Russia's capture of three Ukrainian naval ships on the 25 November could lead to Western sanctions such as those imposed when Russia took control of Crimea in 2014. Concern over the escalation of conflict between the two countries saw the ruble fall to 67.17 against the US dollar. Having largely ignored a sell-off on the oil market last week, the rouble took a hit from concerns about the standoff between Russia and Ukraine that reminded investors of 2014, when Moscow annexed Crimea and was stung by Western sanctions. The Russian central bank said it would buy up to $US500 billion ($A649.5 billion) worth of bonds and other assets from western banks this week.
Russia's capture of three Ukrainian naval ships on the 25 November could lead to Western sanctions such as those imposed when Russia took control of Crimea in 2014. Concern over the escalation of conflict between the two countries saw the ruble fall to 67.17 against the US dollar. The Russian central bank said it would buy up to $US500 billion ($A649.5 billion) worth of bonds and other assets from western banks this week.