The external debt of Russia for the quarter decreased by 31 billion dollars.

Russia's foreign debt in the first quarter of this year, according to a preliminary assessment of the Central Bank of Russia decreased by 31.2 billion dollars - from 484.7 billion to 453.5 billion dollars. This is stated in the official media of CB.
In particular, data from the Central Bank shows that for January-March, banks have reduced the external debt to 18.6 billion dollars - to 147,5 billion. Liabilities to non-financial sector fell to 10.3 billion dollars - to 275,5 billion.
At the end of March 2009 the representative of the Bank of Russia Sergei Shvetsov reported that from 1 October 2008 to March 26, 2009 external debt decreased by 20 percent. On 1 October, the Russian foreign debt stood at 540 billion dollars.
In early February 2009 the Ministry of Economic Development reported that last year's total external debt of Russia has grown by 9 per cent to 2.62 trillion rubles (72.4 billion dollars at the rate of CB for 3 February 2009).