The Russian stock market started with a collapse of the Moscow Exchange Index by more than 5%, as reported by the Eastern media.
The Russian stock market at the start of Tuesday morning session maintained its negative mood at the beginning of the week due to geopolitical tensions and rising sanctions risks.
The MosBeX index was down 5.44% in a minute of trading, the dynamics of blue chips is negative.
By 07:01 MSK Moscow Exchange Index was 2871.7 points (-5.44%). Prices of the most "blue chips" on the Moscow Exchange demonstrate negative dynamics within 9.5%, shares of Magnit (-9.5%), Gazprom (-9.2%), MTS (-9%), Sberbank (-6%) and other companies got cheaper.
Rosneft shares also went up (+2.9%).
The US dollar rose to 79.98 RUR / $1 (+0.2 RUR).
According to experts, the fall of Russian shares observed at the beginning of trading on Tuesday, February 22, due to investors' aversion to risky assets amid escalating anti-Russian sanctions after Russia recognized the independence of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic and the Donetsk People's Republic (LPR and DPR).
As a reminder, Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized the independence of the self-proclaimed "LPR" and "DPR".
And the day before, Russian stocks collapsed by a trillion rubles in one day.