MOSCOW, Sept. 9 - The International Monetary Fund has predicted that Ukraine's state debt, including direct debt and debt guaranteed by the government, will increase from 19.9% of GDP in 2008 to 35.4% in 2009, its highest level since 2002.

The IMF on Wednesday said in materials prepared in July as part of a second report on the fund's cooperation program with Ukraine that external state debt will increase 66.7% in 2009 to 25% of GDP.

Ukraine's gross foreign debt, including the private sector's external debt, will increase to 85.4% of GDP (or 167.3% of annual export levels) this year from 54.5% last year, although in dollar terms debt will only grow by 1.3% to $99.16 billion, the fund said.