Russia's Central Bank sold $1.926 billion, or 102.29 bln rubles, on the currency market on December 5 to stabilize the ruble's exchange rate, the regulator said on its website.

On December 3, the Central Bank sold $1.9 billion, or 101.15 billion rubles, and on December 1 - $700 million, or 36.87 billion rubles. Prior to this, the bank had not carried out currency interventions since November 10, when it placed the ruble into free float.

The Central Bank warned that switching to free float did not mean the bank was leaving the currency market entirely. The Central Bank is ready to carry out currency interventions if financial stability is threatened, the bank said.