Millions of Russian citizens are already feeling the effects of their nation’s invasion of neighboring countries Ukrainewith long queues forming outside the banks as people struggle to withdraw money.

As rockets and shells rained down on Kyiv and Kharkiv, Muscovites were seen standing in huge queues, reminiscent of Soviet bread and meat queues as the ruble fell to its lowest levels.

The United States, Great Britain, Europe and Canada announced a number of new sanctions in recent days – including blocking some Russian creditors’ access to the international payment system SWIFT – while the United States effectively blocked Russia’s central bank from dollar transactions.

This sent the Russian economy into free fall as the ruble fell 30 percent against the dollar, forcing the central bank to raise interest rates to 20 percent yesterday as regulators refused to open the Moscow Stock Exchange this morning.

“I feel like I’m back in the USSR,” admitted Anatoly, a 46-year-old space scientist as he stood stoically at line 152 at an ATM queue with a hole in the wall that allegedly distributed valuable euros and dollars.

It was in a brilliant shopping center from the Putin era, resembling the West everywhere and one of hundreds in modern Russia.

But he said: “It looks like the old Soviet shoe or sausage line when we were completely cut off from the West. Didn’t we learn anything?

Millions of Russian citizens are already feeling the effects of their nation’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine, with long queues in front of banks as people struggle to withdraw money

Huge queues are seen in a Moscow mall as Muscovites try to withdraw hard currency as the ruble falls

As rockets and shells rained down on Kyiv and Kharkiv, Muscovites were seen standing in queues, reminiscent of Soviet bread and meat queues, as the ruble fell to its lowest levels.

This photo shows people queuing for sausages in a shop in the Soviet Union in the 1980s.

“We were going to Europe and America, but Putin brought us back to our miserable Soviet past, which we had 30 years ago,” Anatoly said.

His goal was to withdraw as many dollars or euros as possible from ATMs before the ruble fell even lower.

Currently, the ruble is about 133 per pound, although yesterday it fell to 146 before the intervention of the central bank, and the prices of dietary basic products beef and milk have risen by about 20 percent.

Before Putin annexed Crimea eight years ago, the exchange rate was often below 50 rubles a pound.

A Muscovite named Anton said: “No dollars, no rubles – nothing. Well, there are rubles, but I’m not interested. I don’t know what to do next. “I’m afraid we’re turning to North Korea or Iran right now.”

A designer named Andrei told the BBC that rising interest rates mean he can’t pay off his mortgage. He said: “If I could leave Russia right now, I would. But I can’t quit my job.

“I plan to find new clients abroad as soon as possible and move out of Russia with the money I saved for the first installment. I’m scared here – people have been arrested for speaking out against the “party line”. I feel ashamed and did not even vote for the government.

Travel agents also failed to hide their concerns.

“Europe is closed,” a desperate agent told a Russian tourist. ‘No chance. Impossible. ‘

There may be hopes of traveling to Turkey, Bali and Thailand, but popular European destinations – firmly popular with Russians – have been blocked for the foreseeable future.

European airspace has been cut off for Aeroflot and other airlines, and many Russian airlines will be forced to return Boeing leased aircraft under sanctions, leaving them in difficulty in serving Russian destinations.

If Western sanctions were mild before, few in Moscow believe so now, even as Russia’s state media continues to shape and guide the narrative.

“I’m fed up with all the poisonous lies on Putin’s propaganda television,” said 24-year-old Polina, an event organizer also in line for ATMs.

“No one of my generation is swallowing the bile that all Ukrainians are Nazis. This is nonsense and we all know it.

“Everyone in Ukraine – like here – wants a life without state tyranny, where we can live, breathe and prosper.

“Our Kremlin leaders are a thing of the past. Putin can create hypersonic weapons, but most rural houses have outdoor toilets.

“A lot of ordinary people are struggling to cope.”

73-year-old Lyubov refused to wait in line.

“I do not want to return to life as it was with Brezhnev,” she said. We left that behind – or so I thought.

She was born in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s largest city, just 25 miles from the Russian border, but which has been hit by rocket attacks from Russia over the past 48 hours.

“I fear for my grandchildren like never before,” she admitted. “Criticizes this criminal war?” You can, but you will be ready for betrayal.

This undated photo shows women queuing up in a Soviet store that looks completely naked around the late 1980s. Several Russians complain that the economic consequences of the invasion of Ukraine have thrown them “back into the USSR”

Russian President Vladimir Putin has received international criticism for his decision to pursue a persistent invasion of Ukraine. Many of its own citizens are now speaking out against its decisions

If Western sanctions were mild before, few in Moscow believe it now, even as Russian state media continue to shape and direct the narrative.

“It’s sobering.” I go back to the queues I remember from my childhood. The authorities are trying to blame the West, but we know who is responsible for our misery.

This is our own president.

However, some disagree and remain loyal to Putin, convinced that Ukraine is full of Nazis and a threat to Russia’s security that requires forced demilitarization.

Food prices are expected to soar in the coming weeks, with retailers already warning of higher costs on the horizon as a result of the terrible exchange rate and the proximity of food factories to Ukraine’s military zone in the Kursk and Belgorod regions.

Andrey Zudov from the Slata and HlebSol retail chains said: “There are enough stocks of fruits and vegetables for this week.

“But we have received reports from suppliers that they cannot ship goods that have arrived in Black Sea ports due to the uncertainty of the situation and the strong fluctuations in the currency.”

This means that Russian citizens are facing a “shortage of imported fruits – citrus fruits, pears, grapes and bananas” in the very near future.

Rusnak walks in front of a digital billboard showing the exchange rates of the Russian ruble against the euro and the US dollar in front of an exchange office in Moscow as the price slides

This photo shows a view of a school destroyed by explosions near the center of Kharkiv

Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, has been heavily bombed by indiscriminate Russian artillery and may have been hit by so-called “cluster” munitions, causing “dozens” of casualties.

China can be considered a Russian ally, but many of its suppliers have begun to demand 100% prepayment at the point of purchase for all imports to Russia.

Some supplies of alcohol were also stopped.

Alexander Martinov, founder of the Rovesnik bar in Moscow, said: “Suppliers have already sent out notices that the prices of imported goods will rise.

“For example, we bought sweet potatoes in Canada and imported cheese.

“And now prices are rising by 30-40 percent and this is clearly not the final increase.”

Westerners living in Russia face problems using their debit or credit cards linked to foreign banks.

The Russian wife of an American citizen said: “Bank cards do not work and we are wondering how we can withdraw cash. My husband managed to withdraw some cash yesterday, but today he went to the store and returned empty-handed.

Despite the devastating financial damage, the smiling Vladimir Putin yesterday spoke of the Western “empire of lies” and banned Russians from sending their money abroad since midnight.

Russia’s defense ministry said the strikes would be “to suppress information attacks against Russia”, according to a statement from Russia’s state-run media TASS, adding that Kyiv residents near the sites should leave their homes.

The threat comes as Russian forces attack Ukraine from several countries, sending a huge convoy of armored vehicles to Kyiv, the center of the country, while intensifying bombing against Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, in the northeast. Russian forces have also breached a heavily contested port city to the south.

Zelenski’s request

Russia’s army is far larger and more powerful than Ukraine’s in almost every measure, but Ukraine’s allies, including the European Union, are trying to send more weapons into the country to help defend it.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made a passionate request to European leaders on Tuesday to grant Ukraine immediate EU membership, saying his country is struggling to survive.

“We have proven our strength. We have proved that we are at least the same as you, “he told the European Parliament via video link. “So prove that you are with us. Prove that you will not let us go. Prove that you are truly European.”

Zelensky’s request came when Russia accelerated strikes on Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv. In the last two days, Russian attacks have hit civilians, suggesting a shift to far less restrained bombing. Earlier Russian attacks were more focused on military targets.

The UN says at least 102 civilians have been killed across the country and 304 injured, although those figures probably underestimate the actual number.

After a meeting on Capitol Hill on Monday, at which Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States requested more weapons, senior US Republican Sen. Jim Rich said Ukraine was in trouble. “This is David vs. Goliath,” he said.

US officials – who were previously surprised by fierce Ukrainian resistance who saw ordinary citizens taking up arms – now fear the situation is becoming “much more challenging” for Ukrainians.

U.S. officials said at a briefing Monday that Russia is likely to begin a siege of Kyiv, leading to ugly scenes of urban warfare, said one person familiar with the matter.

Kharkiv residents sleep dressed, ready to flee

On Tuesday, Kharkiv was rocked by a large explosion that burned cars, blew up windows and destroyed a large government building on Freedom Square.

Emergency services say at least 10 people have been killed and 24 injured in a Russian missile strike, which Zelenski described as a “terrorist act” against civilians in a Facebook post.

Late Monday, at least five separate residential areas in Kharkiv were hit by rockets, according to a CNN analysis of videos on social media.

During a trip to Poland on Tuesday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called the Russian invasion “worse than we expected”, citing attacks such as those seen in Kharkov’s neighborhoods.

“It is clear that Vladimir Putin is ready to use barbaric and indiscriminate tactics against innocent civilians to bomb towers, send rockets to towers, kill children, as we see in increasing numbers,” he said.

A 66-year-old Kharkiv resident named Tatiana told CNN that a shell hit her house early Tuesday morning, breaking her windows.

Tatiana – who has been sleeping in her shoes and coat since the beginning of the invasion – ran to her basement, where her relative Oleg told her that his car had burned down and “the school in the yard was completely destroyed”.

The day before, CNN confirmed that five residential areas in the city were affected by military strikes on Monday, using videos shared on social media.

A dramatic video taken by a surveillance camera in a residential complex on Velika Kiltseva Street shows multiple explosions from a single impact that fell on a parking lot and a path.

The intense shelling – at least eight explosions were seen but more were heard – lasted 20 seconds. While the ammunition is falling, people are seen fleeing while the explosions hit the ground: a man falls to the ground while the explosions surround him. A parked car explodes after a direct hit.

On Klochkovska Street, graphic videos show blood and body parts outside a small grocery store.

“It’s awful, boys,” says a voice in the video. “Right in my part of town. The boots and legs were taken off, here are parts of the brain.”

Walking around Kyiv

Two government facilities in Kyiv – a city believed to be Russia’s main target – will be hit by air strikes on Tuesday, the Russian Defense Ministry said, according to Russia’s state news agency TASS.

The Russian military has asked residents nearby to leave their homes, the statement said.

This comes as A massive 40-mile Russian military convoy – made up of armored vehicles, tanks, towed artillery and other logistics vehicles – has reached the outskirts of Kyiv, according to satellite images from Maxar Technologies. Maxar said he had seen streams of smoke rising from a number of homes and buildings near the roads the convoy was traveling on, although it was unclear what the reason was.

On Tuesday, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko warned that “the enemy is on the outskirts of the capital”, but the Ukrainian military “is preparing to defend Kyiv”.

“Fortifications and checkpoints have been built at the entrances to the city. I ask everyone to calm down. Do not go out unnecessarily and stay in shelters in case of alarm,” he said in a video message.

U.S. officials told lawmakers at secret briefings Monday that a second wave of Russian troops is likely to consolidate the country’s position in Ukraine and a huge number may be able to overcome Ukrainian resistance, according to two people familiar with the briefing.

“This part was discouraging,” an MP told CNN.

Russian forces enter the port city

Russian-backed forces have also succeeded in the south. In the port city of Kherson, west of Mariupol and north of the Crimean peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014, Ukrainian defense lines appear to have fallen and Russian military vehicles have been spotted driving inside the city.

The leader of the self-proclaimed separatist region in Donetsk said he expects his forces to encircle the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol on Tuesday. The town of Volnovakha, halfway between Mariupol and Donetsk, was almost completely surrounded, Denis Pushilin added.

Ukraine has accused Russia of committing war crimes by targeting civilians, and the International Criminal Court said Monday it would launch an investigation into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a move welcomed by Kyiv.

In a speech late last night, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday’s attacks on Kharkiv were “an obvious war crime”.

“Kharkov is a quiet city, there are quiet residential areas, no military facilities. Dozens of eyewitness accounts prove that this is not a fake volley, but a deliberate destruction of people. The Russians knew where they were shooting,” he said.

“No one in the world will forgive you for killing a peaceful Ukrainian people.”

The Kremlin has denied Zelensky’s allegations of war crimes in Ukraine, repeatedly saying it is not aimed at civilian areas.

A humanitarian crisis is looming

As fierce battles are being fought across the country, many Ukrainians are fleeing the country at a pace that could turn into “Europe’s biggest refugee crisis of the century”, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said on Tuesday.

There are more than 660,000 refugees who have fled to neighboring countries in the past six days, a UNHCR statement said.

Many of them are women who have had to make difficult decisions to abandon their fathers and husbands – men between the ages of 18 and 60 are barred from leaving Ukraine.

Foreigners are also desperately trying to leave the country, but some have found themselves waiting in the cold to get out. Some have suffered racism from border guards.

Other Ukrainians have chosen to stay and join the resistance. Volunteers flock to the capital, where many feel disobedience. Some collect bottles to make Molotov cocktails.

CNN’s Nathan Hodge, Olya Woitoich, Jeremy Herb, Lauren Fox, Ted Barrett, Claire Foren, Caitlan Collins, Ali Zaslav, Liam Riley, Puja Salhotra, Paul P. Murphy, Morgan Reamer, Richard Roth, Nick Peyton Walsh, Alexandra Walsh, Ale Tim Lister, Stephanie Busari, Nimi Princeville and Shama Nasinde, Arva Damon, Clarissa Ward, Hannah Richie and Thiel Rebain contributed to this report.