To prop up the ruble, Russia beefed up its reserves. Now they’re inaccessible.

The invasion of Ukraine and economic sanctions on Russia caused the ruble to tank on Monday, and everyday Russians are already starting to feel the pinch. The Russian Central Bank had already grown a rainy day fund of more than $600 billion in securities and reserves in foreign countries as a hedge against future sanctions. But the U.S. and its allies have frozen Russian assets and made them near-impossible to access. Also on today’s program, a look at why Russia’s valuable energy sector is evading sanctions, zooming in on Ukraine’s role in the global economy and explaining SWIFT, the global interbank messaging service.

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