Back to USSR without currency and travel: how a new Iron Curtain descends over Russia

After the invasion of Russian troops into Ukraine, the life of Russians began to change rapidly. Borders are closing, the ruble is depreciating, prices are creeping up. Western companies massively suspend their work in Russia and stop providing services to clients from Russia, reports with the BBC.

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Boeing and Airbus, Apple and Nokia, IKEA and ExxonMobil, BMW and Ford, and hundreds of other companies and organizations announced their departure from Russia. Large Russian banks are disconnected from SWIFT, and payment systems Visa and Mastercard stop servicing Russian bank cards. The symbol of capitalist change, McDonald's, also announced the suspension of operations in Russia.

A lot of what appeared in Russia over the past 30 years after the collapse of the USSR is becoming inaccessible before our eyes.

Currency

As it was in the USSR

The free circulation of currency in the Soviet Union was prohibited, for illegal currency transactions threatened with punishment up to the death penalty. The official exchange rate of foreign currencies was ridiculous (64 kopecks per dollar), on the black market the dollar cost many times more. Only those who went on a business trip abroad or on a tour package could legally receive a small amount in foreign currency, the unspent money was supposed to be handed over upon return (however, usually Soviet citizens spent everything).

How it became in Russia

On the night of March 9, the Bank of Russia introduced restrictions on transactions with cash currency - now it will be impossible to buy it in Russia.
Russians cannot buy cash currency even for traveling abroad, the Central Bank confirmed. The only option is to withdraw currency from the Russian Mir card. But few countries accept it - Turkey, Vietnam, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan.

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Bank clients with foreign currency accounts can withdraw cash, but not more than $10 thousand. The rest is in rubles. Euros cannot be withdrawn. Citizens will be able to open new foreign currency accounts and deposits, but withdrawals from them will also only be possible in rubles.

Border

As it was in the USSR

In order to travel abroad, a Soviet person had to have an “impeccable biography”, collect a lot of certificates and characteristics, and all candidates for a trip abroad were carefully checked by the KGB. In addition to diplomats and intelligence officers, for example, sailors, athletes, artists, as well as those traveling on tour packages to socialist countries could receive the coveted international passport.

The vast majority of Soviet citizens abroad was inaccessible.

How it became in Russia

Formally, leaving Russia is not yet prohibited, but it is very difficult. Air traffic with many countries has been stopped - the European Union, other European countries, the USA, and Canada have closed the skies to Russian aircraft.
Rosaviatsia, for its part, itself recommended that Russian airlines not fly abroad - otherwise they could lose their leased aircraft. It was also reported that visa centers in some countries have stopped accepting visa applications from Russians. Travel abroad is now limited and, in fact, there is a ban on selling dollars to Russians.

Media

As it was in the USSR

Until the perestroika announced by Gorbachev, there were no mass media independent of the state in the Soviet Union. All newspapers, magazines, television and radio stations were financed from the state budget and were under the control of the Communist Party and special services. The main task of the Soviet media was to promote the socialist system, fight against Western ideology and bring to the masses the position of the CPSU as the guide and the only true one.

How it became in Russia

After February 24, many independent media outlets were blocked by Roskomnadzor. Readers who cannot bypass the blocking read the news in Telegram channels.

The Dozhd TV channel announced the suspension of work (last year it was included in the register of media outlets performing the functions of a foreign agent). The radio station “Echo of Moscow,” which was part of the Gazprom-Media holding, was liquidated by decision of the board of directors, and its airwaves went to Sputnik radio.

A law on “military fakes” has been adopted, providing for up to 15 years in prison for “discrediting” Russian military personnel. This forced many editorial offices to take journalists abroad.

Public catering

As it was in the USSR

There were three types of public catering in the Soviet Union. Cheap - like factory canteens, where you could have a hearty lunch for a ruble. Unpretentious - like wine glasses and station buffets with stale pies and thin tea. And an expensive restaurant, with delicacies and polite service, inaccessible to most Soviet citizens.

How it became in Russia

On March 8, McDonald's announced that it had decided to temporarily close all restaurants in Russia and suspend operations in the Russian market.

It is difficult to judge the prospects of the Russian restaurant business at the moment. McDonald's and Starbucks, the owner of KFC restaurants and others announced a complete or partial curtailment of work in Russia (KFC operates as a franchise, like Burger King, and these restaurants can continue to operate).

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, the flow of customers has decreased in Moscow cafes and restaurants. Market participants say that due to the sharp fall in the ruble, food prices may rise, and the restaurant business will need to adapt to new conditions.

Products and consumer goods

As it was in the USSR

The USSR was called the country of empty store shelves and total shortages. Huge lines, lack of goods, speculators and resellers. Each region had its own set of scarce goods. The hardest thing in the Union was to buy cars and household appliances. There was also a shortage of electronics, good clothes, shoes, books, and cosmetics. At the same time, Soviet citizens knew or guessed that in Western countries the stalls were bursting with abundance.

How it became in Russia

There is no talk of a total shortage of goods in Russia yet, but interruptions in supply chains are already beginning to be felt.
Many world-famous brands are leaving Russia, others are stopping the supply of goods, and it will not be easy to replace their products.

Apple, Microsoft and other technology giants have stopped deliveries and sales of new technology in Russia.
Transport and logistics companies - DHL, FedEx, Kuehne+Nagel, Maersk, UPS - have suspended the delivery of goods to Russia.
Since March, the entire model range of the Russian brand of Lada cars has risen in price by more than 15%, such an increase has become a record for the entire modern history.

Persecution of dissidents

As it was in the USSR

Any free-thinking was actually equated with treason and suppressed. Soviet dissidents were deprived of citizenship and put in prison or under house arrest, like Academician Sakharov. For anti-Soviet jokes, during Stalin’s time one could be imprisoned and shot, during Brezhnev’s time one could be sent to a psychiatric hospital or put on the list of unreliable people.

How it became in Russia

In Russia, for several years now, any protest actions have been dispersed, and under various pretexts, opposition politicians are not allowed to take part in the elections.

Protests against the war in Ukraine are being suppressed, thousands of people have been detained and fined or administratively arrested across the country.

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OVD-Info (the project is included in the register of organizations performing the functions of a foreign agent) calculated that on Sunday, March 6 alone, more than 5 thousand people were detained in the country. At the same time, eyewitnesses reported that they detained not only those who came out to protest against the war.

Russians began to be fined under the law on “military fakes.” Human rights activists reported that they had already opened 144 administrative cases. After administrative cases, the new law provides for criminal ones.

As ForumDaily wrote earlier:

• On the night of February 24 began full-scale war of Russia against Ukraine.
• In the light of these events in Russia and around the world, protests against the invasion of Ukraine
• US and UK imposed broad economic sanctions against Russia due to the invasion of Ukraine.
• February 25 President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to sit down at the negotiating table. Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov said that Putin is ready to send a delegation to Minsk (Belarus) for negotiations with Kiev. He specified that the delegation will include representatives of the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the presidential administration.
• In the USA there were large-scale rallies in support of Ukraine.
• Pope Francis visits the Russian Embassy February 25, to personally "express his concerns about the war" in Ukraine, which made an unprecedented deviation from diplomatic protocol.
• European Union, USA and UK imposed sanctions and froze the assets of Putin and Lavrov.
• The United States declared its readiness to start accept refugees from Ukraine.
• February 26, the world famous and one of the most popular groups of hackers Anonymous recorded a video message to Russian President Vladimir Putin. They promised to find all "skeletons in the closet" and "leave no stone unturned".
• As it became known, the Oscar-winning Hollywood actor Sean Penn is located in Ukraine and is making a documentary for Vice about events in the country.
• February 28 The world's largest aircraft An-225 was destroyed during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it caused alarm and sadness among the aviation world, in which it occupies an almost cult status.
• On the same day, the United States and France called on their citizens immediately consider leaving Russia.
• From the very beginning of the invasion, many actions took place around the world in support of Ukraine. How it was in the USA, see our material.
• On March 1, the United States asked 12 Russian diplomats from the United Nations leave the US accusing them of "espionage activities" as Russia continues its advance into Ukraine.
• March 2 Russian businessman Alex Konanykhin offered a $1 million reward for dead or alive Putin.
• Airbus and Boeing refused to work with Russia, this endangers almost the entire civil aviation of the country.
• March 3 CEO and founder of the Russian TV channel "Rain" announced the suspension of the channel. This is due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
• Which of the Hollywood stars supported Ukraine, and who was on the side of Russia, read here.
• What Russians living in Ukraine say about the war, you can find out in our material.
• Which companies left Russia and how it hit the economy, read on link.
• Where citizens of Ukraine can receive special services in Poland - by link.
• The US State Department has warned citizens of Ukraine that the US Mission in Ukraine does not currently offer visa services. That's it services provided in Germany.
• Meanwhile, the killers tried to kill the President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky at least three times since Russia invaded his country on February 24.
• In Russia, the situation with free media is becoming more and more difficult. Even relatives of Ukrainians from Russia do not believe in shelling of Ukraine.
• Russian diplomats announced persona non grata, left the US, and the Russian airlines stop international flights.
• Meanwhile at the International Court of Justice in The Hague began consideration of the claim of Ukraine to Russia. The subject of the lawsuit is allegations of genocide.
• Russia began active preparations for shutdown from the global internet.
• Thousands of Ukrainians are leaving the country. 11-year-old boy from Zaporozhye made it to the border with Slovakia and crossed it on foot.
• The United States and the world support Ukraine: both government officials and ordinary Americans. 20 workers in West Coast ports refuse оhandle Russian cargo, USA completely refuse from Russian oil and gas. And President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky was awarded Medal Freedom of Ronald Reagan, the United States and the EU countries have renamed the streets on which the Russian embassies are located: now they glorify Ukraine and Zelensky.
• Sanctions take effect: Russia is rapidly rising in price or disappearing from the sale of drugs and medical equipment manufactured by countries that have imposed sanctions on the Russian Federation because of the war in Ukraine.
• Meanwhile, another terrible threat is approaching the world: Chernobyl NPP was de-energized by the invaders on March 9 due to an accident on the power line.

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