group, as demand for petroleum products grows, raising market prices accordingly, plus an increased likelihood of multilateral arrangements to cut global production. However, these forecasts are made with a significant degree of uncertainty considering the virulent nature of the disease and major caveats should be noted, with management delaying further investments accordingly until there is greater economic and epidemiological clarity.
 
The financial details in this article are current at the date of this report, and believed by Rusneftegaz to be accurate and true. All information is disclosed as a summary and does not purport to be complete. The data that this commentary is dependent on is obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but the Group, nor any of the directors, officers, employees, agents, subsidiaries or affiliates, can wholly guarantee the accuracy or completeness of such information.

​After following developments diligently during the coronavirus pandemic, the Board of Directors has elected to extend the current shutdown for an indefinite period. Accordingly, the Rusneftegaz office in Moscow shall remain closed until further notice, with all employees working remotely continuing to do so until it is possible to return. The Group will continue to have a limited capacity to respond to non-urgent electronic and telephone communications, and necessitates the understanding of those affected at this time. All separation measures that came into effect at the end of March for those still currently working, including temperature checks and use of hand sanitizer, will remain in force for the foreseeable future. All of these procedures are constantly under review, and may be heightened if it is deemed necessary.