The World Bank reported an increase in the debts of other countries to Russia – Kommersant

The total debt of residents of foreign countries to Russia in 2022 increased by $2.3 billion and amounted to $28.9 billion (+8.7%). This was stated in the annual report World Bank (WB) on debt statistics of developing countries, which drew attention RBC.

According to the World Bank, at the end of 2022, 37 states had outstanding debt to Russian creditors. The report contains information about the debts of any residents to Russia, which must be repaid in any currency, goods or services. The World Bank does not have data on the external debts of Cuba and Venezuela.

The largest debtors to Russia at the end of 2022 were:

• Belarus ($8.24 billion),
• Bangladesh ($5.86 billion),
• India ($3.75 billion),
• Egypt ($1.82 billion),
• Vietnam ($1.39 billion).

The amount of debt of some countries in WB reports remains at the same level: Cambodia – $458 million since 2007, Syria – $525 million since 2011. At the same time, for example, the Syrian debt consists of estimates by World Bank staff, since the country itself does not provide such data.

The bulk of all debts, as stated in the report, are long-term debt and are due in a year or more, that is, from 2024. Most of the debt is also “bilateral government debt,” which includes loans from the Russian government.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in March 2023 that Russia had written off more than $20 billion in debt from African states. In July, he saidthat the total amount of debt written off is $23 billion.

Petr Buzlaev