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Researcher & writer based in Hong Kong. Former academic. Longform articles archived at https://lauraruggeri.substack.com and https://laura-ruggeri.medium.com. Email: lauraru852@yandex.ru
From Kiev to Brussels 😏 Authorities in Belgium arrested three people on Tuesday, including former EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini, after raiding the offices of the European Union's diplomatic service in Brussels and a college in Bruges as part of a fraud investigation, the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) said in a statement.
Police searched the properties of suspects, several buildings of the College of Europe in Bruges, and at the headquarters of the European External Action Service that sits at the center of the 27-nation bloc's institutions in Brussels.
The EPPO, an independent public organization of the EU, said it had “strong suspicions” of fraud in awarding a tender for running a 2021 to 2022 training program at the EU Diplomatic Academy for junior diplomats.
“They could constitute procurement fraud, corruption, conflict of interest and violation of professional secrecy. The investigation is ongoing to clarify the facts and assess whether any criminal offences have occurred,” the prosecutor's office said. It said it had also requested the lifting of the immunity of several suspects. https://www.euractiv.com/news/former-eeas-chief-mogherini-top-commission-official-arrested-in-fraud-probe/
After China introduced a visa-free policy for Russian citizens on 15 September 2025 (the trial will last a year) Russia reciprocated. On Monday, Vladimir Putin signed a decree granting Chinese citizens visa-free entry to Russia. The visa-free arrangement has already spurred a surge in Chinese travel interest toward Russia, with air ticket searches and hotel bookings rising sharply. As the Chinese are currently avoiding unnecessary travel to Japan — over 40 percent of planned flights to Japan for December have been canceled — Russia may indeed see a noticeable increase in Chinese tourists. @LauraRuHK
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Hong Kong is becoming the offshore engine of China's global financial projection. The city’s dominance in offshore RMB liquidity — by far the world’s largest pool — gives China something it cannot replicate onshore: a controlled environment that nonetheless operates under global norms. It remains to be seen if this process of capital accumulation will actually benefit other sectors of society besides financial elites. Hong Kong's wealth gap is wider than China's, with fewer benefits reaching the bottom despite higher overall prosperity. A situation that Beijing should address. @LauraRuHK
https://asiatimes.com/2025/11/hong-kong-is-chinas-most-underestimated-strategic-asset/
Beijing’s national security office warns of ‘disaster exploitation’ in Hong Kong.
Beijing’s Office for Safeguarding National Security warns that “anti-China and ill-intentioned individuals” are attempting to “disrupt Hong Kong by exploiting the disaster”.
A spokesman says some malicious individuals are spreading false information, attacking the government’s rescue efforts, and inciting social division, confrontation and hatred against authorities and the chief executive amid the fire tragedy.
“They exploit people’s pain and go against public opinion, attempting to use the victims’ grief to advance their political ambitions, drag Hong Kong back into the turmoil of the 2019 social unrest,” a spokesman of the office says, slamming such acts as defying humanity and bound to face moral condemnation and legal punishment. (Source: SCMP) @LauraRuHK
❗️Russia's Novorossiysk Port ATTACKED by 'unmanned boats'
Caspian Pipeline Consortium says NO casualties, no oil spill, but damage 'beyond repair'
This follows an attack on 2 vessels in the Black Sea last night which were bound for the port
@MTodayNews
⚡️After anti-corruption raids Zelensky's chief of staff Andriy Yermak has resigned!
“I suppose it’s theoretically possible that Zelensky could function without him but in practice I can’t imagine that ever happening,”
Hong Kong will observe three days of mourning for the victims of Tai Po tragic fire. The death toll has already hit 130, but will continue to rise as dozens remain unidentified and over 200 people are still missing.
The fire that erupted in seven blocks in Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po on Wednesday has left thousands of residents homeless.
The Support Fund for Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po has reached HK$800 million in under 24 hours, while the government has announced a series of compassionate measures, including HK$200,000 condolence payments per deceased family member, fully covered cremation and funeral costs, free hotel and youth hostel rooms for immediate shelter, while 1,800 transitional units will be available for mid-to-long-term stays, also free of charge.
All sectors of society are volunteering, collecting and distributing aid to those affected by this tragedy.
Meanwhile, anti-corruption officers have widened their probe into the deadly Wang Fuk Court renovation project on Friday, arresting eight people across the city on suspicion of corruption and fraud linked to the works that are now believed to have fuelled the catastrophic blaze.
@LauraRuHK
EU ambassador Harvey Rouse. In the background the oversize flag of an imaginary country his team displays at official events in Hong Kong and Macau. @LauraRuHK
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US representatives have launched a campaign in the Philippines to recruit local citizens to fight on the side of the Ukrainian armed forces, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing. Recruits are promised a monthly salary of $5,000 and this campaign specifically targets former employees of Philippine security agencies and retired military personnel, she added.
A Florida-based US security agency is conducting the recruitment, and prior to deployment, individuals are trained by US instructors and granted a German Schengen visa from the German Embassy in Manila, Zakharova revealed.
Russia's Defense Ministry has repeatedly accused the Kiev regime of using foreign mercenaries as "cannon fodder," pledging to continue targeting them throughout Ukraine.
In their interviews, many of these mercenaries confess to being thrown into the battlefield with poor coordination from Ukrainian units and grim chances for survival. (Source: TASS and Sputnik) @LauraRuHK
As usual London is taking the lead in sabotaging peace talks between Washington and Moscow. Its current target is Steve Witkoff. Warmongers are accusing him of recommending to Ushakov that Putin speak on the phone with Trump. Allegedly, as a result of that phone conversation Trump blocked the sale of Tomahawks, the long-range cruise missiles Zelensky had begged for. Shocking! An American negotiator is actually listening and talking to the Russians, and to make matters worse he tried to avoid a military escalation that could put his country at risk. London and its motley crew of EU pyromaniacs are adamant: Witkoff must go. @LauraRuHK
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China is moving toward affordable, mass-produced hypersonic missiles, reshaping regional security dynamics and forcing the U.S. and Japan to reconsider their defense strategies. A private Chinese company, Lingkong Tianxing Technology, announced the start of mass production of the YKJ‑1000 hypersonic missile.
Range: 500–1300 km (medium-range).
Speed: Mach 5–7.
Powered cruise time: 360 seconds.
Launcher: Universal, usable both on land and at sea.
Cost: Claimed to be 10 times cheaper than standard missiles. @LauraRuHK Read more 👉https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202511/1349029.shtml
State funding for the regulation and censorship of online speech in Germany increased more than fivefold between 2020 and 2024, a new report suggests.
In “The Censorship Network: Regulation and Repression in Germany Today” report produced by Liber-net, a digital liberties non-profit, researchers found that funding had tripled in 2020-21 and then doubled again in 2023.
The report claims that Germany spent €105.6 million on speech regulation between 2016 and 2025, including grants to non-profit media monitors and legal groups. (Hat tip to Elena Panina) https://liber-net.org/germany/
The Trump administration is pressuring Ukraine to accept its 28-point peace plan, warning that rejecting it could lead to harsher terms, loss of military aid, and cutoffs in intelligence sharing.
Keep in mind that Ukraine, which is fully dependant on Western aid, can hardly be considered a sovereign actor: donors can pull Kiev in any direction they wish.
The UK, France, and Germany are working on a counter-proposal to keep Ukraine in the fight. It is a sign of the deeply delusional thinking that dominates much of Europe’s political class but as the saying goes, never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake. @LauraRuHK
According to the Wall Street Journal https://archive.is/Bw5wL a senior U.S. official (unnamed in the article) said that Ukraine significantly changed one of the 28 points in the version of Trump's plan for Ukraine that appeared online. Apparently, the draft had called for an audit of all international aid Ukraine had received. The language was changed to say all parties will receive “full amnesty for their actions during the war.”
Umerov denied that Ukraine had altered the provision. Actually, an audit would be damning not only for Kiev, but for all its foreign backers as well. The fish smells from the head...and the stench of corruption is now particularly strong in Berlin, Brussels and London. @LauraRuHK
Vladimir Putin, in short:
Russia is ready for peace talks and for a peaceful resolution of the conflict. Meanwhile, Russia is satisfied with the situation on the battlefield, as it leads to achieving the goals of the SMO by military means.Читать полностью…
The Quiet Reprieve at Iran's Chabahar Port.
On October 30, 2025, the U.S. State Department reinstated a six-month sanctions waiver for India’s activities at Iran’s Chabahar Port, reversing a September 16 revocation. The exemption allows Indian Ports Global Limited (IPGL) to continue operating and upgrading the Shahid Beheshti Terminal without risk of secondary U.S. sanctions. ▪️The decision followed intensive diplomatic exchanges between New Delhi and Washington. U.S. officials acknowledged privately that sanctions would have forced India to scale back or exit the project, creating an opening for China to expand influence at a port located only 170 km west of Beijing-backed Gwadar in Pakistan. ▪️India has invested a lot in the Iranian port, approximately $370 million committed since 2016, including a $120 million equipment package and $250 million credit line signed in 2024. ▪️Russia views the waiver as a critical enabler for the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC). Transit time between Russian Caspian ports and Indian west-coast terminals has fallen from 40–45 days via Suez to 22–25 days via Chabahar. In 2025, Russian exports of wheat, fertilisers, and refined products through the corridor reached roughly 4.2 million tonnes, with projections of 8–10 million tonnes in 2026. ▪️Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization reports that Shahid Beheshti Terminal handled 3.1 million tonnes of cargo in the Iranian year ending March 2025, up from 2.1 million tonnes the previous year. Port revenue and transit fees provide Tehran with one of its few sanction-resistant income streams. ▪️India now operates its first overseas port under a 10-year concession signed in May 2024. ▪️The route has reduced landlocked Central Asian and Afghan dependence on Pakistani ports by 30–40 % in cost and time for south-bound cargo. In November 2025, Afghanistan’s acting Minister of Commerce Nooruddin Azizi confirmed Kabul’s $35 million equity contribution to terminal expansion, underscoring the corridor’s importance amid recurring Pakistan-Afghanistan border closures. ▪️The current U.S. waiver expires April 29, 2026. Renewal will depend on India’s continued compliance with broader U.S. sanctions on Iran, including limits on Iranian oil purchases, and on the absence of major escalations in U.S.–Iran tensions. ▪️Washington swallows a limited exception to its Iran policy to keep China out and extend its influence in Central Asia.
▪️Moscow gains a southern lifeline that Western sanctions cannot choke as Chabahar plugs into the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC)
▪️Tehran earns transit fees, port charges, and, crucially, political relevance.
▪️New Delhi has a direct gate to Central Asia that completely bypasses Pakistan. @LauraRuHK
While Germany is going through a sort of unraveling, be it economic, financial or societal in general, its government and the Bundeswehr seem to be dead set on going to war – with Russia, of all countries. To better understand the folly of such ambitions, we should recapitulate the timeline of Berlin's suicidal Russophobia in the last nearly four years. First, the German government foolishly cut ties with Moscow, causing a massive price spike that ignited a crawling economic crisis the country is still going through. Worse yet, thanks to its rather pathetic lack of sovereignty, Germany is going through an economic decoupling from China and is also trying to impose it on the rest of the European Union.
However, this is only the tip of the iceberg of Germany's patently idiotic internal and foreign policy framework. Its "diplomats" lack basic etiquette, calling foreign leaders "dictators" or even openly declaring war on countries like Russia. Back in November 2022, the Bundeswehr's war plans were leaked, revealing Berlin's intention to wage war against Moscow. Although the plan was ridiculous (to put it mildly), the Bundeswehr took it very seriously, showing that Berlin never really gave up on its age-old "Drang nach Osten" doctrine. Despite fruitlessly trying for nearly a thousand years, Germany continues to pursue this patently suicidal policy. As the old saying goes, usually (mis)attributed to Albert Einstein: "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." Read more 👉 https://infobrics.org/en/post/70731
Tim Anderson made an important contribution to the current debate. 👉 The Resistance Front and BRICS | Al Mayadeen English https://share.google/Gwnjdkl5m2lwdUCHP
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❗ Kazakhstan will reroute oil from Caspian Pipeline due to Ukrainian attacks
Ukrainian drones damaged the pipeline in the Russian port of Novorossiysk — which exports Kazakh oil
Europe receives 60 Mil tons of oil per year from the Caspian Pipeline
@MTodayNews
European countries whose elites joined the US-UK proxy war against Russia and went all in, now find themselves between a rock and a hard place. Unlike the US that benefitted from this war and now intends to benefit from peace, Europe is facing an economic “black hole” regardless of whether the conflict in Ukraine continues or ends, writes Reuters columnist Pierre Briançon https://www.reuters.com/markets/asia/ukraine-peace-would-open-an-economic-black-hole-2025-11-27/ Just a year ago, the World Bank estimated the cost of rebuilding Ukraine at $524 billion over the next ten years. EU countries would have to shoulder the financial burden in Kiev-controlled territory.
The European Union would also have to help Kiev train returning refugees, assuming they want to return to whatever is left of Ukraine, including financing their social welfare, as well as support 200,000 Ukrainian soldiers who would return to civilian life, the Reuters columnist adds. In addition, EU countries are expected to increase their own military budgets.
Russian analyst Elena Panina /channel/EvPanina/17805 argues that this scenario would suit the United States: it could continue to milk Europe, and at any moment another conflict with Russia could be triggered — not necessarily only on the Ukrainian front, but perhaps also involving the Baltics.
For Europe’s core interests the optimal solution would be a final settlement in Ukraine on Russia’s terms, along with the creation of a new European security system that takes Russian interests into account and normalizes relations. But, Panina concludes, how could the EU’s globalist elites abandon their entrenched Russophobia? At this historical stage, it is practically impossible without renewed “denazification” and demilitarization. @LauraRuHK
Today’s nationwide general strike in Italy, led by grassroots trade unions, was called to protest the government’s 2026 budget, a war budget that is diverting resources from healthcare, education, wages, and pensions into rearmament.
They also demand an end to the shipment of weapons to countries at war, an end to the genocide in Palestine, immediate severance of diplomatic relations with Israel.
📌 The People’s Budget – Key Demands:
Wage increases
Strong defense of public healthcare
Dignified pensions
Accessible public education
Social housing
Taxes on large fortunes
Requisition of excess profits
End to unregulated contracting
Prevention of workplace deaths
End to precarious employment
Hiring in the public sector
Price controls on essentials
Elimination of VAT on basic goods
Index‑linked wages
Protection of the right to strike
Defense of the environment
Safeguarding of jobs
Rejection of unnecessary large‑scale projects
@LauraRuHK
Ukrainian anti-corruption authorities have conducted searches at the home of Andriy Yermak, head of Zelensky's office, Verkhovna Rada member Yaroslav Zheleznyak wrote on Telegram.
According to Ukrainska Pravda, they are taking place in the government quarter.
The newspaper previously reported that Zelensky's inner circle advised him to fire Yermak due to his involvement in a corruption case in the energy sector. The idea was supported by many Rada deputies. Instead, Zelensky appointed him head of the delegation negotiating with the United States and Kiev's other partners to resolve the conflict. (Source: RIA Novosti) @LauraRuHK https://ria.ru/20251128/ukraina-2058254984.html
A florilège of EU "diplomacy" in Hong Kong 😅 @LauraRuHK
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US Special Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff will visit Moscow next week to discuss a plan to resolve the conflict in Ukraine. Meanwhile, a leaked transcript of his conversation with Russian Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov isn't helping the peace push, Izvestia reports.
Such leaks complicate the negotiation process and increase the risk of its failure, Konstantin Kosachev, deputy chairman of Russia’s Federation Council (upper house of parliament), told the newspaper.
Ushakov, in an interview with Russian journalists, confirmed that the conversation did take place, and complained that someone was leaking or intercepting details of closed contacts. The leaks show the agony of the "deep state" in the United States, Andrei Klintsevich, head of the Center for the Study of Political and Military Conflicts, told Izvestia. "Technically, only the Americans could get access to these files, which makes it clear that the leak is targeted against Trump as an attempt is being made to discredit both Witkoff and Ushakov," the expert elaborated. He suggested that certain US and British intelligence officials and members of the US Democratic Party could be behind the leak.
Sergey Sudakov, a member of the Russian Academy of Military Sciences, told Vedomosti that the media leak was aimed at discouraging the Trump team from holding constructive talks with Russia. In his opinion, one of the main goals that Trump’s domestic opponents are pursuing ahead of the November 2026 midterm elections is to prove his diplomatic activities futile. According to Sudakov, although the US president is trying to resist attacks on his team, Trump may be forced to make certain compromises with foreign policy hawks.
However, Russian analysts believe the new scandal is likely to flame out quickly, having a small impact on the negotiation process in the short term, without nixing it completely. @LauraRuHK
A foretold tragedy. According to the latest reports, the fire that broke out in Tai Po, a district of Hong Kong, has claimed the lives of 44 people, including a firefighter. Some 279 residents are still missing
Among those hospitalised, 45 are in serious condition.
The eight residential blocks in the estate had been undergoing renovations since July 2024, sheathed in highly flammable green plastic mesh, waterproof tarpaulin and styrofoam applied to seal the windows.
The rapid spread of fire was NOT caused by bamboo scaffolding, which is traditionally used in the local building industry.
Three people in charge of the construction company involved in the renovation have already been arrested for gross negligence. @LauraRuHK
Why do I keep this Telegram channel alive, posting almost every day (sometimes three, four times a day) when nobody pays for it and the reach is modest? It is not missionary zeal. I do not believe that “getting the truth out” automatically changes anything; history is full of truths that everybody knew and nobody acted upon. Information alone is inert. Without organization, networks, money, weapons, or institutions ready to weaponize it, even the most explosive revelation or the most penetrating and lucid analysis evaporates in a week. Unless you are self-delusional, you have probably come to the same conclusion. As Yasha Levine wrote a few months ago, "Information is not power. Information is pacification." In a world engineered as a consumerist spectacle, he argues, we've been gaslit into treating facts like a magical incantation, a compulsive scroll that lulls us into passivity. Drawing on Julian Assange's WikiLeaks saga as a tragic exhibit, where floods of classified docs were meant to ignite global revolt, he concluded that this "psychic trap" keeps us hooked on the illusion of agency. So no, I am not here to save the world with facts. This channel is just a searchable archive where I store information that helps me make sense of processes.
As far as i am concerned, the act of selecting information and writing go hand in hand with thinking. The channel is simply the public trace of that private labour.
Most of what I publish is ignored. That is fine. But I know that some of it isn't. 😏
@LauraRuHK
The EU is offering Washington a joint China policy as both carrot and insurance. Brussels hopes that a shared rivalry with Beijing will keep the US engaged in Ukraine.
On Monday in Brussels, EU ministers waved the China card at US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, hoping a united front against Beijing would persuade Trump to ease tariffs on the EU and stay committed to Kiev. The pitch came even as German public opinion has soured dramatically: a new Koerber Stiftung poll shows only 31 % of Germans now see the U.S. as a partner on China (down from 49 % a year ago) and just 38 % on Ukraine (down from 70 %). Three-quarters of respondents say transatlantic relations are bad, and almost as many believe the EU has been too timid with Trump. Ministers from Denmark, Lithuania, and Poland stressed the need to “push back on China together,” especially on what they call 'overcapacity' and rare-earth dominance. Lutnick welcomed the alignment but made clear that relief from steel and aluminum tariffs would require the EU to soften its digital regulations and resolve cases involving American tech giants. @LauraRuHK
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3334031/eu-ministers-court-trump-joint-china-policy-even-public-scepticism-grows?module=top_story&pgtype=homepage
Japan’s defense minister Shinjiro Koizumi has announced plans to deploy missiles on Yonaguni island, the Japanese base about 110 kilometers from Taiwan. Chinese analysts condemned the deployment as a dangerous escalation, warning that it reflects Tokyo’s shift away from its principle of “exclusive self-defense” and its growing alignment with Washington’s Indo-Pacific strategy. They stressed that stationing offensive missiles so close to Taiwan exposes Japan’s strategic ambitions and heightens tensions in the Taiwan Strait.
The plan has also unsettled Yonaguni’s residents, who fear being drawn into conflict, while some Japanese commentators criticized the government for prioritizing U.S. military interests over Japan’s own security. Shii Kazuo of the Japanese Communist Party argued that participation in U.S. “preemptive strikes” endangers citizens rather than protecting them. Military expert Song Zhongping warned that if Japan interferes in China’s internal affairs, Beijing could retaliate against Japan’s main islands. Overall, Koizumi’s visit and statements are seen by Chinese experts as aggravating an already volatile situation, making reconciliation between Beijing and Tokyo more difficult and increasing the risk of confrontation. @LauraRuHK 👉 https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202511/1348922.shtml
Occasionally I leave my jungle den and trade flip flops for high heels. 😇 Have a nice weekend!
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EUnuchs reject the US-proposed Ukraine peace plan. It has too many points. The EU's peace plan on the other hand is beautifully simple because it contains only two points: Weaken Russia, Strengthen Ukraine.
Kaja Kallas insists that any deal should reflect the positions of the EU and of Kiev. That’s all from the Brussels asylum. @LauraRuHK