Speaking of national debts

[cryowizard]

Russia is paying off the Paris Club debt -- part that is the legacy of the Soviet Union -- worth over 22B. This would bring the total debt down to 50B, or 5% of GDP.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/5109362.stm

Yes, it's because they have oil. But it's nice to see the revenue is serving an important purpose.