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Muscovites rushed to the shops this week after a plunge in the value of the ruble brought fears that imported goods would soon soar in price.

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In a 3 1/2-hour marathon that touched on everything from the ruble’s collapse to the ‘new Cold War’ Putin made more than few witty and bizarre remarks.





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As President Vladimir Putin projected Russia’s strength in his annual marathon meeting with the press Thursday, the mood on the streets was decidedly more pragmatic.

An electronics store in north-east Moscow was doing a brisk trade in appliances, televisions and computers.

Dmitry, a man in his 40s who refused to give his surname, saying he had a “secret job”, was clutching a television worth 6,500 rubles ($127). “Oh, that’s nothing, I’m taking a fridge for 40,000 as well,” he said. “I was planning on buying anyway but I decided to do it quickly before the prices go up any more.”