The ruble is sliding

The Russian ruble is sliding.
The currency is down by 0.5% at 64.9531 per dollar as of 7:27 a.m. ET.
Meanwhile, Brent crude oil, the international benchmark, is lower by 1.1% at $45.45 per barrel.
Separately, data released on Monday suggests that the Russian consumer continues to struggle. 
Retail sales fell by 5.1% year-over-over in August, compared to July's revised down 5.2%. Plus, real wages contracted by 1.0% year-over-year in August.
As for the rest of the wor