Vavilov

For accepting the inherited debt, the Paris Club recognised Russia as a creditor nation, Vavilov wrote in his book "The Russian Public Debt and Financial Meltdowns".

Andrey Vavilov, Russia's deputy finance minister between 1994 and 1997, said the Russian Federation held around $105 billion in Soviet-era debt at the end of 1992, with its own debt amounting to $2.8 billion.

External debt, which stood near 50% of GDP in 1995, had swelled by 1998 to 77%, according to Vavilov, who blamed hefty IMF/World Bank loans for contributing to the pile.

These included one of Lysenko's mentors, botanist Nikolai Vavilov.

Another team member, producer Semyon Vavilov, was named as a suspect.