(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Academic experts suggest that Russia is entering a period of irreversible systemic decline, increasingly functioning as a vassal state to China. Dr Sarah Paine argues that the invasion of Ukraine has accelerated a transition where Moscow sacrifices its strategic autonomy in exchange for economic survival under Beijing’s orbit. The current economic landscape for Russia appears increasingly fragile. Current market data shows Russian oil trading at approximately 34 to 36 US Dollars (£26.70 to £28.27) per barrel. This…