Can Russia live without the US dollar?

The US dollar will remain in circulation in Russia and will not disappear anywhere, but the Russian economy needs to reduce its dependence on the US currency, Federation Council Chairwoman Valentina Matviyenko said. Matviyenko sees the policy to reduce Russia's dependence on only one financial centre as absolutely correct. Moreover, this is a matter of Russia's sovereignty. "The dollar, of course, is not going anywhere. It will remain in circulation, but it is certainly necessary to reduce the dependence of our economy on just one currency, and this is what we have been doing," Ms. Matviyenko said in an interview with RIA Novosti. She recalled that the Central Bank of Russia and the government "have been pursuing the policy of de-dollarization during the recent years, as the president instructed."