Russian war in Ukraine: breaking news and invasion news

A woman walks past a board showing the exchange rates of the US dollar and the euro against the Russian ruble in Moscow on Feb. 22, 2022. (Photo by DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP via Getty Images) The Russian MOEX stock index opened up after partially reopening for the first time in nearly a month. In the first minutes, the index rose more than 10%. The Moscow Stock Exchange was last listed on February 25, after shares plunged following the invasion of Ukraine and subsequent sanctions imposed on Russia. The MOEX index had lost about 35% of its value this year, while the RTS index – which is denominated in dollars – sank 42%. The reopening: The Central Bank said the exchange would partially reopen trading in Russian stocks on Thursday. The Bank of Russia said trading of 33 securities would take place between 9:50 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. local time. (Currently it is 10:42 am in Moscow.) Among the Russian securities allowed to resume trading are large companies such as Gazprom, Lukoil, VTB Bank, Sberbank, Rusal and Rosneft. The central bank said short selling of these shares will be prohibited and has blocked foreign investors from selling their shares. It also introduced currency controls, limiting the amount of foreign currency that can be taken out of Russia. A bit of context: The White House criticized the reopening of the stock market, calling it a “sham” and a “Potemkin market opening” that will hide the dire effects of Western economic sanctions.