Russia has defaulted on its foreign-currency sovereign debt for the first time in a century, the culmination of ever-tougher Western sanctions that shut down payment routes to overseas creditors.
For months, the country found paths around the penalties imposed after the Kremlin¡¯s invasion of Ukraine. But at the end of the day on Sunday, the grace period on about $100 million of snared interest payments due May 27 expired, a deadline considered an event of default if missed.
It¡¯s a grim marker in the country¡¯s rapid transformation into an economic, financial and political outcast. The nation¡¯s eurobonds have traded at distressed levels since the start of March, the central bank¡¯s foreign reserves remain frozen, and the biggest banks are severed from the global financial system.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.