Moscow, September 19, 2008 - OAO RBC Information Systems (MICEX, RTS: RBCI) announced the launch of Tvidi.ru, the first children's social network on the Russian Internet. RBC's partner in this project was the Israeli company Tweegee, the creator of Israel's largest children's portal tipo.co.il.

Tvidi.ru aims to become the largest children's online media project in Russia. Investment in the project, which is geared towards an audience of children aged 6-14, amounted to $6m. The website offers a unique environment for child development, with a wide range of online games, search, communication, photo and video sharing services and news. Special tools adapted for young audiences also enable children to easily make their own personal websites. Children's security on the website will be guaranteed by protection mechanisms and content pre-moderation. User access to Tvidi.ru is granted only by entering a special eight-digit code.

"We believe that the Tvidi.ru website is set to occupy the vacant niche of Internet projects for children," said Mikhail Gurevich, General Director of Media Mir, part of the RBC group of companies. "We offer kids not only the chance to explore, but also to create, have fun, learn, and communicate with each other. On Tvidi.ru, children find themselves in a world that's created especially for them, geared towards their unique interests, meeting their level of logic and capabilities. The project kicks off in Moscow, since this is the city with the largest percentage of young audiences with access to broadband Internet, which is required to make full use of all of the site's capabilities. Tvidi.ru will gradually expand to other regions, in line with the expansion of broadband internet channels throughout Russia. I must also note that the US prototype of our project, the website tweegee.com (USA), was recently shortlisted as one of the most effective Internet startups by TechCrunch. With this in mind, we are certain that its Russian counterpart Tvidi.ru will become one of the most prominent projects of 2008 for the Russian Internet."

"Russia is more than an attractive market for children's entertainment Internet projects," said Shay Bloch, Co-Founder and CEO of Tweegee.com. "Over one million kids in Russia already have broadband Internet access - and that's just the beginning. At the core of the Russian-language website Tvidi.ru rest technologies that have successfully been tested in Israel as part of the children's project tipo.co.il. Some 85% of Israeli kids are using tipo.co.il, and I am convinced that the same success awaits Tvidi.ru in Russia. The demand for entertainment websites is growing thanks both to children and their parents. Children want a "cool" place for self-realization and communication, while parents are interested in their childrens' protection from unsuitable content as they surf the Internet. Tvidi.ru offers both! The Tvidi.ru website is built in accordance with COPPA (Children's Online Privacy Protection Act) standards, which is a US federal law and one of the toughest in the world in terms of children's Internet security. Therefore, we have created an internet platform that single-handedly meets the requirements of both children and parents."