NPR.

This is the Indicator from Planet Money, I'm Darien Woods.

And I'm Paddy Hirsch.

When a country is attacked militarily, it's all about the generals and the field marshals,

who move troops and other military assets around in order to defend the motherland.

When the attack is financial and economic, however, the Onus falls on the defending country's

finance chiefs.

And in particular, the head of the central bank.

Russia may be the aggressor in Ukraine, but it is playing defense in the much larger conflict

unleashed by sanctions imposed by a group of countries, including the US, UK and the EU.

Now, all eyes are on Elvira Nebulina, the governor of the central bank of Russia.

As she makes moves to shore up her country's currency and tries to save its economy.

In today's show, we look at the role of the central banker and at the weapons and ammunition

they can bring to the economic fight.

Coming up, after the break.

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The loss of access to foreign dollars or to dollars puts the central bank in a particular

bind in conjunction with the depreciation of the rubble.

The rubble.

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