Russian media note growing panic over rouble
"The rouble screams for retribution: who will the president sack?" asks Moskovskyi Komsomolets
The Russian media say that fear is growing in the country over the falling rate of the rouble, with commentators split on whether efforts by the Central Bank to halt to decline of the currency have been effective.
TV channels are constantly updating viewers on the rouble exchange rate, while papers try to analyse what some say is the biggest depreciation of the national currency in the country's history.
'Embattled rouble'
English-language TV channel RT seemed to breathe a sigh of relief on Tuesday, reporting that "the embattled Russian rouble" had regained some losses from the previous day. This, however, turned out to be a short-lived victory as the currency soon started to lose value again.
Rossiya 24 TV accused Russian banks of trying to 'capitalise' on the currency crisis
The business channel RBK pointed out that Russian banks have started reviewing their own interest rates, following the huge hike in the Central Bank's interest rate on Monday.
Rossiya 24 TV even accused some of them of trying to "capitalise" on the currency crisis "at any cost", after they set up exchange rates much higher than those of the Central Bank.
"The rouble has never depreciated that much in the history of the Russian Federation," exclaims influential business daily Kommersant.
Panic
Financial newspaper Vedomosti warns that the situation is very dangerous. "Now even those households who do not watch TV… are thinking about the depreciating rouble [and] food prices going up. Keeping foreign currency under one's pillow amid such volatility is much better than having a rouble deposit in a bank," the daily says.
It predicts that "we are only a few days away from a fully-fledged run on the banks".
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