MOSCOW, August 6 (RAPSI) - Sberbank has increased its claim against two subsidiaries of the mining and steel giant Mechel.

The co-defendants in the case are Mecheltrans and Bratsk Ferroalloy Plant, with Yakutugol Holding as a third party, also part of Mechel Group.

Sberbank is seeking debt repayment under an April 23, 2010 credit line agreement. The court scheduled the main hearing for October 14.

Various courts are hearing several Sberbank suits against Mechel and its subsidiaries. On July 20, the Moscow Commercial Court ruled in favor of Sberbank in its largest lawsuit against Mechel for 6.76 billion rubles under a loan agreement signed on October 19, 2013.

Sberbank is one of Mechel’s three largest creditors, alongside VTB Bank and Gazprombank. But unlike these two banks, Sberbank is not satisfied with Mechel’s debt restructuring proposals it received in mid-April.

Sberbank CEO German Gref said they were not business proposals but declarations, in particular a debt-to-shares proposal. Sberbank later said it was negotiating the sale of Mechel’s debts to Russian investors.

The bank also said it would file a motion to declare Mechel bankrupt if it fails to pay its debts.

According to Mechel’s financial reports, its long-term liabilities as of late June increased from 91.83 bln rubles ($1.46 bln) as of the end of 2014 to 95.96 bln rubles ($1.52 bln) as of the end of July. The company’s short-term obligations as of June 30, 2015 were 73.50 bln rubles ($1.17 bln) (56.79 bln rubles or $905 mln as of the end of 2014).

Mechel is a leading global mining and steel company and currently the most debt-laden in the sector. It was established in 2003 and comprises over 20 companies that produce coal, iron ore, steel, rolled products, ferroalloys, thermal and electric power.