Russia's central bank in 2014 sold $76.1 billion and €5.4 billion in attempts to support the rouble, statistics published today show, as the currency continued to fall.
Last year, the rouble lost 41% of its value against the dollar and 34% against the euro as a result of Western sanctions imposed over the crisis in Ukraine and the falling price of oil.
The rouble's fall, plus Russian sanctions on most Western food imports, led to price rises of 11.4% in 2014.
The central bank's statistics showed that its largest interventions to prop up the troubled currency were in March, when Russia annexed Crimea ($22.3 billion), then in October ($27.2 billion) and in December ($11.9 billion) when oil prices fell sharply.
The falling rouble sparked panic among Russians in December, with people rushing to convert their savings into dollars or euros, peaking on December 15 and 16 when the rouble lost up to a quarter of its value in two days.
The rouble then stabilised slightly but has remained weak in January as oil prices have continued to fall.
Today, the rouble fell in value against the dollar and euro after markets opened.
Russia's currency reserves in December also fell below $400 billion for the first time in five years.
