MOSCOW, Aug 26 (Reuters) - The rouble fell further against
the dollar on Wednesday in most Russian cities and people were
queueing to buy safe-haven dollars where banks had them despite
the high price, bankers said.
"We are only selling those dollars that people sold to us.
There is no other cash," said a cashier in the Omskpromstroibank
in the Siberian city of Omsk.
The roubles could be sold at 8.41 per dollar and bought at
7.86 before the rouble fell more than five percent on the
country's main currency exchange from Tuesday's fix of 7.86 per
dollar and trading was halted. The cashier said the rate would
change after the new MICEX fix accordingly.
"People are also withdrawing en masse their rouble and
dollar savings from banks," she added.
In the Far East port city of Vladivostok the dollar stood at
between 7.8 and 9.15 roubles. Bankers there complained big banks
in Moscow had delayed payments to them and the Moscow banks
preferred to buy dollars instead.
There were few dollars available in Vladivsotok and most
credit card withdrawals had been halted.
Russian television said the dollar cost as much as 9.5
roubles in some far-away towns, at the level of the upper band
of a rouble corridor set by the central bank for this year.
The rouble was at around six to the dollar only two weeks
ago, before the central bank announced a de facto devaluation by
raising the upper band of the corridor.
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