Russia uses the Ruble as its currency which is available in 10, 50, 100, 500 and 1,000 Ruble notes. Since it was revalued in 1998, it has been very stable compared to the Euro and Dollar, in fact it has been the most stable currency in Europe in that time period. It is not generally available outside the borders of Russia but the current president,
Vladimir Putin,
has laid the groundwork to have it be a convertible international currency by 2007.
The Ruble comes in 1, 2 and 5 Ruble coins and 10, 50, 100, 500, 1,000 and 51,000 notes. Here are the notes:
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Another source Rubles are the thousands of ATM's located through out the city. A few ATM's in hotels pay out by a choice of Dollars or Rubles, but most are Rubles only. Usually the exchange banks charge a 20-30 Ruble commission for processing the exchange.
Foreign currencies should be clean with no ink marks, tears or stains to be exchanged in Russia. Many exchange banks and merchants are very strict about this rule. Moderate wear will be acceptable but not if the ink has been damaged by creases or wear and tear.
