Russians gathered outside banks and closed restaurants on Wednesday (January 20) demanding foreign currency mortgages to be restructured and salaries paid, as the national currency hit the new record low.
Employees flocked to the closed doors of the Sbarro pizza restaurant, holding flags and banners calling on the owners to pay them.
Sergei, one of the protesters, explained that he and his colleagues have not received money for their work in a while.
“The salary has not been paid for a very long time, it is just catastrophic. They have not paid for July, they have paid for August and half (of the salary) in September. And since then they have not paid (us) a penny,” Sergei said.
Alexandra, one of the chain restaurant managers told reuters, the company leadership was blaming salary delays on the declining economy.
“Our company does not explain (the situation), they write, ‘understand us, we have difficulties, there is a financial crisis’, and that is it. This is how they explain it all. They do not say why they are not paying (salaries) us. They do not pick up phones. They do not answer letters, they do not comment on their situation in any way. They made a barricade in their office and that is it,” she said.
Russia’s rouble extended losses on Wednesday (January 20) to trade at 80 roubles per dollar, close to an all-time low against the U.S. currency as oil prices slid and global markets fell.
The previous all-time low was 80.10 rubles per dollar, reached in December 2014 when Russia was in the grips of a financial crisis exacerbated by Western sanctions over the Ukraine crisis.
Unlike during the prior crisis, there was no sign of panic dollar-buying on Moscow streets.
Many Russian consumers, having spent months already watching the value of the rubles in their pockets fall against the dollar, have adopted a fatalistic approach to the ruble’s decline.
But for those who had their mortgages in a foreign currency, the stakes were much higher.
Groups of activists, unable to pay and afraid to loose roof over their head gathered in front of the VTB and Deltacredit banks, trying to deliver their plight to their lenders.
“Now (we) are at the brink of court. I have two small children. This does not concern them in any way. The last dialogue I had with the bank was in December 2015, when it was suggested to me to give up my apartment and go.. just wherever,” said Yelena, one of the protesters.
Aleksander, like many others blamed Russian authorities for setting priorities wrong.
“I think this will not lead to anything good. And the fact that our country is helping except us – we are helping Syria, we are helping the Donbass, we took Crimea for ourselves – (makes) our own people feel like we have no Russia,” he said, standing amid the angered crowd.
The rouble last weakened beyond 80 roubles per dollar in December 2014, when it set a record low of 80.1 per dollar. (Reuters)
