Oligarchs derive their wealth purely from monopolizing the state's assets. They are simply exported to countries overseas, but do not generate domestic innovation at home. Ang s that russia can afford a level of blatant aggression that china cannot.
The political scientist Yuen Yuen Ang argues that different forms of government create different styles of corruption. The U.S. and China have more in common than we’d like to admit — but Russia is a different story, which could explain its willingness to invade Ukraine.