WASHINGTON, December 20. /TASS/. Russia halved its holdings of the US sovereign debt, from $73 million in September to 31 million in October, according to latest documents published by the US Department of the Treasury.

The figure stood at $31 million in August, $29 million in July, $33 million in June, $36 million in May, $35 million in April, $77 million in March and $75 million in February.

Russia's long-term US Treasury securities stood at $28 million ($61 million in September), while short-term amounted to $3 million ($12 million in September).

Russia, once a significant holder of the US state debt, started its sell-off of US Treasury securities in spring 2018. In April 2018, Russian holdings were nearly halved - from some $96 billion to $48.7 billion. Next month, in May 2018, the figure further dropped to $14.9 billion.

The Bank of Russia does not hold US treasury bonds and does not purchase them, the regulator’s press service told TASS in mid-November. These bonds, among other things, can be purchased by individuals, organizations and corporate investors via banks, brokers and dealers.

Japan remained the biggest holder of the US state debt in June 2023, with approximately $1.09 trillion, followed by China with $769.6 billion and the United Kingdom with $693 billion.