The ruble intensified its fall on the evening of February 18 against the backdrop of an aggravation of the situation in the Donbass, according to trading data. The dollar exchange rate at 20:00 Moscow time grew by 88 kopecks. to 77.16 rubles, for the first time since February 14, exceeding the mark of 77 rubles. The euro rose by 78 kopecks. up to 87.35 rubles.
The weakening of the Russian currency continued amid news of an explosion in the center of Donetsk. According to the authorities of the DPR, a car exploded in the parking lot near the government building of the self-proclaimed republic. Denis Sinenkov, the head of the people’s militia of the DPR, said that the car belonged to him, while he himself was not injured.
The fall is also observed in the Russian stock market. The IMOEX2 index, calculated over a full day, by 20:04 Moscow time decreased by 3.64% to 3336.92 points. As a result of the main trading on Friday, the Moscow Exchange index fell by 3.35%, the RTS dollar index – by 4.05%.
Earlier on Friday, it became known about the large-scale evacuation of residents of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics to Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered to provide assistance to refugees and allocate 10,000 rubles to each person arriving in Russia from Donbass. The DPR says that Kiev plans to launch an offensive against the Donbass, a day earlier the parties accused each other of violating the ceasefire. Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny said that Kiev does not plan and does not conduct offensive operations on the territory of the uncontrolled areas of Donbass.