08/18/1998 14:49:32 RUSSIA RTS1-INTERFAX SHARE INDEX ENDS DOWN 9.01 PCT AT 99.58, VOL $11.65 MLN

MOSCOW, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Russia's leading RTS1-Interfax share index ended with a nine percent slide on Tuesday, hit in the wake of government measures, one of which effectively devalued the rouble. The index <.IRTS> ended down 9.01 percent at 99.58, with its traded volume at a very slow $11.65 million. The market has also been hit by slides in Russian foreign debt, on which prices have fallen sharply after the country announced a moratorium on some repayments, although this did not apply to Russian federal debt. The package of measures announced on Monday also undermined sentiment by declaring a suspension of the t-bill GKO and OFZ bond market ahead of a planned conversion of short-term debt maturing to the end of 1999 to longer-term paper. Top share United Energy Systems (UES) <EESR.RTS> fell to a close of $0.0715 from $0.0755 while oil firm LUKOil <LKOH.RTS> lost ground to $5.35 from $6.2. ((Moscow Newsroom, +7095 941-8520 moscow.newsroom@reuters.com))