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Ukraine’s foreign debt grows 5.5 percent in 2013 to $143 bln

KIEV, March 22. /ITAR-TASS/. Ukraine’s foreign debt in 2013 grew 5.5 percent to $142.52 billion, the National Bank reported.

The government debt grew 9.7 percent to $29.922 billion over the past year, the debts of the country’s banks grew 6.4 percent to over $22.5 billion, the debts of other sectors rose 2.12 percent to $79.4 billion.

In February, the Ukrainian government voiced plans to borrow over $18.9 billion on the domestic and foreign markets in 2014.

Months of anti-government protests in Ukraine, which often turned violent, resulted in a coup in February. President Viktor Yanukovich had to leave the country citing security concerns.

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