Why do I want to buy a bumch of Rubles right now? I guess it’s the gambler in me. They do have oil and lots of minerals. Hmmmm.....
When I visited St Petersburg in 1996 I was importuned repeatedly by Russians to buy rubles with my dollars. I did sell the relatively few I had in cash but had to decline most requests since almost all my money was in traveler’s checks. The ruble was feeble then and apparently hasn’t improved.