---
title: "Sharp Crash on the Moscow Exchange: How a New US Sanctions Bill Hit Russian Assets"
description: "The Russian market crashed to a low not seen since late 2022 amid news of a new US sanctions package 📉. Investors are massively selling shares of Gazprom, VTB, and VK, fearing 100% tariffs for buyers of Russian oil. 🇺🇸🇷🇺"
date: 2026-07-15T14:28:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/sharp-crash-on-moscow-exchange-us-sanctions-hit-russian-assets
tags: [moscow-exchange, us-sanctions, lincoln-graham, russian-economy, vladimir-chernev]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Sharp Crash on the Moscow Exchange: How a New US Sanctions Bill Hit Russian Assets

![A person walks past the Moscow Exchange building amid news of a market crash due to new US sanctions](https://xab.info/media/2026/07/15/obval-na-mosbirzhe-sanкции-ssha-protiv-rossii/obval-na-mosbirzhe-sanкции-ssha-protiv-rossii-1.webp)

The Russian stock market showed a sharp decline on July 15 against the backdrop of news about the preparation of a new sanctions package in the US. Investors began a massive sell-off of assets even before the official adoption of the relevant bill, fearing the consequences for the Russian economy.

### Historical Minimum and Ignoring Oil Prices

During trading, the Moscow Exchange (MOEX) index fell to 2109.58 points. This is the lowest figure since December 19, 2022. Notably, the decline occurred despite the rise in global oil prices, which reached a monthly maximum.

In one day, the index lost almost 3%. Since the beginning of the year, the total decline has already amounted to 23%. Analysts link this capital outflow to panic amid reports of new restrictions from Washington.

### Who Lost the Most?

The blow hit all key sectors of the economy. As of 15:49 MSK, the situation looked as follows:

    - **VK:** The company's shares plummeted by almost 7%. This was a reaction to the state messenger Max falling under sanctions.

    - **Severstal:** Lost 4% of its value.

    - **VTB:** Shares fell by 3.8%.

    - **Rosneft:** The decline amounted to 2.9%.

    - **Aeroflot:** Lost 2.6%.

    - **Gazprom:** Shares fell by 2%, updating minimums not seen since 2008. An additional factor was the report of the suspension of negotiations by China regarding the construction of the Power of Siberia-2 gas pipeline.

    - **Sberbank:** Lost 1.5%.

### The Essence of the New US Bill

The key reason for the sell-off was news about a bill developed by the late Senator Lindsey Graham. The document provides for the introduction of 100% tariffs for India and China in the event that they continue to purchase Russian oil.

In addition, the bill contains tough measures against the Russian financial sector:

    - Restrictions on the Central Bank of Russia.

    - Sanctions against the largest banks, including Sberbank, VTB, and Gazprombank.

    - Blocking of the "shadow fleet" and oil shipments.

    - Blow to the Yamal LNG and Arctic LNG projects.

After Senator Graham's death, the document received a new impetus. The White House confirmed its readiness to support it, and US President Donald Trump stated that the probability of the bill's adoption is "quite high".

### Kyiv's Position

Vladyslav Vlasyuk, the President of Ukraine's Commissioner for Sanctions Policy, noted that the updated document combines individual and sectoral sanctions. According to him, the goal is to strike at Russia's financial and energy sectors, as well as to block all possible ways to circumvent existing restrictions.