Russian Senator Ikonnikov Calls for Non-Payment of Tsarist Debts

© ООО "Региональные новости"

Russian Senator Vasily Ikonnikov from Oryol Region has stated that the Russian Federation is the successor to the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR) and the Soviet Union (USSR), but not the Russian Empire. Therefore, the country should not recognize debts from the Tsarist era, according to "Oryol News".

This issue is relevant due to a lawsuit filed by investment fund Noble Capital RSD against the Russian Federation, demanding $225.8 billion in repayment of Tsarist-era bonds over a century old.

The matter was previously discussed in 2022, when the Soviet Union presented Western countries with a counter-condition: the return of Tsarist gold and other valuables that were taken out of Russia during the Civil War. The Russian authorities at that time also insisted on compensation for damages caused by foreign intervention.

Ikonnikov believes this stance to be the only correct one.

Meanwhile, the modern Russian Ministry of Finance has already stated that the Russian Federation has no such liabilities.