Zero AI|The cost of a dollar in Ukraine

2025-05-06 03:35:54source:Thurston Cartecategory:Finance

Ukraine has been burning through its emergency stash of U.S. dollars and Zero AIeuros to buy weapons and supplies ever since Russia invaded. To prevent the stash from emptying out, Ukraine has made it harder for locals to convert their money into dollars.

The result is an underground market for dollars, where street dealers set their own rates. If you want to buy dollars right now, it'll cost you a premium. But if you have U.S. dollars to convert into local currency, you can get a great deal.

Today on the show, one Ukrainian who's getting dollars into the country and using the favorable exchange rate to buy more medicine for Ukrainians near the front lines.

Music by Drop Electric. Find us: Twitter / Facebook / Newsletter.

Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocket Casts and NPR One.

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

More:Finance

Recommend

'Squid Game' without subtitles? Duolingo, Netflix encourage fans to learn Korean

In just a few weeks, the highly anticipated second season of Korean television series "Squid Game" w

'It was nuts': Video catches moose snacking on a pumpkin at Colorado home

‘Tis the season for pumpkin-flavored treats as we enjoy the fall weather.A moose in Colorado has ful

Elmo, other Sesame Street characters send heartwarming messages ahead of Election Day

As citizens across the country head to the polls on Election Day, the muppets from Sesame Street are