ST. PETERSBURG, September 15 - RAPSI. Russia's leading bank, Sberbank, has filed for the bankruptcy of a major fertilizer trader, the court reported.

The St. Petersburg Commercial Court received the bankruptcy petition on September 9. A hearing date has yet to be scheduled.

Sberbank sued Agro-A, the fertilizer trading company, to collect a 1.19 billion ruble ($39.1 million) debt the company assumed from Phaeton-Aero in May 2009.

Phaeton-Aero is a diversified holding company engaged in the fuel business, agriculture, development, real estate management, investments, industrial production, and peat production and processing.