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Independent researcher/writer based in Hong Kong since 1997. Reformed academic. My long-form, analytical articles are collected here https://laura-ruggeri.medium.com/ email: lauraru852@yandex.ru
Ukrainian lawmaker Maryana Bezuglaya: "According to my information, the F-16 of the Ukrainian pilot Alexey ‘Moonfish’ Mes was shot down by the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system due to a lack of coordination between the [military] units."
She criticized the Ukrainian Air Force for falsely describing the incident as "a crash."
"The culture of lies in the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as in other higher military headquarters, leads to the fact that the system of managing military decisions does not improve on the basis of truthful, consistently collected analytics, but deteriorates and even collapses, as is happening in the other directions," she wrote.
In her words, none of the generals was punished over the incident that led to the loss of both the aircraft and its pilot. (Source: TASS) @LauraRuHK
The Natoid West is a totalitarian nightmare. @LauraRuHK
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The Goethe Institut in Hong Kong sent out invitations to celebrate Ukrainian Culture Day in September 2024 on its premises. I am tempted to reply with photos of Babi Yar and the Nazi occupation of Ukraine, just to unlock a few memories.😏 @LauraRuHK
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Russian steel prices rose by 5% to 20% this year as first-half demand climbed by almost 6%. That comes as ArcelorMittal SA — the world’s biggest steelmaker outside China — said the global market was “unsustainable,” with prices in both EU and US below marginal costs.
Russia’s economy and steelmakers - under western sanctions - are relatively insulated from the vagaries of international trade flows. While ArcelorMittal’s first-half profit fell, earnings increased at Russian steelmakers.
The local construction industry is the main growth driver, expanding 3% this year on the back of residential building.
During the first six months of the year in Moscow alone, about 2 million square meters of residential properties were finished, plus multiple roads. The city also plans to start 12 new underground stations and is completing the construction of the National Space Center.
Russia’s isolation has turned into a strength for a steel industry largely shut out of western markets. (Source: Bloomberg) @LauraRuHK
⚡️ The fake news about the suspension of a deal between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and France for the purchase of 80 fighter jets is part of a disinformation campaign. Maria Dubovikova writes: Perpetrators have fabricated a fake video purporting to be from Al Jazeera, claiming that the UAE has rejected a deal for 80 Rafale jets with France.
The disinformation campaign began around 8:00 PM Moscow time with a leak on certain dubious Telegram channels. From there, the fake started seeping into Twitter (X). The news was picked up by opposition opinion leaders (and even politicians!) in the US and Europe.
It's unclear why anyone would want to spread this hoax. There seems to be no point unless it's orchestrated by adversaries.
Considering how rapidly it's spreading across credible public channels and being picked up by conservative opinion leaders who don't bother with verification, relying on each other, it's a blatant setup that damages opposition thinkers.
The spread of this fake, which was meticulously prepared to the extent of producing a video mimicking Al Jazeera, serves as supposed evidence of the thesis that there is continuous Russian disinformation, fake news, and a clear campaign of interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state by Russian and pro-Russian forces. It's an undermining of positions and a discrediting of opponents of the mainstream and advocates for reason.
It's hard to imagine that this leak was generated by Russia for some purpose. Because when the refutation comes (and it should come, given the increasing circulation of the disinformation), the bubble will burst without any result, impacting everyone spreading the news. Setting up people of reason and anti-mainstream influencers like this is nonsensical. @LauraRuHK
According to the portal avia-pro.net, The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has decided to temporarily freeze a major contract for the purchase of 80 fighter jets from France. The move came after the arrest of Telegram founder Pavel Durov, who is also a citizen of the UAE. This information has not yet been officially confirmed. @LauraRuHK
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Taiwan is building at least five bases to house US-made Harpoon missiles.
The bases, four in southern Taiwan and one in the eastern county of Taitung, are being set up in anticipation of the navy’s procurement of advanced US missiles from 2026.
Four contracts valued at a combined NT$4.75 billion (US$148.7 million) have been awarded to build the southern facilities, following a bidding process launched in June.
According to information released last week by the government procurement website, the contractors will be building one base each in Tainan and Kaohsiung, and two in Pingtung, all counties facing the mainland across the Taiwan Strait.
Work on the Tainan base began last Wednesday, and construction for the other three should start soon, the website said.
All four bases are expected to be ready in three years. In 2020, the US approved the sale of 100 land-based Harpoon anti-ship missile systems to Taiwan. The cutting-edge weapons are expected to have a slightly greater range than the existing Harpoons deployed by the US.
As reported by the US Defence Security Cooperation Agency in October 2020, the package includes up to 400 RGM-84L-4 Block II surface-launched Harpoon missiles and four RTM-84L-4 Block II manoeuvre missiles, as well as 100 launcher transporter units and 25 radar trucks. (Source: SCMP) @LauraRuHK
Just before the Biden administration is tossed into the bin Zuckerberg is busy restyling. Now he fancies himself a champion of free speech. 🤣
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Dopo che molti "influencer/analisti" in cerca di visibilità hanno falsamente affermato che l'arresto del CEO di Telegram Pavel Durov avrebbe permesso alla NATO di accedere a "segreti militari russi", il portavoce del Cremlino Dmitry Peskov ha dovuto scomodarsi per ribadire l'ovvio:
Il Cremlino non usa applicazioni di messaggistica (messenger) per scopi ufficiali.
Nessuna di esse è affidabile dal punto di vista della sicurezza delle informazioni, incluso Telegram
Education is one of the best investments a government can make, at home and abroad. After decades of confusion squandered the Soviet Union's legacy in Africa and Asia, Russia is finally getting its act together. @LauraRuHK https://tass.com/society/1834051
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National projects and wage growth — Vladimir Putin holds meeting on economic issues
On national projects
- Empty promises for the sake of "ticking boxes" in national projects are unacceptable "without achieving real results, practical positive changes in people's lives."
Wage growth and record low unemployment
- Wages in Russia in real terms for January-May 2024 increased by 10.1%.
- The country "maintains record low unemployment", in June the figure reached 2.4%.
On economic growth
- The Russian economy this year "continues to grow at a good, high rate."
- In the first half of the year, the country's GDP grew by 4.6%.
On lending
- The volume of bank lending in Russia is growing at an accelerated pace, despite the increase in the key interest rate.
- "It is very important that the rapid development of the financial sector does not lead to negative consequences."
On fighting inflation
- The fight against inflation should be primarily based on the growth of the supply of goods and services. "I once again draw the attention of both the Government and the Central Bank of Russia - it is necessary to increase the effectiveness of coordinated actions to reduce inflation," Putin said.
- It is necessary to strengthen positive trends in the real sector, support business investments in modernization and opening of new production facilities, in creating jobs and training personnel. (Source: TASS) @LauraRuHK
If you are frantically deleting Telegram conversations you should know that deleting messages in the application will most likely not delete the server copies. @LauraRuHK
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I see only two possible outcomes after Pavel Durov's arrest. Either Pavel Durov cooperates with EU/NATO or the platform will be banned altogether. When you are facing a very lengthy sentence for crimes that any user of your platform could have committed (the list is endless), the possibility that you will cave in is almost a certainty. Under the Orwellian Digital Services Act adopted by the EU in 2022, key requirements include disclosing to regulators how the platform algorithms work, removing content deemed illegal or any content that EU-funded "fact-checkers" deem inappropriate. Think of what falls foul of Facebook "community rules" and you get a pretty good idea of what kind of content will be censored. Of course Durov will have to provide a backdoor and encryption keys to Western intelligence services and the police. @LauraRuHK https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?toc=OJ%3AL%3A2022%3A277%3ATOC&uri=uriserv%3AOJ.L_.2022.277.01.0001.01.ENG
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US is behind Durov’s arrest – senior Russian official. Ekaterina Mizulina, the head of Russia’s Safe Internet League and a member of the Civic Chamber, has claimed.
Writing on Telegram on Sunday, Mizulina said that Durov’s arrest at a Paris airport, reportedly on charges related to his alleged complicity in fraud, drug trafficking, cyberbullying, and promoting terrorism, did not come as a surprise to her.
“I have long believed that traveling outside of Russia is a big risk for Telegram owners, as they could be arrested at any moment,” she noted, recounting that similar incidents where people had been detained at the behest of the US had occurred before.
“It is obvious that the arrest is an attack on TON [a blockchain-based platform originally developed by Telegram’s creators] in which major Russian companies have invested. That is, in part, a continuation of the US sanctions policy,” she stated.
Telegram founder Durov arrested by French police
Read more Telegram founder Durov arrested by French police
The official added she believed “that the Americans are behind the situation as a whole,” arguing that Telegram, which has over 900 million monthly active users worldwide, is a thorn in their side in terms of information distribution. According to Mizulina, the French authorities did not act independently in their decision to arrest Durov.
“It turns out that all the overtures to the West by Telegram’s owners were a mistake. Our president [Vladimir Putin] warned about this many times, but no one believed him,” she concluded.
Durov holds citizenship in the United Arab Emirates, Saint Kitts and Nevis, France and his native Russia. Moscow's embassy in Paris has said it is looking into the situation, although it has not received an official request for assistance. (Source: RT) @LauraRuHK
ASPI, the Australian think tank whose undeclared mission is to demonize China and Russia while promoting US policy and interests, will soon be holding its annual summit dedicated to cyber technologies, hybrid threats, disinformation, electoral interference, artificial intelligence, etc. known as The Sidney Dialogue https://tsd.aspi.org.au/ Guess what? One of the articles it published in the lead up to the summit is dedicated to Telegram. And no, it doesn't mention any of the ridiculous pretexts used by French authorities to arrest Pavel Durov. It focuses exclusively on the risks posed by Telegram as "a tool for hybrid threats" and calls for more stringent regulations. ASPI reveals the motive for arresting Durov that Paris is clumsily trying to hide. @LauraRuHK Link to the article https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/as-tools-for-hybrid-threats-apps-like-telegram-must-be-accountable/
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MOLDOVA - Vasile Şoimaru, a deputy of Maia Sandu's ruling party (PAS), promised to ban the Moldovan Orthodox Church which is under the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate.
"The moment will come when we, as it happened in Ukraine, renounce the Moldovan Metropolis [archdiocese], which is actually the Metropolis of Russia," Şoimaru said on television. ▪️After persecuting politicians and activists, banning opposition parties and Russian-language media, and hosting NATO forces despite the country not being a member of the organization (it's officially neutral), the pro-EU gang currently lording over Moldova is threatening freedom of religion as well. @LauraRuHK /channel/rusputnikmd/85647
Telegram founder Pavel Durov was released on bail on Wednesday, after four days of questioning following his arrest on Saturday. He was released under judicial supervision on the condition that he paid a €5m deposit, reports twice a week to the police and does not leave the country while a formal investigation is carried out. French judges have issued preliminary charges alleging Durov allowed criminal activity on Telegram. ▪️Meanwhile, The Financial Times reports that the European Commission has launched its own investigation to ascertain whether Telegram underestimated the number of users in the EU to circumvent the Orwellian Digital Services Act. @LauraRuHK
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According to a French administrative document seen by POLITICO, French authorities issued arrest warrants for Telegram CEO Pavel Durov and his co-founder brother Nikolai in March. The arrest warrants were issued after the messaging platform gave "no answer" to an earlier judicial request to identify a Telegram user suspected of pedophilia. Unfortunately the article doesn't reveal whether French authorities sent a copy of the warrant to the Durov brothers. @LauraRuHK https://www.politico.eu/article/exclusive-telegram-ceo-brother-nikolai-durov-wanted-france-authorities-pavel-durov/
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A hangar with a HIMARS MLRS launcher exploded after being hit by a Russian aerial bomb in the Sumy region (Ukraine). Six rocket launchers, a transport-loading vehicle and an escort vehicle were also destroyed. /channel/zvezdanews/148367
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So, little Soros flew all the way to Kiev to "work on issues critical to the country's future." Methinks something isn't going по плану.
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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Monday that the country will impose a 100% tariff on Chinese-made electric vehicles, CBC News reported.
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Meta's CEO Mark Zuckerberg finally admitted what many of us knew and repeated ad nauseam. Senior officials in the Biden administration had pressured his social media company to censor COVID-19 content that didn't align with the official narrative.
In a letter dated Aug. 26, Zuckerberg told the judiciary committee of the U.S. House of Representatives that he regretted not speaking up about this pressure earlier, as well as some decisions the owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp had made around removing certain content. Zuckerberg also expressed regret for essentially hiding content related to coverage by the New York Post about Hunter Biden ahead of the 2020 election.
“It’s since been made clear that the reporting was not Russian disinformation, and in retrospect, we shouldn’t have demoted the story,” he wrote. ▪️Too little too late. Zuckerberg is simply trying to reposition himself in case Trump wins the November elections. @LauraRuHK
After so many attention-seeking "influencers/analysts" falsely claimed that the arrest of Telegram's CEO Pavel Durov would enable NATO to get access to "Russian military secrets", the Kremlin's spokesperson Dmitry Peskov had to state the obvious:
The Kremlin does not use messengers for official purposes.
No messenger is reliable from the point of view of information security, including Telegram
Kurt Campbell, the key architect of U.S. Indo-Pacific policy who replaced Victoria Nuland as US Deputy Secretary of State, will be in the Tongan capital Nuku'alofa on Aug. 28 for the 53rd Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting. Campbell will conclude his regional trip with a visit to New Zealand (a member of the 5 Eyes), where he will co-chair a U.S.-New Zealand Strategic Dialogue meeting in Auckland on Aug. 30 and launch an inaugural High-Level Technology Dialogue. A New Zealand Defence Ministry briefing document reveals New Zealand has been pushing for the PIF to be structurally linked to the Western-aligned South Pacific Defence Ministers’ Meeting (SPDMM).
Campbell is viewed as an intellectual author of Obama's "pivot to Asia" strategy aimed at containing China and expanding a US-led military architecture.
The 53rd annual Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), being held in Tonga from August 26-30, will include talks on the crisis in French colony New Caledonia and great power competition in the region.
❗️Google announced it would build a $US200 million data centre in Fiji to support a new subsea cable. ▪️Read also https://mickhall.substack.com/p/pacific-leaders-meet-amid-efforts?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=1996583&post_id=148169711&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=3ogpak&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email
The demilitarization of Ukraine continues по плану (po planu, according to the plan. That's a nice Russian expression you may want to learn) This morning Russian forces carried out a massive attack on the energy infrastructure of the Ukrainian military-industrial complex.
▪️Some Ukrainian cities were left without electricity and water supply, emergency shutdowns were introduced throughout Ukraine.
▪️Ukrainian railway lines are de-energized in several regions, it is reported that backup locomotives are being used.
▪️Among the military facilities that were hit, a hangar in Ivano-Frankivsk, where the AFU hid two F-16s, a spokesperson of the pro-Russian underground movement told RIA Novosti.
▪️Attacks were also carried out on the points of deployment of the Ukrainian military in the Volyn, Poltava and Ternopil regions, according to the underground resistance movement.
@LauraRuHK
Why is Snowden surprised? I am not. Snowden didn't seek asylum in France, he did so in Russia, because Paris would have immediately handed him over to the CIA. And Durov was a durak for entering France and thus becoming a hostage.
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Commenting on Pavel Durov's arrest, Russia's permanent representative to international organisations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, warned that it is unsafe for people with influence in the international information space to visit "countries moving towards totalitarianism". @LauraRuHK
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Bisogna prendere atto che in occidente nessun canale di comunicazione puo' considerarsi sicuro. Per le comunicazioni importanti incontratevi di persona, senza cellulari addosso. Si tratta di una precauzione minima che ogni persona intelligente adotta da sempre. @LauraRuHK
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