Yes, Sverdlovsk is the former Soviet era name for Ekaterinburg. Beesweet67, you might want to ask the admin to change your title to Ekaterinburg so you get more replies. There are a lot of Ekaterinburg AP on this form who may not recognize Sverdlovsk as synonomous with Ekaterinburg.
Generally, Ekaterinburg has the reputation as one of the more demanding and burdensome regions to adopt from.