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Why Russia and Ukraine are litigating in court over odious debt : The Indicator from Planet Money A dispute going back to 2013 involving Russia and Ukraine and $3 billion in bonds has revived a discussion about a legal concept called odious debt. What is it and how does the current conflict complicate the case?

The Indicator from Planet Money

The curious case of odious debt

The curious case of odious debt

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The Supreme Court, London, England, United Kingdom.
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Dietmar Rabich/Dietmar Rabich/Self-photographed
The Supreme Court, London, England, United Kingdom.
Dietmar Rabich/Dietmar Rabich/Self-photographed

Russian legal scholar Alexander Sack is credited with coining the term "odious debt." He argued that the debt of a tyrannical government should not be transferred to the people and government that succeeds it. This concept has become central to a dispute between Russia and Ukraine over $3 billion that Ukraine borrowed from Russia in 2013.

Today, we learn about the history of "odious debt" and why it's been a struggle for courts to recognize it in the law.

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