Ukraine claims Russia is giving rubles to citizens in occupied territories

A photo of Russian ruble banknotes and coins next to a ruble symbol
(Image credit: Kirill Kudryavstev / AFP via Getty Images)

The National Bank of Ukraine says that in occupied territories, Russia is starting to "limit the circulation" of hryvnias, the Ukrainian national currency, while "introducing" rubles.

The issuance and use of a currency other than the hryvnia is illegal in Ukraine, The Washington Post reports. Oleg Nikolenko, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, tweeted on Tuesday, "Faced with total resistance from the local population, Russia tries to introduce the ruble in the temporarily seized parts of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions in an attempt to establish an occupation regime."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.