hryvna

Inflation is coming down and the hryvna currency is stable despite the massive disruption of the war, Gray said.

Two-and-a-half million Ukrainian hryvna is a lot of money.

Two-and-a-half million hryvna also gets you a spot on the ballot paper for Ukraine's presidential election next month.

“Business is awful,” she says, because after the collapse of the Ukrainian hryvna, goods in Russia have become too expensive for Ukrainians and the local train station, once busy thanks to Russian trains passing through Ukraine, now stands idle.

Russia is also paying pensions and benefits, and salaries are paid in rubles rather than the Ukrainian hryvna.