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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
Zelensky, the expired president of Ukraine who hasn't been invited to the Putin-Trump meeting scheduled to take place on 15 August, commented that "Alaska is very far from this war [...] which cannot be ended without us, without Ukraine." Washington started its 'Ukraine project' decades ago, whether it will shelve it or not doesn't depend on the Ukrainian coke-addled comedian, which is why his presence is neither welcome nor required. The decision to hold the meeting in Alaska is both symbolic — it's the U.S. state geographically and historically closest to Russia — and practical. The Russian presidential plane could just fly across the Bering Strait to reach Alaska. And Anchorage is far enough from external actors, like UK-EU meddlers, offering a controlled and secure environment for negotiations. Mind you, they may still try to sabotage the meeting before the 15th. Some analysts pointed out that negotiations between Russia and the US could include future cooperation in the Arctic, but at this stage it's pure speculation. @LauraRuHK
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Reuters reports that as part of the peace agreement which Armenia and Azerbaijan are set to sign today,
"Armenia plans to award the United States exclusive special development rights for an extended period on a transit corridor [the Zangezur corridor]. It will be named the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, and known by the acronym TRIPP, the officials said.Given that the proposed corridor runs along the Armenian-Iran border, it would be heavily militarized. Watch this TRIPP turn into a bad trip in one two three. @LauraRuHK Читать полностью…
The route will be operated according to Armenian law and the United States will sublease the land to a consortium for infrastructure and management, the officials said."
No major global players, particularly China and India, which dominate Russian energy export markets, will comply with U.S. sanctions against Russia. Neither country has considered a complete cessation of trade. While India briefly contemplated reducing purchase volumes, Trump's actions dispelled any such hesitations. His threatening rhetoric toward India and the justification for imposing additional duties were deeply offensive to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Indian sovereignty. Moreover, it is widely recognized that these punitive tariffs on Russian oil purchases serve a dual purpose: they pressure not only Moscow but also New Delhi amid ongoing U.S.-India trade negotiations. Trump's claimed concern for peace in Ukraine is disingenuous; his primary aim is securing favorable terms in the new U.S.-India tariff agreement. This attempt to publicly humiliate India has backfired, influencing other buyers of Russian oil in the opposite direction. Other countries in Asia and Africa are now witnessing a clear demonstration of unchecked U.S. hegemonism. Conceding on Russian oil could lead to future demands to sever trade with China. ▪️Trump’s simultaneous attack on BRICS nations is strikingly shortsighted. Over the past decade, the U.S. has been wary of Russia-China ties, but since 2022, it has acknowledged its inability to sow discord between Moscow and Beijing. In fact, U.S. policies have significantly accelerated their rapprochement. A similar dynamic is now unfolding with the Russia-India-China (RIC) triangle. Despite serious tensions between Beijing and New Delhi, Trump’s policies appear to push Modi and Xi closer. Notably, shortly after Trump’s “India decree,” it was announced that Modi would visit China in three weeks for the SCO summit. This marks Modi’s first trip to China since the border conflict five years ago. Symbolically, the U.S. tariffs on India take effect just before the Tianjin summit, where Xi, Putin, and Modi will meet. @LauraRuHK
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Donald Trump will receive on Friday Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in the White House, where the parties may announce a peace agreement, The Washington Post reports, citing sources. The Armenian cabinet of ministers has confirmed the information about the planned meeting. (Source: RIA Novosti) @LauraRuHK
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All hail tariffs! U.S. manufacturing contracts, factory employment drops, goods prices increase. @LauraRuHK
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📍I removed the post about British officers detained during a Russian spetsnaz operation in Southern Ukraine because their picture turned out to be AI-generated.
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Edi Rama, the Prime Minister of Albania, is one of the rare people who attended both Alex Soros' wedding in June 2025 and George Soros' wedding in 2013. The major achievements of this darling of Open Society Foundations and Davos WEF are: privatization on steroids that even exceeded IMF demands, repatriation camps for immigrants, a new NATO base, provision of safety guarantees for narcos, human-traffickers and money launderers. Edi Rama's latest task is to turn Albania into a testing ground for the dystopia of a cashless society. Since organized crime receives a preferential treatment, users of crypto have nothing to worry about. @LauraRuHK https://www.politico.eu/article/edi-rama-albania-cashless-economy/
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Colonel Edward Blake and Lieutenant Colonel Richard Carroll were detained during a Russian special forces operation in the coastal town of Ochakov, in Southern Ukraine. The UK Ministry of Defence claimed the two officers were "private citizens visiting historical battle sites." 😂 A third British national, allegedly an MI6 officer involved in cyber operations, was also detained during the operation. Read more 👉/channel/LauraRuHK/10350
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The authority overseeing Egypt’s Suez Canal is seeking to sign a partnership deal with Russia, RIA Novosti has reported. The two countries are already working together on a major industrial project in the area.
Osama Rabie, chairman and managing director of the Suez Canal Authority, told RIA on Monday that Russia currently has no direct partnership with the canal itself – only with the Suez Canal Economic Zone in eastern Port Said.
“We hope for such a [partnership] agreement,” he said when asked about cooperation with Moscow.
In 2018, Russia and Egypt signed a deal to establish a Russian industrial zone on a 5.25 million-square-meter site, to be developed over 13 years. Dubbed ‘Sun City,’ the project will provide Russian manufacturers with access to markets in Egypt, the Middle East, and Africa.
Industries expected to operate in the zone include automotive, pharmaceuticals, oil and gas, mining, and nuclear technology. Egyptian officials say the venture will create 35,000 jobs and attract around $4.6 billion in investment. Businesses will benefit from preferential tax policies.
In May, Egypt and Russia held an intergovernmental commission on trade and cooperation in Moscow, where both sides reaffirmed the importance of the project as a way to boost industrial ties.
Egypt was one of four nations – along with Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates, and Indonesia – that became full BRICS members in 2024. BRICS was originally formed in 2006 as an economic group between Brazil, Russia, India, and China, with South Africa joining four years later. According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, BRICS has already surpassed the Western-led G7 in terms of combined GDP.
The Suez Canal remains a vital artery of global trade, carrying an estimated 12-15% of total cargo, 30% of container traffic, 9% of seaborne oil, and 8% of LNG. (Source: RT) @LauraRuHK
UK mercs involved in Ukrainian military’s botched landing on Tendra Spit
The British hirelings unsuccessfully tried to enter the Tendra Spit in the Kherson region, a source in the Russian security forces told Sputnik.
The mercenaries were stationed and trained in the town of Ochakov, the source added.
What’s known about the botched operation:
▪️Russian forces thwarted an attempt by Ukrainian troops to take control of the Tendra Spit on July 28
▪️The enemy suffered significant losses
▪️Subsequently, a powerful strike hit the port of Ochakov in the Nikolayev region – the launch point for the Ukrainian amphibious forces
▪️Enemy activity was also detected near the Kinburn Spit
The Ukrainian military’s goal was to create a hype “without any real benefit," Kherson region governor Vladimir Saldo stressed. (Source: Sputnik) @LauraRuHK
Trump announced a higher 39% tariff on Swiss imports to the United States. Only Syria at 41%, Laos and Myanmar at 40% face higher tariffs. There will be negotiations, but it's clear that tariffs are a tool to extract broader commitments, such as increased Swiss investment in the U.S. particularly in research, development and manufacturing. Switzerland is a global leader in biotech R&D.
On the geopolitical level, the proposed tariffs also serve as a signal to align more closely with Washington especially in strategic sectors like biotech and high-tech where Switzerland and China cooperate quite successfully. @LauraRuHK
TAIWAN - US-puppet Lai Ching-te and the DPP are blocking Kuomintang veterans who fought in the war against Japanese aggression, from travelling to Beijing to participate in the commemorations that will be held on September 3. That day China will hold a military parade in Tian'anmen Square to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. Taiwan's ruling party also refused to hold commemorative events.
The Global Times writes:
"On the issue of wartime history, the DPP has long pushed for "de-Sinicization," deliberately obscuring and distorting Taiwan's historical role in the war, and forcibly severing the deep-rooted blood ties between the residents of Taiwan and the Chinese nation. They seek to make the younger generation forget the sacrifices of their forebears and to detach Taiwan society from its historical identity as part of the Chinese nation. Such shameless manipulation is not only a grave betrayal of historical truth but also a disgraceful insult to the martyrs who gave their lives in the war."
🇨🇳🇷🇺🇺🇸China will be guided by its own interests in its energy security policy, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun, commenting on US threats to impose secondary sanctions against Russian energy carriers.
"China will take reasonable energy security measures based on its national interests. There are no winners in the tariff war, and coercion and pressure will not solve the problems," he said at a briefing.
At the end of June, the diplomat made a similar statement in response to Donald Trump's hope that Beijing will start buying oil from the US.
Russia for several years in a row has been a major supplier of crude oil to China: According to official statistics, China imported 107 million tons of oil from Russia in 2023. At the end of 2024, Beijing purchased from Moscow 108.47 million tons of oil for $62.425 billion.
The day before, Trump said that he was reducing the 50-day period he had previously set for reaching a truce between Russia and Ukraine to ten days. If the negotiations fail, he plans to impose import duties, sanctions or "something else." At the same time, the American leader admitted that he was not sure these restrictions would work. (Source: RIA Novosti) @LauraRuHK
On 21 July President Putin signed a decree http://publication.pravo.gov.ru/document/0001202507210007 that could have very important ramifications. All foreign tankers must now obtain clearance from the FSB before entering Russian ports. Understandably Russia is concerned about security, for instance both the port of Novorossiysk, in the Black Sea, and Ust-Luga in the Baltic Sea, are located near military bases of the Russian Navy. But the decree also sent an indirect message to the EU after it approved the 18th package of sanctions. Last week, due to stricter controls, the shipment of Kazakh oil from Novorossiysk was temporarily delayed, that is about two percent of global oil supplies were suspended for a day. The port of Ust-Luga is vital to coal exports from Kazakhstan, 38.5% of which is received by EU countries. New requirements for ship owners include securing Russian insurance with a minimum coverage of $1 billion and passing mandatory underwater inspections — at their own expense. @LauraRuHK
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Armenia-Azerbaijan. As anticipated, the US was granted exclusive rights to develop the strategic Zangezur corridor, a move the White House said would enhance energy exports and regional connectivity. At the expense of....fill in the blanks.
Washington signed separate bilateral accords with both countries to expand collaboration in energy, trade, and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence.
Trump also announced the lifting of restrictions on U.S. defense cooperation with Azerbaijan. @LauraRuHK
On August 7, the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev met with U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff in Washington. Prior to the meeting, they signed a “Memorandum of Cooperation” between the Azeri State Oil Company (SOCAR) and ExxonMobil. ExxonMobil is already a significant player in Azerbaijan, holding a 6.8% stake in Azeri-Chirag Gunashli (ACG) and a 2.5% stake in Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC). The new agreement takes this presence to the next level. @LauraRuHK
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Russian President Vladimir Putin met UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Putin's key statements:
▪️Russia places special importance on its relations with the UAE;
▪️Investment flows between Moscow and Abu Dhabi continue to expand;
▪️Humanitarian cooperation between the countries is at a strong level, including in the field of education;
▪️Russia and the UAE actively cooperate on international platforms, including within BRICS and the EAEU.
Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan's key statements:
▪️Relations with Russia are developing at an accelerated pace;
▪️ The UAE always strives to strengthen bonds with Russia and thanks Moscow for its hospitality;
▪️Trade between the UAE and Russia has reached $11 billion, and Abu Dhabi hopes of doubling this figure. (Source: RIA Novosti) @LauraRuHK
Sultan Ibrahim has become the first Malaysian head of state to visit Russia on a state visit since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1967. During the negotiations, Putin thanked Sultan Ibrahim for Malaysia's role in expanding Russia's contacts with all countries in Southeast Asia.
Developing dialogue with ASEAN, chaired by Malaysia this year, is one of Russia's key priorities in Asia.
The Russian leader emphasised Malaysia's active contribution to the work of the Russia-Islamic World Strategic Vision Group.
Sultan Ibrahim emphasised that Malaysia considers Russia to be an important and reliable partner.
Russia and Malaysia have similar positions on key global and regional issues.
Both countries view BRICS as an important platform for promoting the interests of developing countries and strengthening multilateral cooperation.
▪️Key statements by Vladimir Putin at the meeting with Sultan Ibrahim:
Russia values its friendly relations with Malaysia;
The political dialogue between Russia and Malaysia is well-established;
Russia and Malaysia cooperate in various international forums, including the UN;
Trade between Russia and Malaysia is growing at a steady pace. Trade between the countries has grown by over 40% since the start of 2025, marking a highly positive trend;
The visit of the king of Malaysia to Russia will be productive and mutually beneficial. /channel/smotri_media/112841 @LauraRuHK
Under the threat of higher tariffs, Seoul agrees to help the US revive its moribund shipbuilding industry. Over the past decade, South Korean shipyards built 2,405 commercial vessels, compared with just 37 in the United States. A South Korean-built Aegis destroyer costs about $600 million; the same vessel in the United States costs around $1.6 billion. South Korea can produce commercial ships, Aegis destroyers, and submarines in a single yard, while many U.S. yards struggle to build even one vessel a year. As part of the trade deal reached with Seoul, Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that the US would impose a 15 per cent tariff on South Korean goods and receive US$350 billion of investment from its Asian ally.
Shortly after, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung stated that US$150 billion of the promised investment would be dedicated to shipbuilding – an industry where South Korean firms are second only to China in global market share. @LauraRuHK
https://news.nate.com/view/20250804n12348
When we look at Azerbaijan it’s impossible not to notice the elephant in the room: the UK is the largest investor in Azerbaijan’s economy, followed by Türkiye and Hungary.
More than 450 UK companies operate in Azerbaijan. In the last 33 years BP, together with its co-venturers, has invested more than $87 billion in oil and gas exploration, development and transportation projects in Azerbaijan. In addition to oil and gas, UK companies are active in areas such as construction management and design, waste management, retail and education.
Almost immediately after Azerbaijan recaptured parts of territories of Nagorno-Karabakh, Baku announced ambitious reconstruction plans for these territories. British planning and architecture firm Chapman Taylor secured a $2.4 million contract from Azerbaijan to develop a new master plan for the city of Shusha (Shushi in Armenian). In tandem with Pasha Holding, owned by the Aliyev family, Chapman Taylor played an active role in deciding the fate of various structures within Shusha: by marking buildings and homes for demolition it contributed to the systematic erasure of Armenian heritage.
Chapman Taylor also won a tender to prepare a draft master plan for Jabrayil, now a ghost town after being destroyed during Azerbaijan’s recent war with Armenia. BP and the Azerbaijani government plan to build a 240-MW Shafag solar plant near Jabrayil, a stone’s throw away from the Iranian border. Areas razed by war are like a “a blank white paper,” said Orkhan Huseynov, a spokesman for SOCAR, the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan. “We can write whatever we want.” To put a politically-correct spin on the destruction, Baku announced that the area would be developed as a carbon-neutral, green energy zone. The push for ‘smart cities’ in territories now controlled by Azerbaijan and close to the Iranian border has alarmed Tehran. The intelligence and military applications of a web of sensors and surveillance cameras that enables data sharing and real-time analytics among physical objects are well-known. With the help of AI, multiple data sources can be integrated into a single point of view and used to “accelerate the closing of complex kill chains,” as Anduril, the defence startup backed by Palantir’s Peter Thiel, boasts on its website.
BP, Azerbaijan’s largest investor, plays a role that extends far beyond the economy. The energy giant is deeply involved in the country’s politics and society, both through its outreach organizations and initiatives, and collaboration with the local British Council, universities and various Azerbaijani ministries, including the Ministry of Education.
BP has always been contiguous with Britain’s MI6 and Ministry of Defence. Not only are they working closely at the highest levels, the revolving door between BP and British military and intelligence apparati never stops turning. Senior officials who became advisers to BP include former MI6 chief Sir John Sawers, who joined the corporation as a non-executive director, its former head of counterterrorism Sir Mark Allen who joined BP after leaving government service. General Nick Houghton, the former chief of the defence staff, and Lord George Robertson, the former Secretary of State for Defence and NATO secretary-general, also became advisors to BP. 👉 Read more https://substack.com/home/post/p-169432541
MOLDOVA - A court in Chisinau has sentenced Evghenia Gutsul, the head of Moldova’s Gagauz Autonomous Region, to seven years in prison on charges related to financing the opposition party Shor.
Her supporters staged a protest.
Police cordoned off the court building and did not let Gutsul’s husband accompany her, angering her supporters. They tried unsuccessfully to break through the police cordon but retreated when the police agreed to let Gutsul’s family in. (Source: TASS) @LauraRuHK
The new reality needs no rhetorical embellishments. It is what it is.
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UK plans false-flag maritime disasters - Russian intel
London is preparing a NATO-backed campaign targeting tankers transporting Russian oil, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) says.
The plan hinges on staging a high-profile “incident” to justify action.
Scenario 1: A “deliberately caused accident” in a key maritime chokepoint, leading to an oil spill and blocked shipping lanes. NATO would then use “emergency safety checks” to seize or detain targeted vessels.
Scenario 2: A planned fire on a tanker during loading in a pro-Russian port, sparking a large-scale blaze damaging port infrastructure and other ships, prompting an international probe.
SVR says the UK intends to assign these anti-Russian sabotage attacks to Ukrainian operatives, counting on their “dirty work” and inability to cover their tracks as a shield of deniability. In the end, blame could be pinned on Russia – or, at worst, Ukraine, as with the Nord Stream sabotage.
London also plans to time the attack to maximize media impact and pressure the Trump administration into imposing harsh secondary sanctions on Russian energy buyers. (Source: Sputnik) @LauraRuHK
An interesting contribution to the debate about the security architecture of Eurasia comes from Maxim Ryzhenkov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus. https://eng.globalaffairs.ru/articles/eurasia-multipolarity-ryzhenkov/
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TikTok appointed Erica Mindel, a former instructor in the Israeli occupation forces, as its new Public Policy Manager for Hate Speech, which raises serious concerns about the platform’s objectivity in moderating political content.
Mindel, who describes herself as a “proud” American Jew, assumed the role in July 2025 and is now responsible for shaping TikTok’s global policies on hate speech, particularly concerning antisemitism.
Her background includes work under the Biden administration with the State Department’s Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, as well as advocacy for "Israel" at the American Jewish Committee.
Given her affiliations and military background, her appointment risks blurring the line between protecting communities from genuine hate and silencing political criticism of "Israel".
A Syrian-Israeli ministerial meeting is set to take place in Baku, Azerbaijan, with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer in attendance, a diplomat tells AFP.
The diplomat, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, says the meeting will focus on “the security situation, particularly in southern Syria.”
This comes on the heels of a similar meeting between the two ministers in Paris last week, another meeting between Syrian and Israeli officials that took place in Baku on July 12 during Ahmed al-Sharaa (al-Julan) official visit, and after Shaibani’s visit to Moscow on Thursday. @LauraRuHK
A big thank you to all those who have read, commented, shared or re-published my latest article. Research takes time and effort, your support makes all the difference. https://lauraruggeri.substack.com/p/azerbaijan-a-pawn-on-the-wests-chessboard
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The Russian military launched an Iskander missile attack on the training center of the Ukrainian armed forces in Ukraine’s Chernigov (Chernihiv) Region, eliminating and injuring about 200 troops, the Defense Ministry says. How will Western media spin it? Will they claim it was a culinary school, a sports centre, an arts, crafts and design institute? /channel/rian_ru/307495
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The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) reported that US and British representatives held a meeting in the Alps with Yermak, Budanov, and Zaluzhny to discuss replacing Zelensky. The SVR claims the US and UK proposed Zaluzhny as Ukraine’s next president, and Yermak and Budanov accepted the decision.
Earlier, American journalist Seymour Hersh had said that Zaluzhny had been selected to replace the head of the Kiev regime. He noted that the decision on the fate of Zelensky is in Trump's hands. (Source: Vesti.ru) @LauraRuHK https://www.vesti.ru/article/4618148