In Ukraine, citizens feeling war's toll on economy
alina Artemyuk doesn't bother with gloves even though the mercury never rises above freezing this time of year and her wind-chapped hands are as red as boiled lobsters.
She needs her fingers free to swiftly sort and wrap her daily consignment of 400 pastries from a commercial bakery near Kontraktova Square, where she arrives each day before sunrise to set up her booth at the tram terminal in time for the 7 a.m. start of rush hour.
On a good day, when she sells out of the sweet rolls filled with sour cherry jam or ground poppy seeds, she clears 300 hryvnia, or about $20. But sales are shrinking, as is the hryvnia's value. Even at 27 cents per pastry, customers who have seen their money lose more than half its value this year are cutting out breakfast on the run.
http://www.latimes.com/world/europe/la-fg-ukraine-tanking-economy-20141208-story.html#navtype=outfit
