Russian authorities told people not to panic on Tuesday as the battered ruble plunged to record lows, floored by tensions with the West over Ukraine, new sanctions and falling oil prices.
The national currency fell to a record level of 38.82 rubles per dollar after weakening on Monday to below 38 against the dollar for the first time.
And it broke through the symbolic level of 50 rubles per euro for the first time for several months.
The ruble has slumped as investors fret about the impact of ever more stringent Western sanctions on the economy, which is already teetering on the verge of recession.
Ordinary Russians said they were concerned that a weaker ruble would drive up inflation and make foreign trips and foreign-currency-denominated purchases an increasingly unaffordable luxury.
Deputy foreign minister Alexei Moiseyev sought to put on a brave face, saying authorities were taking steps to curb inflation.
"Don't panic," he said on Tuesday.
The euro was worth 50.11 rubles at 0754 GMT on Tuesday, almost one ruble more than its value the day before.
The Russian currency is still worth slightly more than at its lowest point in spring of 50.22 rubles to the euro after Russia's annexation of Crimea in March.
Since the start of September, the dollar has gone up 1.70 rubles in value.
On Tuesday afternoon the ruble slightly recovered to 38.48 against the dollar and 49.94 against the euro.
"The ruble has come under renewed fire over the past few weeks. Since the start of September, it has fallen by four percent against the dollar and three percent against its dollar/euro basket," said Capital Economics.
"The latest drop means that the ruble has now fallen by 15 percent against the dollar since the start of the year, the biggest fall of any major emerging market currency with the exception of the Argentine peso."
The central bank has been cutting its forex intervention as it gears up to allow the national currency to float freely from 2015.
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