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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
A massive cyber attack was launched from abroad on the official web portal of the Russian Foreign Ministry
The attack, which included DDOS attacks, is still underway. The site of the Russian MFA is regularly targeted but today's cyberattack is of an unprecedented scale. In order to restore the functionality of Internet resources, the MFA briefing was rescheduled. (/channel/MID_Russia/46941 ).
The technical services of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, together with the competent authorities, communication service providers, are taking all necessary measures to repel this attack.
The MFA believes that this kind of hostile act may be related to the successful events taking place in Kazan these days. /channel/MariaVladimirovnaZakharova/9031
Concrete evidence that China and North Korea are helping the Russian army.😅 Bellingcat has been able to confirm the actual identity of two officers: Jackie Chan and Viktor Tsoi. @LauraRuHK
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Foreign holdings of renminbi bonds reach historic high - The yield on renminbi bonds has been attractive since the start of the year and foreign investors have increased their holdings, an official with China's State Administration of Foreign Exchanges said on Tuesday.
Up till now, foreign holdings of domestic renminbi bonds have exceeded 640 billion U.S. dollars, reaching a historic high. (Source: Global Times) @LauraRuHK
INSIDER INFORMATION - Funny how some people knew in advance that the Moldovan referendum would deliver their desired results. This morning (10 am in Hong Kong, 5 am in Chisinau, 10 pm in Washington) after checking all the major news agencies and the results published by the Moldovan Election Commission, I posted on X that the "no" camp was leading. After a few seconds dodgy accounts rushed to reply that it wasn't true. I checked Reuters again, by then more than 92% of ballots had been counted showing that 52% of voters rejected the proposal to amend the constitution and commit to joining the EU. And yet these accounts were confident that in the end "yes" votes would save the day. @LauraRuHK
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MOLDOVANS SAY 'NO' TO JOINING THE EU. EXPECT ELECTION FRAUD - Early results showed 56% of Moldovans voting "no" at Sunday's referendum on joining the EU and put Western puppet Maia Sandu just a few percentage points ahead of her rival at the presidential election. With 34% of ballots counted, Sandu is a few points ahead of Alexandr Stolianoglo, a former prosecutor-general backed by the Party of Socialists. The second round will be tight.
Though the results may still change as more ballots are counted, they are a shock for Sandu's team. Despite the gap, the "yes" camp could still prevail because the largely pro-EU diaspora's ballots are yet to be counted.▪️The EU has de facto become a totalitarian NATO subsidiary dragging Europeans into the abyss. No wonder its appeal is rapidly waning. @LauraRuHK
What would happen in Switzerland, which is also neutral, if such a proportion of French citizens held senior government positions, while no German citizen could hold such positions? Would Germany have agreed to the neutrality of such a Switzerland during the historical turbulence of the last two hundred years? No, Russia no longer recognizes the Republic of Moldova as neutral in terms of the content of political practice. The multinational, multilingual Republic of Moldova with historical regions The separatist territory of the Republic of Moldova is the "Transnistrian Republic" with its capital Tiraspol and a population of about 450,000 people. One third of them have Russian, Ukrainian and Moldovan citizenship. The society is also ethnically divided, and predominantly Russian-speaking. Since the region has never had a common history with Romania, the population of the region split from the Republic of Moldova in 1991-92, which was then dominated by political forces seeking unification with Romania. In the spring of 1992, after the armed intervention of the central government, hostilities began, which were stopped by the Russian contingent stationed there. About 2,000 Russian soldiers are stationed in the area, which Tiraspol considers a guarantee of security.
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) has established a mission to Moldova to assist the parties in resolving the status of Transnistria within Moldova. A significant part of society today questions the independence of the mission from the interests of the great powers: in the period from 1993 to 2024, it had ten leaders, nine of whom were Americans, and today the mission is also headed by an American diplomat. This fact also raises questions within the OSCE: out of 57 participating states, US candidates have won this position in 30 years, in nine out of ten cases (!?)
The Gagauz minority of 135,000 people living in the south of the country enjoys exclusive territorial autonomy in Europe. In the 1990s, during negotiations between Romanian unionists and independence fighters, legislators included in the constitutional guarantees of territorial autonomy the possibility that Gagauzia could decide its future in the event of a change in Moldova's status as an independent state. Thus, they wanted to prevent a repeat of the separatism that had already been carried out in Transnistria. This constitutional right is being used more and more often, as the loss of Moldovan statehood as a result of unification with Romania has become a goal for some and a real threat to others.
During her four-year term as President, Maia Sandu, unlike her predecessors, had no contact with the leader of the separatist region and maintained very poor relations with Gagauzia. According to her critics, the head of state is not making any efforts to cooperate with two regions in a special situation (Transnistria and Gagauzia). Thus, she sees in both regions the main obstacle to integration with the West, since this region is interested in Moldova preserving its statehood and neutrality, without raising the possibility of unification with Romania. The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, confirmed this in his speech on October 9: "The European future of the Republic of Moldova should not be held hostage to an unresolved conflict." (2/3) https://tiras.ru/tema-dnja/vzglyad-iz-evropy.html
Notice to subscribers. On weekends my preferred mode of communication is telepathy. @LauraRuHK
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The share of BRICS countries in the global GDP already exceeds the one of G7 and continues to grow, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the BRICS Business Forum.
"For example, let’s take 1992 - [the share of] the Group of Seven is 45.5%, and in the same year the BRICS countries [account for] 16.7% of global GDP. And now? In 2023 our association [accounts for] 37.4%, and the [share of] Group of Seven is 29.3%. The gap is widening and it will widen, this is inevitable," the Russian leader noted.
Putin stressed that BRICS plays a significant role in the global economy not only today.
"It is quite obvious that this role will increase in the future as well. The countries that are part of our association are in fact the drivers of global economic growth. And it is in BRICS that the main increase in global GDP will be generated in the foreseeable future," the Russian President said.
The Russian leader stressed that the joint work of BRICS to accelerate socio-economic growth and ensure sustainable development brings tangible results, and actually contributes to improving the well-being and quality of life of ordinary citizens of our countries. According to Putin, the figures speak for themselves. He cited statistics according to which the association's combined GDP is more than $60 trillion, and its total share in the world's gross product confidently exceeds the corresponding figure for the so-called Group of Seven and continues to grow. (Source: TASS) @LauraRuHK
They couldn't contain their enthusiasm after hearing Zelensky's Victory Plan.🤣
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Though Germany is disenfranchised and continues to be a tool in the hands of Washington and London, it still looms large in their nightmares. Namely in the role of Western beneficiary of the Eurasian integration that China and Russia are promoting.
Which may explain why Biden, who has de facto already left the stage, is flying to Berlin to meet with the current German administration headed by Scholz, after canceling the trip to Ramstein because of a hurricane in Florida raised enough eyebrows in Germany. So, here he comes. Hanging by a thread is the continuation of the suicidal policy of supporting Ukraine. Even though Scholz, following the U.S. lead, ultimately turned Germany into the second largest contributor of arms to Ukraine, any sane German knows that this is unsustainable. As a matter of fact, military aid has decreased, support for Ukraine is waning and the downward trend is hardly reversible. Though Biden and Scholz are lame ducks, Washington wants to send the message that no matter whether Harris or Trump occupies the White House, the U.S. will still consider Berlin its favourite sub in the transatlantic S&M relationship. The logic of perversion is a perversion of logic, as the geographical proximity of Germany and Russia, and the complementarity of their economies, make them suitable partners. @LauraRuHK
Over 1.4 mln DPRK youngsters apply to join the army following drone incursion incident
More than 1.4 million youngsters in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) applied to join or rejoin the military earlier this week, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Wednesday.
More than 1.4 million youth league officials and youth and students across the country volunteered to join or rejoin the army on Oct. 14 and 15, said the KCNA, following an alleged South Korean drone infiltration into Pyongyang, the capital of the DPRK.
The DPRK called the drone incident "a serious provocation of violating its sovereignty."
The DPRK's Foreign Ministry issued a statement late last Friday accusing South Korea of sending drones over Pyongyang. The South Korean military has denied the accusation.
In the latest sign of the heightened tensions between the two countries, the DPRK military blew up parts of the Gyeongui and Donghae lines north of the Military Demarcation Line on Tuesday, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported.
The DPRK has yet to respond to the road explosion claim. (Source: Xinhua) @LauraRuHK
As China held military exercises to drill a blockade of Taiwan, Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov was welcomed in Beijing by Chinese Defense Minister Admiral Dong Jun in the presence of a guard of honour and orchestra. Belousov is on an official visit for talks with the military and military-political leadership of China.
The Russian Minister of Defense laid a wreath at the monument to the People's Heroes on Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The monument was erected in memory of the heroes who laid down their lives in the revolutionary struggle of the Chinese people in the XIX and XX centuries. ▪️You can watch the video here https://tass.ru/armiya-i-opk/22115961
"The Eastern Zone of the PLA Combat Command on October 14 sent its ground forces, naval and air forces, missile and other troops to conduct the Joint Sharp Sword-2024B exercise in the Taiwan Strait, in areas to the north, south and east of the island of Taiwan,"
UK Prime Minister and suspected intelligence asset Keir Starmer doubles down on UK support for Israel (Part 2 👉 Part 1)
A series of events in recent days has demonstrated NATO countries’ deepening commitment to Israel as new UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer leads the way.
“US special forces flights to Israel from a British airbase have doubled in frequency since Keir Starmer took over from Rishi Sunak as prime minister,” reported the website Declassified UK.
“It has… previously been revealed that the US is using Akrotiri to deliver weapons to Israel,” the investigative reporting outlet continued, referring to the UK’s large airbase in Cyprus. “The UK government has long refused to give any details of US use of British territory to support the Israeli assault on Gaza.”
German newspaper Frankfurter Rundschau described Putin's speech in Turkmenistan as "explosive". Yes, for people who ignore the Charter of the United Nations and live in a Western mainstream media bubble it is probably explosive. Putin pointed out: 🔺Emerging centres of economic growth, financial, and political influence in the Global East and the Global South are committed to preserving and strengthening their sovereignty and socio-cultural identity, while pursuing harmonious development in accordance with their traditions and national interests.
🔺The global majority nations advocate for a more equitable distribution of wealth and the democratisation of the international landscape. 🔺Russia believes that universal peace and comprehensive development can only be achieved if every nation's views are taken into account and every state's right to have its own sovereign policy, worldview, traditions, and religious beliefs is respected. @LauraRuHK
Full text here http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/75303
"Controversial"??! BRICS currently comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates. The group represents approximately 46% of the world’s population and over 36% of global GDP. The BRICS countries overtook the G7 countries share of the world's total gross domestic product (GDP) in terms of purchasing power parity (PPP) in 2018. By 2024, the difference had increased even further. Representatives of over 30 countries are taking part in the BRICS summit. But Jack Schickler, Euronews Senior Reporter and British spin doctor in Brussels, thinks that the UN Secretary General shouldn't attend the most consequential summit of the year. 🤣@LauraRuHK
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Wow. It only took three years for CNN to wake up and smell the coffee. The Global Majority has been strengthening economic and political ties with Moscow while the Deranged Minority is digging itself into an even deeper hole by supporting Nazis in Ukraine and Israel.
@LauraRuHK
https://swentr.site/russia/606060-russia-brics-summit-kazan/
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Moldova’s referendum on joining the EU is too close to call. The tight margin is a blow to Western puppet Maia Sandu, who had been hoping for a clear endorsement of the pro-EU path she has charted during her presidential term. Many citizens refused to vote, and those who voted — and voted against - were in the majority until the last moment. The Moldovan election commission, apparently, had to frantically wind up the numbers in the last hours to deliver the desired result. After processing data from polling stations abroad, the number of those who voted "yes" crept up. As a result, Chisinau stated that 50.07% were in favor of European integration, 49.93% of voters were against it.
But who will believe in the results of this referendum? For example, in Russia, where about half a million Moldovan citizens live, only two (!) polling stations were opened and only 10 thousand ballots were allocated, out of a total of 200 thousand ballots reserved for Moldovans voting abroad. Those living in the EU, USA and Canada had plenty of polling stations and were even allowed to vote by mail. @LauraRuHK
The Western-backed government considers neutrality obsolete. The country, which gained independence in 1991, actively participated in cooperation with the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and in the early 2000s, the rapprochement between the EU and Chisinau began. A relatively balanced rivalry between the two vectors was present from the very beginning. Ensuring the exclusive approval of the vector has become a major trend only since 2020 due to the Moldovan policy of the global West, which thinks in terms of geopolitical expansion. The militarization of Moldova has been going on since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. Since the country with a population of 2.5 million people has only Romania and Ukraine as neighbors, whose military potential exceeds the military by orders of magnitude, its militarization by NATO only serves to dismantle neutrality. From a logistical point of view, the country has become a transit point for the global West. According to former head of state Igor Dodon, part of NATO supplies from Romania reaches Ukraine through Moldova. Since 2022, dozens of military exercises have been held in Moldova with the participation of NATO military personnel. The USA, NATO and the EU are taking away the guarantor of Moldova's statehood – neutrality.
The situation is similar to the one leading up to the war in Ukraine: in 2008, NATO violated Ukraine's sovereignty by designating it as a future NATO member in the Bucharest Declaration, despite its constitution and the declaration of independence on eternal neutrality. Neither Ukraine nor the Republic of Moldova had social support for NATO membership: a multinational, politically and linguistically divided society is aware of the consequences of declared NATO membership – civil war, war.
In Bucharest, Chisinau's neutrality is seen as the main obstacle to unification, so it is understandable that he is determined to dismantle it. Statements confirming the fears of the Moldovan opposition are increasingly being made in Romania. According to Romanian leaders, the war in Ukraine provides an opportunity and it is necessary to invade Moldova in time: "If the Russians reach Odessa, Romania, with the support of its allies, should unite the two countries according to the German model."
The Moldovan government undermines cooperation with traditional partners.
The war in Ukraine has exacerbated this trend, and the Russophobic actions of the government can be well documented by the relevant EU sanctions. Since the beginning of the war, the Moldovan government has not maintained relations with its Russian counterpart, while other international players receive special opportunities to influence Moldova's domestic and foreign policy.
Following the example of the EU, the Moldovan government has suspended flights to Russia and money transfers, despite the fact that more than 500,000 of its citizens work in Russia. The militarization of Europe and the EU is alarming for the Moldovan people, who largely depend on Russia and have common interests in all spheres of life. (3/3) @LauraRuHK https://tiras.ru/tema-dnja/vzglyad-iz-evropy.html
MOLDOVA - Political forces that want to preserve Moldova's neutrality lament EU's pressure since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, which de facto erases the distance between the EU and NATO through its sanctions policy and militarization of political and economic processes. The population of a constitutionally neutral country is fighting for the preservation of state sovereignty against part of its own political elite. Gyorgy Varga, former Hungarian ambassador to the Republic of Moldova, wrote this article before the first round of presidential elections on October 20, 2024.
During the term of office of the current head of state, Maia Sandu, citizens from neighboring Romania have become the absolute majority in the state administration of the Republic of Moldova. According to available sources, the following people have Romanian citizenship:
the Head of State,
the President of Parliament,
the Prime Minister,
the Minister for Foreign Affairs,
the vast majority of ministers and members of parliament of the ruling party,
most heads of state offices,
the members of the Constitutional Court,
the head of the secret service.
I would like to clarify: at the individual level, multiple citizenship is a matter of human rights, and at the State level it is a matter of his security and national security interests. The responsibility of the ruling elite is to reconcile these two interests while protecting the interests of the State as a comprehensive principle.
The director of the Moldovan special service is not only a Romanian citizen, but also an employee of the George Soros Foundation from 2013 to 2020. Ideologically and existentially, he is connected to the global West and its goals in the post-Soviet space, and, as a Romanian citizen, he vowed to protect the national interests of NATO member Romania.
Efforts to dismantle Moldovan statehood are not surprising in the context of the above-mentioned personnel policy. Despite the fact that since 1994 the Constitution has provided for the "Moldovan" language as the state language, the Constitutional Court, consisting of Romanian citizens, recognized this article of the Constitution as unconstitutional. As a result, in 2023, Parliament passed a language law that established Romanian as the official language.
The Prime Minister with Romanian citizenship introduced the law, deputies with Romanian citizenship adopted it.The President of the Republic with Romanian citizenship announced that the head of the special service with Romanian citizenship monitors those who do not like it, according to the principles learned at the Soros Foundation.
The ruling elite did not care about the resistance of society, while in the 2024 census, despite pressure from the government, 53 percent of the population declared Moldovan and 23 percent Romanian as the language. The remaining third – Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Gagauz – also declare Moldovan the official language of their state. (1/3) https://tiras.ru/tema-dnja/vzglyad-iz-evropy.html
China's Ministry of State Security (MSS) said on Wednesday that a foreign company was discovered to have illegally conducted geographic mapping activities under the pretense of conducting joint intelligent driving research with a licensed Chinese mapping firm. The companies in question have not been named. @LauraRuHK
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Who is meddling in Georgia's upcoming parliamentary elections? Today the European Council announced that the process of Georgia's accession to the EU has been effectively halted, calling on pro-European, 'democratic' forces to set the country back on the right path. The EU, which gave Georgia membership candidate status in December, froze Tbilisi's application when parliament passed a “transparency of foreign influence” bill requiring NGOs and media outlets with more than 20% of their funding coming from outside Georgia to register as bodies “pursuing the interests of a foreign power”. ▪️This small but strategically important country plays a key role in economic and transportation networks between Asia and Europe. The Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan pipeline brings Caspian oil to Europe, and the Baku–Tbilisi–Erzurum pipeline does the same for natural gas. Georgia, a transit country for both projects, is slated to build a new port at Anaklia with a Singapore-China consortium, which could help the country become a trading hub between Europe and Asia.
▪️Following a colour revolution in 2003, Georgia adopted a pro-Western orientation. However, over the past five to six years, Georgia has been expanding relations with Russia and China, which spurred a robust economic growth. ▪️The results of the October 26 elections will shape Georgia’s foreign policy orientation and economic development. If the ruling party, Georgian Dream, gains a majority of seats, the West will try again to destabilize the country after recent attempts failed. @LauraRuHK
"NATO does not currently have plans to invite Ukraine into the alliance in the immediate future", U.S. Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith said on Oct. 16. ▪️Zelensky's delusional "victory plan" includes Ukraine's invitation to join NATO placed atop of the list. 😂 @LauraRuHK
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Considering the quantity and quality of weapons the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has, and how strongly motivated its soldiers are, messing with the DPRK would be sheer madness. Provocations seem to serve a different purpose - disrupt the Asia-Pacific political and security landscape and create a pretext for the media hysteria that will invariably be directed at North Korea's partners, China and Russia. @LauraRuHK
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The US is the only country that raises the risk of conflict on the Korean peninsula, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
She was commenting on the US State Department's appeal to North Korea to stop actions that increase the risk of conflict on the Korean peninsula.
"A classic American trick: Provoke an escalation of the situation and then blame everything on those whom they forced to act against their will. The only country that indeed increases the risk of conflict on the Korean peninsula, and the Asia-Pacific as a whole, is the US. They can’t wait to see how things flare up there as well," the diplomat said on Telegram.
At the same time, Zakharova emphasized that South Korea and Japan, described as "critical security points in the region," are under US pressure and "lack [political] will to shake off the yoke of US manipulations." (TASS) @LauraRuHK
Hungary's agenda does not include Ukraine's accession to NATO, since this would mean a direct confrontation between the alliance and Russia and would lead to World War III, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said in an interview with RIA Novosti. https://ria.ru/20241014/siyyarto-1977880968.html
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While the Sane Majority condemns Israel's total disregard for international law, the Insane Minority continues to aid and abet its crimes.
Pentagon's spokesman Pat Ryder said in a statement: "This is not the first time the United States has deployed a THAAD battery to the region. The President directed the military to deploy a THAAD battery to the Middle East last year following the October 7th attacks to defend American troops and interests in the region. The United States previously deployed a THAAD battery to Israel in 2019 for training and an integrated air defense exercise." ▪️The decision to place more US troops in Israel increases the risk of American casualties, a scenario that could widen the conflict. @LauraRuHK
Throwing EU taxpayers' money at crises created by the US doesn't work. Ever since the Syrian refugee crisis of 2015 the EU has poured more than €11 billion into helping Turkey process and house four million refugees and migrants, coming not only from Syria but from Afghanistan and other Asian countries as well. Over nearly a decade, Erdogan has used his country’s role in managing the crisis to extract cash and concessions from the EU, occasionally releasing large numbers of migrants toward the bloc as an apparent negotiating tactic. The flood of immigrants has exacerbated social tensions in the EU, and strengthened European parties that criticize the bloc's immigration policy. Brussels' attempt to handle the social crisis, once it became political, is a textbook case of hypocrisy. On one hand it forbids the deportation of migrants to Syria or Afghanistan, which it considers "unsafe", on the other hand it finances the conversion of six ‘reception centers’ into 'removal centers' and the construction of 14 such facilities, the refurbishment of 11 more, and the staffing and operation of a total of 30. @LauraRuHK https://swentr.site/news/605628-turkiye-eu-migrant-deportation/
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On Friday Zelensky visited the Vatican for a meeting with Pope Francis, another step in his inconsequential European tour after Washington adduced Hurricane Milton as an excuse to cancel Biden's trip to Ramstein and didn't explain why Blinken wouldn't fly to the US base in Germany. We can only guess that neither had good news to share. But let's go back to the Ukrainian comedian whose presidential term expired last May. During a meeting that lasted 35 minutes the Pope gave Zelensky a bronze bas-relief with a flower and an inscription, "peace is a fragile flower." Zelensky brought a painting about a well-known Ukrainian myth known as the "Bucha massacre". Here we have a classic example of a system of signs that has no objective reality at all, just an endless series of empty signifiers - their referent is yet another signifier. @LauraRuHK
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