I speak Russian. I looked at the law citation he posted. It clearly says that depending on the state of issue (either country or US state) the tax may be on the whole amount of the sale, not on the gain. So for *some* stocks, yes, the tax may be absolutely ridiculously high.
I actually am not that surprised by this atrocious case. I was visiting in nearby Uzbekistan way back in the mid-80's, some tricky, convoluted situations where who knows what was really going on. In my travels to around 40 countries, at times I have run into the most bizarre laws and rules regarding most every area of "life." In another part of the world, Europe in general is becoming a Hell of interminable laws and rules regarding every aspect of your slav... oops, I mean, "life"! I speak a bit of Russian as well, and this does not look good. I hope that you in time can find a way to a country with more Freedom. It is becoming an increasing challenge for most all of us. I too am looking around the world. The draconian covid lockdown responses showed me all the more how much bureaucrats are absolutely running amok. I used to think New Zealand might be a nice place to live out my days ...!
Fun fact I learned in an archeology class...experts believe Kazakhstan is the first place in the world where horses were domesticated. They would then ride horses to hunt other horses for meat. I went to a 10 week training course in Houston and several Kazakhs attended...they said they still eat horse meat and it was delicious.