THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT FOR RELEASE, DISTRIBUTION OR PUBLICATION IN WHOLE OR IN PART IN OR INTO THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION, AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN OR THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION WHERE IT IS UNLAWFUL TO DISTRIBUTE THIS ANNOUNCEMENT.

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS AN ADVERTISEMENT AND NOT A PROSPECTUS AND INVESTORS MUST ONLY SUBSCRIBE FOR OR PURCHASE ANY SECURITIES REFERRED TO IN THIS ANNOUNCEMENT ON THE BASIS OF THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN A PROSPECTUS AND NOT IN RELIANCE ON ANY INFORMATION IN THIS ANNOUNCEMENT.

A PROSPECTUS MAY OR MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED BY THE COMPANY IN RELATION TO ANY PROPOSED OFFERING.

UPON SUCH PUBLICATION, THAT PROSPECTUS (THE "PROSPECTUS") WOULD (A) SUPERSEDE THIS DOCUMENT AND THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN IN ITS ENTIRETY AND (B) BE AVAILABLE, SUBJECT TO APPLICABLE LAW, FREE OF CHARGE TO ELIGIBLE PERSONS FROM THE COMPANYS REGISTERED OFFICE.

5 January 2015

Petropavlovsk PLC (the "Company" and, together with its subsidiaries, the "Group")

Announces extension of Bond Maturity Date

On 8 December 2014, the Company announced that preliminary agreement had been reached with bondholders ("Bondholders") representing approximately 62% of the Groups outstanding US$310.5 million 2015 Convertible Bonds (the "Existing Bonds") to support a refinancing plan (the "Refinancing") that will secure the Groups future.

The refinancing package comprises a proposed pre-emptive US$235 million Rights Issue at 5p per share, a bond exchange and a new five year convertible bond with a target size of US$100 million.

The Company expects to be sending out documentation to convene the Shareholder and Bondholder meetings and to set out the detailed terms of the Rights Issue and to make the bond exchange offer later this month. Given the complexity of the documentation, the disruption caused by the extended seasonal holidays in Europe and Russia and the minimum periods required for the Shareholder and Bondholder notices, as well as for the trading in the nil paid rights, there is a risk that the Refinancing would not be completed by the original maturity date for the Existing Bonds of 18 February 2015.

Accordingly, with the approval of Bondholders holding over 75% of the Existing Bonds obtained by way of a written resolution, the maturity date for the Existing Bonds is now being extended by one month to 18 March 2015.

Subject to receipt of the relevant Shareholder and Bondholder consents, the Company expects to complete the Refinancing before this date.

Enquiries

Petropavlovsk PLC

Alya Samokhvalova, Group Head of External Communications

11 Grosvenor Place, London, SW1X 7HH

T: +44 (0) 20 7201 8900 | E:  

Bank of America Merrill Lynch

Joint Project Co-Ordinator and Corporate Broker

Simon Davy, Managing Director

2 King Edward Street, London, EC1A 1HQ

T: +44 (0) 20 7995 3759 HTMLPIPESYMBOL E:

Maitland

Media Contact

Neil Bennett, Chief Executive Officer

Orion House, 5 Upper St Martins Lane, London WC2H 9EA

T: +44 (0) 20 7379 5151 HTMLPIPESYMBOL E:  

The consent solicitation for the adoption of the resolutions sought involves the securities of a company incorporated under the laws of Jersey and for the securities of a company incorporated under the laws of England and Wales, and is subject to Jersey disclosure requirements and English law disclosure requirements, which are different from those of the United States.

The financial information published by the Petropavlovsk PLC is prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards and thus may not be comparable to financial information of US companies or companies whose financial statements are prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States.

Any offer of new securities has been or will be made (a) in the United States pursuant to the exemption from (i) the US registration requirements under the Securities Act of 1933 provided by Rule 802 thereunder and (ii) the US tender offer rule requirements under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 provided by Rule 14d-1(c) thereunder and (b) otherwise in accordance with the requirements of Jersey law and English law.

Accordingly, the consent solicitation for the adoption of the resolutions will be subject to disclosure and other procedural requirements, including with respect to timetable, that are different from those applicable under US registration requirements and US domestic tender offer procedures and law.

This announcement is for information purposes only and does not constitute an invitation or offer to buy, sell, issue, underwrite, acquire or subscribe for, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, sell, issue, acquire or subscribe for any securities, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.  Any failure to comply with these restrictions may constitute a violation of the securities laws of such jurisdictions.

In particular, this announcement does not constitute or form part of any offer to buy, sell, exchange, issue, acquire or subscribe for, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, sell, exchange, issue, acquire, or subscribe for, any securities in the Russian Federation (or to or for the benefit of any Russian person, except as may be permitted by Russian law), Australia, Canada, Japan or the Republic of South Africa or any other jurisdiction into which such offer or solicitation would be unlawful.  No public offering of the securities referred to herein is being made in the United Kingdom, the Russian Federation, Australia, Canada, Japan, the Republic of South Africa or any other jurisdiction.  This announcement does not constitute an advertisement of any securities in the Russian Federation.

Acquiring investments to which this announcement relates may expose an investor to a significant risk of losing all of the amount invested.  Persons considering making such investments should consult an authorised person specialising in advising on such investments.

The distribution of this announcement in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law.

No action has been taken that would permit an offering of any securities or possession or distribution of this announcement or any other offering or publicity material relating to such securities in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required.

Persons into whose possession this announcement comes are required to inform themselves about, and to observe, such restrictions.

Any failure to comply with these restrictions may constitute a violation of the securities laws of any such jurisdiction.

This announcement, to the extent it constitutes an invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity for the purposes of section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (as amended), is only directed at persons outside the United Kingdom and persons in the United Kingdom (i) having professional experience in matters relating to investments who fall within the definition of "investment professionals" in Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (the "Order") or (ii) who are high net worth entities falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order, or (iii) other persons to whom it may otherwise lawfully be communicated (all such persons together being referred to as "relevant persons").

This announcement must not be acted or relied on in the United Kingdom by persons who are not relevant persons and the investments to which it relates will only be available to relevant persons.

In addition, if and to the extent that this announcement is communicated in, or an offer of the securities to which it relates is made in, any EEA Member State that has implemented Directive 2003/71/EC as amended by Directive 2010/73/EU (together with any applicable implementing measures in any Member State, the "Prospectus Directive") before the publication of a prospectus in relation to the securities which has been approved by the competent authority in that Member State in accordance with the Prospectus Directive (or which has been approved by a competent authority in another Member State and notified to the competent authority in that Member State in accordance with the Prospectus Directive), this announcement is only addressed to and directed at persons in that Member State who are "qualified investors" within the meaning of Article 2(1)(e) of the Prospectus Directive (or who are persons to whom the offer may lawfully be addressed) and must not be acted on or relied on by other persons in that Member State.

Merrill Lynch International, which is authorised in the United Kingdom by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority, is acting exclusively for the Company and no-one else in connection with the Refinancing.

It will not regard any other person as its clients in relation to the Refinancing and will not be responsible to anyone other than the Company for providing the protections afforded to its client, nor for providing advice in relation to the Refinancing, the contents of this announcement or any transaction, arrangement or other matter referred to herein.

SIB (Cyprus) Limited, which is an investment firm authorised and regulated in the Republic of Cyprus by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (License KEPEY 066/06 dated 15 June 2006) is acting in the role of Project Co-ordinator exclusively for the Company and no-one else in connection with the Refinancing.  It will not regard any other person as its clients in relation to the Refinancing and will not be responsible to anyone other than the Company for providing the protections afforded to its client, nor for providing co-ordination in relation to the Refinancing, the contents of this announcement or any transaction, arrangement or other matter referred to herein.

Sberbank CIB is a marketing name for investment banking business of SIB (Cyprus) Limited and its affiliates worldwide which are appropriately licensed in accordance with the regulatory requirements of applicable jurisdictions.

Sberbank CIB deal team members may be employees of SIB (Cyprus) Limited or of any its affiliates.

SIB (Cyprus) Limited is an affiliate of Sberbank of Russia, one of the Senior Banks.

Each of Merrill Lynch International and Sberbank CIB is a full service financial institution engaged, either directly or indirectly, in a broad array of activities, including trading, commercial and investment banking, financial advisory, market making and trading, investment management (both public and private investing), investment research, principal investment, financial planning, benefits counselling, risk management, hedging, financing, brokerage and other financial and non-financial activities and services globally.

In the ordinary course of their various business activities, each of Merrill Lynch International and Sberbank CIB and funds or other entities in which Sberbank CIB invests or with which Sberbank CIB co-invests may at any time purchase, sell, hold or vote long or short positions and investments in securities, derivatives, loans, commodities, currencies, credit default swaps and other financial instruments for its own account and for the accounts of customers and clients.

In addition, each of Merrill Lynch International and Sberbank CIB may at any time communicate independent recommendations and/or publish or express independent research views in respect of such assets, securities or instruments.

Any of the aforementioned activities may involve or relate to assets, securities and/or instruments referred to herein and may conflict with the interests of persons into whose possession this announcement comes.

In addition, Sberbank CIB may provide investment banking, commercial banking, underwriting and financial advisory services to such other entities and persons.

Each of Merrill Lynch International and Sberbank CIB does not intend to disclose the extent of any such investment, transactions or arrangements otherwise than in accordance with any legal or regulatory obligations to do so.

This announcement has been issued by and is the sole responsibility of Petropavlovsk PLC.

No representation or warranty, express or implied, is or will be made as to, or in relation to, and no responsibility or liability is or will be accepted by Merrill Lynch International, SIB (Cyprus) Limited or by any of their respective subsidiary undertakings, affiliates or any of their respective directors, officers, employees, advisers,  agents or any other person as to, or in relation to, the truth, accuracy, completeness or fairness of the information or opinions in this announcement (or whether any information has been omitted from this announcement) or any other information, whether written,  oral or in a visual or electronic form, and howsoever transmitted or made available to or publicly available to any interested party or its advisers or for any loss howsoever arising from any use of this announcement or its contents or otherwise arising in connection therewith, and any liability therefore is expressly disclaimed.

No reliance may or should be placed by any person for any purposes whatsoever on the information contained in this announcement or on its completeness, accuracy or fairness.

This release may include statements that are, or may be deemed to be, "forward-looking statements".

These forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the terms "believes", "estimates", "plans", "projects", "anticipates", "expects", "intends", "may", "will" or "should" or, in each case, their negative or other variations or comparable terminology, or by discussions of strategy, plans, objectives, goals, future events or intentions.

These forward-looking statements include all matters that are not historical facts.

They appear in a number of places throughout this release and include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the Groups intentions, beliefs or current expectations concerning, among other things, the Groups results of operations, financial position, liquidity, prospects, growth, strategies and expectations of the industry.

By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to future events and circumstances.

Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and the development of the markets and the industry in which the Group operates may differ materially from those described in, or suggested by, any forward-looking statements contained in this release.

In addition, even if the development of the markets and the industry in which the Group operates are consistent with the forward-looking statements contained in this release, those developments may not be indicative of developments in subsequent periods.

A number of factors could cause developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements including, without limitation, general economic and business conditions, industry trends, competition, commodity prices, changes in law or regulation, currency fluctuations (including the US dollar and Rouble), the Groups ability to recover its reserves or develop new reserves, changes in its business strategy, political and economic uncertainty.

Save as required by the Listing and Disclosure and Transparency Rules, the Company is under no obligation to update the information contained in this release.

Past performance cannot be relied on as a guide to future performance.

The content of any websites referred to in this announcement does not form part of this announcement.