{
  "id": 1491343,
  "title": "Vote with your ruble: The Russian stock market is rejecting Putin’s official optimism",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/17/vote-with-your-ruble-the-russian-stock-market-is-rejecting-putins",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-08-17T13:56:05.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Insider",
    "slug": "the-insider",
    "url": "https://theins.press/en/economics/296044"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Russian stock market is rejecting President Vladimir Putin's official optimism, as seen in the sharp decline of both the Moscow Exchange Index and the RTS Index from September 2021 to February 2022. This decline in share prices is attributed to the anticipation of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and its dire consequences. The Moscow Exchange Index, which has risen 22.2-fold since its inception in 1997, fell by 28% in the four months preceding the invasion and further by 33% on the day of the invasion. The RTS Index, denominated in U.S. dollars, also experienced a similar drop. The severe economic impact of the invasion has been compared to Russia's most severe economic crises in modern history, such as those in 1998 and 2008. Companies like Gazprom, which once held a significant market capitalization, have seen their worth plummet to a mere fraction of its previous value. The sharp decline in share prices has led to profit collapse, defaults, and bankruptcies across various sectors, including oil and gas, with companies like Gazprom and Rosneft experiencing significant losses.",
  "summary": "Russian stock indexes have plunged 30% over the past three months, approaching their lowest level since the start of the war. Under conditions of higher taxes, arbitrary property confiscations, falling investment, increasing war damage, and high interest rates, the value of Russian companies will continue to decline.",
  "key_points": [
    "Russian stock market declines 28% before Ukraine invasion",
    "RTS Index, denominated in USD, also drops sharply",
    "Companies like Gazprom suffer massive market value loss"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "MarketWatch Top",
        "title": "The stock market is driving the economy in one major way",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/17/the-stock-market-is-driving-the-economy-in-one-major-way",
        "published": "2026-08-17T13:35:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "New Voice of Ukraine",
        "title": "Binance gave Russia data on client who donated to Ukraine after leaving Russian market",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/17/binance-gave-russia-data-on-client-who-donated-to-ukraine-after",
        "published": "2026-08-17T14:28:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "France 24",
        "title": "Russian strike on Kyiv book market: 'An attempt to annihilate Ukrainian identity'",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/17/russian-strike-on-kyiv-book-market-an-attempt-to-annihilate-ukrainian",
        "published": "2026-08-17T15:06:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}