Russian attack In the Russian border town, diving the ruble is a secondary concern: “It’s hard to see why the people of Kharkov are being bombed” – HS had to be questioned from his interviews

What Russians think about the collapse of the ruble, sanctions and a record 20 percent rise in interest rates by the central bank?

It is difficult to find out in the town of Belgorod, with less than 400,000 inhabitants, 40 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.

HS tried to ask the townspeople about the subject on Sunday and Monday with poor success. Only about one in ten even agreed to talk to a reporter.

“Freedom for the Donbass!” shouted one man in response to a financial question.

Most just turned away and continued their journey.

Two women threatened to contact their authorities. Another alerted the guard.

“We are all fine. The situation does not affect the economy in any way, ”he had mocked in response to an economic question a moment earlier.

Atmosphere the city was tense and anxious. Riot-equipped cops were seen in the street scene here and there. They have prepared for anti-war protests. There have been only a few protesters and they have been arrested immediately.

There were several untrue bomb threats in Belgorod on Monday. Because of them, the streets were the fire department, the emergency center, the police and the National Guard Rosgvardija.

HS had time to carry out street galleries in front of the sanctioned VTB bank for 15 minutes until it was questioned.

The half-hour interrogation involved a dozen government officials from the police, the Ministry of the Interior’s anti-extremism unit and the security service. The last time an HS journalist and photographer had been questioned the night before.

Numerous Russian and foreign journalists have been interrogated and briefly detained in the Belgorod region in recent days.

Customers in terms of volume, the largest Russian bank is the state-owned Sberbank, which is now subject to severe sanctions.

The bank branch in the center of Belgorod was busy on Monday, but long queues still could not form.

The clerk said that withdrawing 10,000 euros from the account in euros or rubles would be an immediate success. You also got money from vending machines.

In general, the Russians have a long experience of various economic crises and have not yet been able to worry about it.

In his twenties couple Ilja and Veronica believed that sanctions would happen more to those who already have a lot of assets.

“Phone prices may rise,” Ilja speculated.

That was the case. In the mobile operator Bilain’s store, the salesman said iPhone prices rose 4 percent on Saturday and 20 percent on Sunday. According to him, the price will be raised once a day.

Moved with her under-school daughter Katja Dolgokolova said he was not yet able to assess the impact of the economic situation. He, too, had noticed the sharp rise in the price of electronics.

“For what is necessary, the salary is still enough,” he estimates.

One in front of the sanctioned bank, HS interviewed two female employees of the bank. For security reasons, the names of the bank and employees will not be disclosed.

According to women, ordinary people do not yet understand what awaits them.

“The central bank just raised the interest rate by 20 percent. This still hurts hard. Loans are rising, imports are ending, real incomes are falling. Nothing good is promised, ”the women estimate.

According to them, many of the bank’s customers are worried about sanctions and are considering switching banks. Direct money transfers from abroad are no longer possible. Currency purchases are restricted.

However, bank employees were more concerned about the war than the economy itself. In general, those who stopped to talk to the reporter for a long time wanted to break their hearts about the shock of the war.

“We oppose the war. We do not want all Russians to be united as killers and conquerors. We know many people who think the same way. But there are a lot of people who have been exposed to what Russian TV channels are saying, ”bank employees said.

The women said they had frequently visited the neighboring city of Kharkov on the Ukrainian side in the past. On Monday, Kharkov authorities said 11 civilians were killed in Russian rocket and artillery fire.

“Now the people of Kharkiv are being bombed. It’s hard to see why. Ukrainians are our brothers and sisters. We are very concerned about them and hope that this will end soon. One can only hope that our President will wake up to an agreement. Peace and common sense must prevail. ”

In Sberbank the middle-aged couple who traded considered the issue of the depreciation of the ruble completely secondary.

“We are more concerned about human lives than the economy. That is a priority. Many have relatives and friends here in Ukraine, and so do we, ”they said.

“It is the duty of diplomats to resolve this. No targets justify the use of tanks. No one could have imagined this even in their worst nightmares. ”

Also on HS Sunday to interview young entrepreneur Maxim found it disgusting to talk about money when people are killed.

“Ukrainians will never forgive us for this,” he mourned.

10:52 PM: Added information about untrue bomb threats. Earlier in the story, there was talk of an exercise. Added information about the deaths in Kharkov.