[jacquesm]

> I am saying that conversion back to RUB (actually something you can use to pay for gas/food/rent) is still going to be problematic.

I suspect - but absent evidence this is speculation - that you can probably pay with gold and 'hard' currency easily right now in Russia, this was the case before the iron curtain fell (illegal, of course) and I don't see why it would be any different today. People hate being paid in a currency that loses double digit percentages of value overnight.