except China is not subject to the "brain drain" you are describing and is actually economically successful. When it comes to which regime is more repressive, I agree the difference is only in effectivity - the scale of China's oppression/brainwashing/ethnic cleansing operation in Xinjiang is really scary, I don't think Russia would be capable of organising (or financing) something like this...

Yes, sorry. I meant similarities in the regimes, not braindrain. And if there is something left to take over depends on the choices of weapons russia makes in the next few days.

Is there even going to be something left at all, or someone left, anywhere, depending on the choices of weapons they make in the next few days?