Russians take rapidly falling ruble in stride
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Version 0 of 1. Even if they weren’t watching the ruble’s afternoon free fall Tuesday, Muscovites are well aware that the value of their currency is falling. The evidence is on nearly every street corner, on the signs outside banks and currency counters advertising ever-higher exchange rates for the dollar and euro. It’s in every supermarket and restaurant, where prices have been inching up for weeks, trying to keep pace with the ruble’s devaluation. And even Russia’s state-funded TV channels are treating the financial nosedive like it’s the start of a crisis. But on the street, Russians hardly seem to have flinched. There are no runs on banks or exceptionally long lines at stores. Few deny that Russia is in a fiscal mess, but by and large, they figure they’ve lived through worse – no matter who they hold responsible for the country’s present woes. Sveta Sitova, 51, didn’t think it was worth worrying about why the ruble is falling, or who might be to blame: "It happened. It just happened. And what of it? It’s not possible for people to stay in the same place. Things change. But I still support the government." Anna Simyonovna, 76, suggested that Russians have a patriotic duty to pay higher prices without complaining: "We know that prices are rising – your dollars, your euros are rising – but it’s not simple. This is an act against us, it is against our country – they are trying to crush us. But we understand we have to help our country and support our country. We have been through worse things. We know that in general, prices are rising, but what is there to do? I'm a pensioner, so it goes without saying that it’s not easy. But we have to live through it. "We have to understand that we have to support the government – and especially Putin. Now we think even more highly of him, and now we understand that he always thinks of the country, he tries to do everything. Of course he doesn’t achieve everything. He’s like a sole warrior in the battle – but he’s not, because a lot depends on us." Kristina Paskar, 23, is sure that politics are to blame for the country’s poor economic situation: "The people are suffering, but this is a political moment, a political factor. The effect though is very heavy. Everyone feels it. When your salary stays the same, the rise in the exchange rate hurts. It’s simple people that suffer. Those who care about it are people with children, regular people. But nobody thought of that, right?" Bankers Ksenia Kochur, 28, and Alexander Zybrov, 26, spent Tuesday watching the yo-yoing ruble rate, saying they make enough money that they have not yet felt a serious personal crunch from the falling ruble. But they too believe that politics – and specifically, Russia’s top politician – is the culprit in this crisis: Kochur: "It’s a scary thing when the rate rises to 100 rubles per euro." Zybrov: "This all comes from Putin’s politics. The scoundrel led the country into confusion. But anybody who watches [state owned] First Channel doesn’t think like that." Kochur: "No, Putin’s approval rate keeps rising! When the economy falls, Putin’s approval ratings rise." Zybrov: "Things will get worse." Kochur: "We have no idea how much. Probably Putin knows. Simple people don’t know how far this is going to go." Zhana Krivarogova, 55, acknowledges that Russia is in a bad economic situation and hasn’t been fully transparent with the population as to why. But she still supports Putin: "Of course I'm worried. Everything is more expensive – the price of groceries, everything. Salaries aren't growing, but everything else is rising. "What we see on television – how should I say this – it doesn’t inspire us with a great attitude about Americans. Thus, you understand, things aren't treated objectively. It’s very difficult; objective attitudes here are a little complicated, especially because you are a representative of the United States. "We in any case are patriots to our native land. It’s been hard for us anyway, these 20 years, all of these changes, like changes in presidents – but Vladimir Putin, he’s the most worthy, I believe. He still supports the country – and it was not like that before. It was unacceptable – Yeltsin, Gorbachev. I support Putin. "Right now things are hard, but you know, the Russian people – we're used to it. When we need to mobilize we will mobilize; we just have to be patient. We're not going to shout ‘hurrah, hurrah.’ Yes things are hard, they are very difficult, but to blame our government for that – I don’t think we should do this. "There is a Russian saying: Until there is a storm, a Russian man will never cross himself. Russians are never scared until things hit them really badly." |