Isolated Russians scramble for hard currency, fear worse is yet to come

FILE PHOTO: A customer hands over Russian rouble banknotes and coins to a vendor at a market in Omsk, Russia February 18, 2022. REUTERS/Alexey Malgavko/File Photo/File Photo

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Queues of people snaked through Moscow shopping malls on Tuesday as the scramble for hard currency continued, and Russians faced increasing isolation as sanctions made travel harder and sports teams were ejected from major competitions.

Western sanctions over Russia's invasion of Ukraine threaten to decimate the economy, and have already sent the rouble plunging to record lows this week before a partial recovery.