‘Putin is a d***head’ beams out of Russian city after ruble collapses

A message branding Russian President Vladimir Putin a “d***head” and a “thief” has been beamed around a Russian city as the country grows frustrated over the downfall of its currency. It comes after the Russian ruble declined to become one of the three worst-performing emerging-market currencies. From the beginning of June, when one dollar was worth roughly 80-81 rubles, the Russian currency has been losing ground versus the American dollar Earlier this week, the ruble fell to a fresh 16-month low of 98 rubles per dollar, its lowest level since late March of last year. So far in 2023, the ruble has fallen by nearly 24 percent compared to the dollar. The image was beamed out to a Russian city (Image: TWITTER) And now, it appears that some within Russia are growing frustrated with the devastating impact that Western sanctions on the illegal war in Ukraine are having. A chyron at the top of the news company SIA-PRESS Center building in Surgut reads: “Putin is huylo and a thief, 100 rubles for a dollar, you’re f***ing crazy.” Huylo is most commonly translated to “d***head” and originates from a Ukrainian football chant. But it carries far more vitriol in Ukrainian, Russian, and Belarusian. Some are growing frustrated at the Russian leader (Image: Getty) American-born Russian translator, Michele Berdy, previously explained: “Think of the worst, most obscene possible expression for a very bad person-and that’s the word you need.” It grew from a football chant first performed by FC Metalist Kharkiv ultras and Shakhtar Donetsk ultras in March 2014 – following Russia ‘s annexing of Crimea. The phrase has become a protest song and is widely spread in Ukraine amongst supporters of Ukrainian sovereignty. A year ago, the exchange rate for the ruble was 60 rubles per dollar. Now, it’s getting close to 100 rubles per dollar. It originated as a chant after the annexing of Crimea (Image: Getty) The Russian government has not been able to strengthen it – and it could be set to get worse. Inflation rates may rise as a result of the ruble’s decline, which could only spark more anger among the Russian population. Elvira Nabiullina, the head of the Russian Central Bank, acknowledges that the ruble’s devaluation affects inflation expectations and will ultimately affect prices, so the country’s key rate could be raised once more.