Invasion of Ukraine: Russia feels the pain of international sanctions
'If I could leave Russia now, I would. But I can't give up my job,' said Andrej. He could not afford the mortgage in Moscow, now interest rates have risen.Millions of Russians like him are starting to feel the effects of Western economic sanctions to punish the country for attacking neighboring Ukra
Ordinary Russians face the collapse of their savings. Your life is ruined.
"If I could leave Russia now, I would. But I can't give up my job," said Andrej. He could not afford the mortgage in Moscow, now interest rates have risen.
Millions of Russians like him are starting to feel the effects of Western economic sanctions to punish the country for attacking neighboring Ukraine.
"I plan to find new clients abroad as soon as possible and move out of Russia with the money I saved for the first installment," said the 31-year-old industrial designer.
"I'm afraid people have been arrested here for speaking out against the 'party line.' I'm ashamed, and I didn't even vote for the government." Like others interviewed for this article, we do not use his full name or reveal his face for security reasons. Some terms have changed.
The sanctions now hitting Russia have been dubbed an economic war - aimed at isolating the country and causing a deep recession. However, western leaders hope the unprecedented steps will change the Kremlin's mindset.
Sanctions against some Russian banks include the blocking of Visa and Mastercard, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. Daria, 35, a project manager in Moscow, said this meant she could not use the subway.
"I always pay with my phone, but that doesn't work. There are others with the same problem. It turns out the bottleneck is managed by VTB Bank, which is penalized and can't accept Google Pay and Apple Pay.
I had to buy a tube ticket. Instead, he told the BBC. "I couldn't pay at the store today either - for the same reason."
Paying for subway rides and shopping is now more difficult for Russians
On Monday, Russia more than doubled interest rates to 20% in response to sanctions after the ruble fell to a record low. The stock market remained closed amid fears of a massive stock sell-off.
The Kremlin says it has sufficient resources to withstand sanctions, but that is debatable. Over the weekend, the central bank called for calm amid fears of a bank run when too many people try to withdraw money.
"No dollars, no rubles – nothing! Well, there are rules, but I don't care," said Anton (changed name), who is in his late 20s and is queuing at an ATM in Moscow.
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