- Two journalists from Danish media in Ukraine said that since cash is a scarce commodity, car transactions had to be replaced by crypto.
- They paid 0.059 bitcoin to buy a Mazda3 car.
In the absence of their own vessel, Ekstra Bladet correspondents Stefan Weichert and Emil Filtenborg spent the morning in Dnipro, central Ukraine, finalising a car deal. Dnipro has not yet been as severely affected by the war as cities to the northeast of the industrial city. However, something is smouldering.
Many people can be seen walking around the city to withdraw money. On Friday morning, Emil Filtenborg reports that the ATMs are not working. Ekstra Bladet’s reporters in Dnipro now have their car, making it easier to get around.ย But since cash is a scarce commodity, car trading tookย place using cryptocurrency. The correspondents are now a used Mazda 3 richer and 0.059 bitcoins (approximately 15,000 kroner) poorer.
They haveย spent the day gathering fuel and spare parts for the journey. However, parts were difficult to obtain. There were no more gas cans; they had been hoarded. People are well aware that they are leaving.
Despite the calm in Dnipro, the unrest will not go away. On Thursday, Stefan Weichert and Emil Filtenborg remained in Kramatorsk, where Russian troops were 50 kilometres away. There was some pressure. People were terrified and fled to the supermarkets. Both claim they want to leave the Dnipro, but they must keep an eye on where the Russians are staying.
What matters is whether the Russians move ahead from the south. If they do, both of them willย have to take the safe route west, but both want to go to the north because theyย have stories to tell. However, Russians can be found on both sides, according to Emil Filtenborg. He also claims that they heard explosions while travelling from Kramatorsk to Dnipro.