Russia pays Soviet Union's debt to Serbia

Russia has paid a USD 2 billion debt to Serbia and Slovakia dating back to the Soviet Union, the Russian Finance Ministry said in a release.

The debt to Slovakia amounted to USD 1.7 billion, whereas the debt to Serbia was at USD 288.8 million.

Most of the debt, which dates back to a time when Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia existed, is paid in goods with only a small portion paid in cash, RIA Novosti news agency has reported.

The Russian ministry also announced that it would pay off the rest of the Soviet Union debt to Finland, Czech Republic and Montenegro by the year's end.