WASHINGTON, August 17. /TASS/. Russian holdings of US government bonds declined to $27 mln in June from $29 mln, according to documents released by the US Department of the Treasury.

Long-term US government bonds accounted for $23 mln of Russian holdings in June, while short-term securities accounted for $4 mln. In May, Russian holdings of US government securities stood at $29 mln ($26 mln in long-term securities and $3 mln in short-term securities), compared with $26 mln in April ($24 mln long-term and $2 mln short-term) and $25 mln in March ($22 mln long-term and $3 mln short-term).

Russian holdings of US government debt began declining sharply in the spring of 2018. In April of that year, they fell to $48.7 bln from $96 bln, before dropping further to $14.9 bln in May.

Earlier, the Bank of Russia's press service told TASS that the Russian central bank does not hold US Treasury securities and does not purchase them. US Treasury securities may be purchased by private individuals, organizations and corporate investors, among others, through banks, brokers and dealers.

Japan remained the largest holder of US government securities in June of this year, with holdings of about $1.16 trillion, up from $1.14 trillion in May. The United Kingdom ranked second with $939.9 bln, compared with $948.6 bln in May. China was third with holdings of $633.4 bln, down from $659.3 bln in May.