Where Have All the Rubles Gone?

By presidential decree, 50-ruble and 100-ruble bank notes (a 100-ruble note is worth anywhere from $5 to $160) are no longer legal tender in the U.S.S.R. In effect, many people's savings have been confiscated by the government under these provisions:

-- Workers have three days to exchange the equivalent of a month's salary, up to 1,000 rubles, in large-denomination notes for smaller ones or newly issued large-denomination bank notes.

-- Pensioners can exchange the equivalent of their monthly stipends, up to 200 rubles.

-- Anyone holding larger amounts in big bills must prove they were acquired legally.

-- Citizens with bank accounts will be permitted to withdraw no more than 500 rubles each month.