Moscow believes that sanctions on sovereign debt and Russia's removal from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) system would be the toughest possible measures that the United States could take, Russia's RBC media holding reported, citing two Russian government sources.
As a safeguard, the Russian authorities are mulling the establishment of a special bank that will be used for acquiring Russian state debt and the adoption of measures that will enable confidentiality with regard to names of debt holders, according to one of the sources.
Another sensitive measure could be further sanctions against Russia's leading banks, Sberbank and VTB Bank, a source close to the Kremlin told the news outlet.
READ MORE: Trump Orders Postponing Introduction of New Anti-Russian Sanctions — Reports
In early April, Washington unveiled new sanctions against Russia over Moscow's alleged global destabilization efforts. Among the individuals and entities affected by the sanctions were several businessmen and companies controlled by them, as well as a number of high-ranking officials. On Sunday, US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley announced that President Donald Trump's administration planned to roll out new sanctions on Monday. The Washington Post reported later that Trump had not yet given final authorization to implement a new round of sanctions against Russia.