Yes, shorthand for many aspects of Russia's economy. A longer explanation.

Most people have a simpleton's view of money. You have it, you're rich, you don't, you're poor.

My analogy focused on the "market" component of money. If all I want is a tank to park outside my Park Avenue condo what is my money worth? Nothing. No one can buy a tank there. Nor could I have my doorman order a prostitute. Those are extreme, cases, of course, but they are a starting point.

What goods can Russians buy with rubbles? Only goods made in the Russian Federation, Turkey, Iran, China, etc. That is, probably only goods NOT sold in Euros or Dollars.

It's another kind of market. So, the first market I talked about, the one based on government regulations, and the second, based on the core monetary system of the sellers.

I could go on and on about this ;)

During Soviet Union times rubbles sold mostly on the black market. Even there, not a huge obstacle. Wealth was not measured in rubbles back then but in access. Could you travel to Europe or the U.S.? Could you get tickets to the ballet? That's what rubbles were really worth, where you could spend them. It's why when the Soviet Union collapsed most Russians became penniless, even professionals like college professors, because they never had access to dollars, couldn't get them and save them, so when they could freely, their rubles were worthless (where Russia oligarchs and KGB had plenty of dollars hidden).

Russians will go through that again. When they get out of "prison" their rubbles will be near worthless. I plan to write a story about that soon. This isn't any secret to anyone who understand global economies. But it's almost impossible to get people interested in thinking about money in anything but simpleton terms.

So I just punted.