I think the Chinese have been propping up the Russians.

The Russian ruble has rebounded from crippling economic sanctions imposed on Moscow following the invasion of Ukraine and is now at its strongest in more than seven years — earning it the distinction of being the best-performing currency in the world so far this year.

The ruble was trading at 54.47 to the US dollar on Thursday — a far cry from the 139 to the dollar that the currency fell to in March, when the US and the European Union sanctioned the Kremlin for its invasion of Ukraine.

Since the start of the year, the ruble has soared 40% against the dollar — outperforming every other currency in the world.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has touted the ruble’s robust recovery as proof that his economy has successfully withstood the onslaught of Western sanctions.

“The idea was clear: crush the Russian economy violently,” Putin told an economic forum in St. Petersburg last week. “They did not succeed. Obviously, that didn’t happen.”

nypost.com