MOSCOW, January 22 /PRNewswire/ --

Mechel OAO (NYSE: MTL), one of the leading Russian mining and metals companies, announces the appointment of Stanislav Ploschenko as its Chief Financial Officer effective immediately.

Previously, Mr. Ploschenko (31) was Mechel OAO's Acting Chief Financial Officer. As Chief Financial Officer, he will continue to be responsible for strategic development of Mechel's Finance Division, financial policies and planning, US GAAP reporting, implementation of internal controls, integration and unification of Mechel subsidiaries' operations, and operational management of the financial units.

Prior to being appointed Mechel's Acting Chief Financial Officer in June 2007, Mr. Ploschenko was Mechel's Deputy CFO and Deputy Treasurer for Corporate Lending from June 2006 to June 2007. From 2001 to 2006, he held a number of senior positions at Commerzbank AG and Commerzbank ZAO where his most recent position was the Head of Metal and Mining Industries Group, Corporate Clients Department, Commerzbank (Eurasija) ZAO. Previously, he worked as an auditor for Bank's Audit Service LLC from 1995 to 1996. Mr. Ploschenko holds an MSc in International Securities Investment & Banking from the ISMA Centre at the University of Reading, a BA in International Finance & Trade from the University of Portsmouth (UK), and a Specialist Diploma in International Economics from The Finance Academy under the Government of the Russian Federation.

Mechel is one of the leading Russian companies. Its business includes three segments: mining, steel, and power. Mechel unites producers of coal, iron ore concentrate, nickel, steel, rolled products, hardware, heat and electric power. Mechel products are marketed domestically and internationally.

Some of the information in this press release may contain projections or other forward-looking statements regarding future events or the future financial performance of Mechel, 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. We do not intend to update these statements. We refer you to the documents Mechel files from time to time with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Form 20-F. These documents contain and identify important factors, including those contained in the section captioned "Risk Factors" and "Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" in our Form 20-F, that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those contained in our projections or forward-looking statements, including, among others, the achievement of anticipated levels of profitability, growth, cost and synergy of our recent acquisitions, the impact of competitive pricing, the ability to obtain necessary regulatory approvals and licenses, the impact of developments in the Russian economic, political and legal environment, volatility in stock markets or in the price of our shares or ADRs, financial risk management and the impact of general business and global economic conditions.

Web site: http://www.mechel.com

Ilya Zhitomirsky of Mechel, +7-495-221-88-88, ilya.zhitomirsky@mechel.com