Russia, in the beginning of 2001, finds itself in danger of defaulting on its debt repayments to the Paris Club. One opinion believes that the Russian economy is in dire straits and in no position to repay. On the contrary, the west - including Russia's main creditor, Germany and other influential economists and rating agencies believe that the issue has been mismanaged by the Russian authorities. Not only is there lack of coordination among different branches of the Russian government, it has also been unable to contain capital flight and money laundering of funds that are desperately needed for ecnomic development.
