The exchange rate of foreign currencies in the exchange offices of Russian banks exceeded 100 rubles per dollar amid the aggravation of the geopolitical situation in Ukraine on Thursday. This was found out by Izvestia by calling the banks on February 24.
The call centers reported that at the moment there are no restrictions on currency exchange and the operation can be carried out at any office where there are exchange offices. This requires a passport.
According to the Sberbank website, at 09:57 Moscow time, the dollar could be bought at 101.44 rubles, and the euro – 110.56 rubles. In VTB, for exchange both online and at the bank’s office, as of 10:00 Moscow time, the exchange rate is 100.05 rubles per dollar and 112.10 rubles per euro.
The Alfa-Bank call center told Izvestia that money can only be exchanged online if you have a card from a credit institution. The rate according to the data at 10:05 Moscow time in the bank was set at 111.54 rubles per dollar.
In Gazprombank, when conducting an online transaction, you can buy a dollar for 106 rubles, and a euro for 118 rubles. The call center said that at 10:15 Moscow time in the branches the exchange rate was 102.09 rubles per dollar and 114 rubles per euro.
For 98 rubles, the dollar was sold online at Otkritie Bank, as of 10:20 Moscow time. Euros could be purchased there for 109 rubles. The call center reported that when exchanging cash in the office, the rate is set at 96 rubles per dollar and 107.45 rubles per euro. They warned that the indicators may change by the time the operation is carried out directly in the office.
After the opening of trading on Thursday morning, the Russian stock market and the ruble fell to the limits set by the Moscow Exchange and the trading floor announced the suspension of trading. The dollar exchange rate jumped to 84.075 rubles, the euro – up to 95.2425 rubles.
Following the Moscow Exchange, trading was suspended by the St. Petersburg Exchange.
After the resumption of trading on the Moscow Exchange, the dollar exchange rate at the moment exceeded 89.6 rubles, the euro – 99.99 rubles. Later, trading was again stopped.
Stock indices reacted in this way to the announcement by Russian President Vladimir Putin of a military special operation in order to protect the civilian population of Donbass. The politician said that Russia was left no choice, and its actions are not connected with infringing on the interests of Kiev, but with protecting itself from “those who took Ukraine hostage.”
The day before, the Kremlin announced that the heads of the DPR and LPR Denis Pushilin and Leonid Pasechnik appealed to Putin with a request to help repel the increased aggression of the Ukrainian security forces in order to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe and civilian casualties.
On February 21, Putin signed decrees recognizing the independence of the LNR and the DNR. Also, the Russian leader and the heads of both republics Leonid Pasechnik and Denis Pushilin signed agreements on friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance. The documents were ratified the next day by both the republics themselves and the Russian State Duma.
The situation on the line of contact in Donbass escalated on February 17. In the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, they complained about the shelling by the Ukrainian security forces, including from heavy weapons. The republics announced a general mobilization and evacuation of civilians to the territory of Russia.
Source: IZ
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
