Half of Russians earn less than $550 monthly

It is a struggle to make ends meet for many in Russia.

Average incomes have fallen for the past five years.

And half the population – about 70 million people – earns less than $550 a month.

To get by, many families are taking out risky and high-cost loans – but that is only making them worse off.

Al Jazeera’s Step Vaessen reports from Moscow.