The index fell more than 5% from its opening level earlier in the day and the bourse first halted trading at 2:30 p.m. Moscow time (10:30 GMT) and then again at 4 p.m. (12:00 GMT).
As of 2:30 p.m. Moscow time, the RTS index stood at 1,769 points (5.45% down).
The Russian stock market opened Thursday with a moderate drop despite the U.S. Senate's approval of a financial bailout package.
Shares fell 1.46% on the MICEX stock exchange to 1,002.36 points, and the RTS index declined 0.75% to 1,179.35 points as of 11:00 am Moscow time (07:00 GMT).
Investors were upbeat over the U.S. Senate's approval of a financial stabilization plan but Asian indexes fell over fears that the lower house could again reject the package.
Russian stocks nose dived on September 17 to their lowest point in nearly three years, putting on hold trading on the RTS and MICEX exchanges for two days in a row.
The market rebounded on September 19 after the government scrambled to inject billions of dollars into the financial sector to shore up liquidity.
