Forget Tanks. Russia’s Ruble Is Conquering Eastern Ukraine
A woman carries walks back to the village of Nikishino in Ukraine, on April 21, 2015.
Photographer: Odd Andersen/AFP via Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
As a wobbly cease-fire keeps eastern Ukraine’s warring factions apart, Russia’s ruble is conquering new territory across the breakaway republics.
In Donetsk, the conflict zone’s biggest city, supermarkets have opened ruble-only checkout counters to serve the fighters in camouflage lining up along pensioners. Bus and tram tickets come with a conversion from Ukraine’s hryvnia to the Russian currency. Gas-station workers are paid in rubles because that’s what their rebel customers use to fuel their armored jeeps.