MOSCOW, December 20. /TASS/. The ruble rate should remain floating, Central Bank chief Elvira Nabiullina said at the press conference after the regulator’s Board meeting.

"We do not perform currency operations based on the [ruble] rate or even higher volatility. This is because the market should find the balance," she noted.

"If we start currency interventions in time of greater volatility, market players will have the feeling that the rate is now artificial because it is backed by the Central Bank, and if the Central Bank withdraws, the rate will weaken further," the head of the regulator said. The rate needs to remain floating for greater confidence in the market-based nature of the ruble rate.