The day the ruble plunged by 22%, Russian Vogue held a monumental launch party. The cream of Moscow's elite crowded a glitzy shopping arcade and pretended not to notice the air of impending doom all around. At the Red Star model agency Natalia flashes a stunning smile. She puts a brave face on the devastating statistic that in 2 weeks they lost 95% of their business as western investors fled. Arctic Miners who've gone unpaid for 6 months hammer together flimsy shelters in central Moscow. In a last ditch protest they bang their helmets on the steps of the Moscow's White House. The hollow sound rings through the corridors of power, a reminder of Russians' emptying stomachs. Boris and Masha are now both unemployed. A move to a country cottage in better times is now their saviour. Former government researchers they're now full-time subsistence farmers. Masha echoes the biggest fear. "Many people talk of hunger...but it's not just a matter of prices going-up, food may disappear altogether." Getting drunk on vodka, miner Vlad bluntly sums up the disillusionment: "Capitalism is shit."

Produced by ABC Australia