Financial analysts pointed to the record import of foreign currency by Russian banks into the country. According to their calculations, foreign currency worth $4.97 billion was imported in cash, Izvestia reports.
Experts believe that Russian credit organizations are afraid of Western sanctions, which can provoke difficulties in non-cash payments.
Prior to this, the average import was about $2 billion.
The weight of $4.97 billion hundred dollar bills is 50 tons. Also, more cash was imported into the country at the end of March 2020 against the background of the pandemic.
Against the background of the aggravation of the situation in the east of Ukraine, the West threatens to disconnect Russia from the international payment system SWIFT and close access to the funds of the International Monetary Fund.
Democrat Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the US House of Representatives, said at the Munich Security Conference that Russia, in the event of an attack on Ukraine, will face sanctions that it has never faced before.
The politician clarified that these “unprecedented” sanctions will differ in terms of timing and intensity. According to her, such restrictions against Russia will be sufficient. The speaker stressed that "the stakes are very high" and that many lives could be lost if the sanctions are not strong enough, since we are talking about "dangerous and unnecessary" hostilities, and not trade or other violations.
bbabo.Net