Sorry for not being more prolific on Telegram and other social media platforms. I was writing a very long article that required extensive research, as usual. Actually, research is the part i enjoy the most. When i embark on a new project i start with a question, sometimes more than one, and soon realize that i am navigating in uncharted waters. After reading hundreds of pages in several languages and learning a lot along the way, I am usually ready to start writing, a process that is similar to distillation. That's why the final text should be savoured like whiskey, not guzzled down like beer. @LauraRuHK

According to a Reuters report, in 2019 Donald Trump authorised the CIA to launch a covert operation on Chinese social media to try to turn public sentiment against the government in Beijing.

The news agency said it had received information from three former US officials with direct knowledge of the highly classified operation that the CIA had formed a small team of spies who used fabricated online personas to spread negative narratives about President Xi Jinping's government, while leaking disparaging material to international media.

The campaign, which began in 2019, had not previously been publicised.
@LauraRuHK https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/exclusive-trump-launched-cia-covert-influence-operation-against-china/ar-BB1jTufz

Tehran Times leaked a confidential recording from "Anti-Defamation League" (ADL) Director Jonathan Greenblatt in which he expresses his concern about rising support for Palestine and opposition to zionism.

Greenblatt raises alarms about generational opposition to the zionist entity and growing recognition of the inalienable legitimacy of armed resistance. He notes the change in language among activists and allies who are increasingly refusing to recognize the zionist entity, accusing these changes of having something to do with Iran.

To solve this "issue," Greenblatt states: "We have a TikTok problem. Our community needs to put the same brains that gave us Taglit [free birthright trips to the zionist entity] to put our energy towards this fast."

Global sentiment is increasingly aligned with the Palestinian cause and resistance despite the ADL's efforts to counter these trends.

The Ukrainian ambassador to China gets a cold shoulder

"Unfortunately, our current level of dialogue with China, which has always been one of our most important partners, cannot be called dynamic, although, of course, there is no question of a complete cessation of contacts," Pavel Ryabikin said in an interview with RBC-Ukraine.

According to the Ukrainian diplomat, Kiev would like Beijing to work on the so-called peace formula promoted by Ukraine.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry also recognizes that it is still necessary to work on relations with another major regional player in Asia - India. According to Deputy Foreign Minister Irina Borovets, "close relations with Russia are a given for many countries in the Asian region."

As Bloomberg sources noted earlier, in contrast to the strengthening of ties between Moscow and Beijing, support for Ukraine among the Chinese diplomatic community is low.

According to the agency, this manifests itself in the slow, difficult establishment of diplomatic relations. In particular, Ryabikin managed to get only a few meetings since arriving in the Chinese capital, despite making around 40 requests to various ministries. (Source: TASS) @LauraRuHK

"I think the legislation should pass and I think it should be sold," Steven Mnuchin said, referring to the bill that passed the House of Representatives that could force ByteDance to divest from TikTok or face a ban in the US.
"It’s a great business and I’m going to put together a group to buy TikTok. It should be owned by US businesses". ▪️Last January Mnuchin said "Time to invest in Israel". He and his business partner, former US ambassador David Friedman, started Liberty Strategic Investment Fund in 2021 and have an office in Tel Aviv. @LauraRuHK

TASS has summed up the first day of presidential election:

▪️ The first day of voting, March 15, was already marked by a high turnout.

▪️ According to the latest data from the Russian Central Election Commission, the overall turnout in person was 36.12%, with some regions, including the Donetsk People’s Republic, the Kherson Region and Chukotka, exceeding 60%.

▪️ Russians are also actively voting online. More than 3.5 million ballots had been issued on the federal platform for remote electronic voting, the turnout was 74%.

▪️ Over 2.5 million Muscovites took part in the online voting.

▪️ Foreign and Russian observers reported no serious violations.

▪️ However, there were incidents at some polling stations, including attempts to break ballot boxes and spoil ballots, as well as a number of arson attacks.

▪️ The CEC said that these incidents are isolated and will not affect the election, recalling that such acts are punishable by up to five years in prison. (Source: TASS) @LauraRuHK

Hybrid war on China. Here is the latest example of lawfare. On Friday, the EU Council voted to adopt new rules that require big businesses to conduct human rights and environmental audits of their overseas suppliers. The proposed legislation now heads to the European Parliament for final approval. Now ask yourself, who will conduct forensic audits of Chinese companies or foreign companies operating in China? Do you believe that reports published by Western NGOs and amplified by mainstream media are unbiased? @LauraRuHK

"The detailed plan for the NATO exercise Crystal Arrow was leaked online . What's interesting about it?

🔺Crystal Arrow is a certification exercise for NATO's Enhanced Forward Presence Battle Group (IFCT) in Latvia together with that country's motorized infantry brigade. The command of this group is exercised by the Canadian military. These maneuvers are part of four large-scale international military exercises that will take place in Latvia from March to June.

What is the essence of the teachings?

Crystal Arrow is part of the larger Steadfast Defender 2024 exercise, which tests the interoperability of NATO mechanized units. A significant portion of the exercise focuses on combat planning and control, communications, critical infrastructure protection, and interaction with civilian services, such as medical and logistics services, a significant portion of which consists of civilian personnel.

What data was leaked?

◉ Structure of tactical groups.

In total, 11 such formations were involved in the exercises. It is noteworthy that the Slovak group (with almost the same flag as the Russian Federation) was separated into a separate group under the designation BEAR.

◉ Composition of tactical groups and their roles in the exercises.

■ NEMESIS (🇨🇦Canada, 🇮🇹Italy, 🇪🇸Spain, 🇨🇿Czech Republic) - “light cavalry” - reconnaissance squad on the M1126 Stryker armored personnel carrier and Centauro wheeled tanks.

■ GARMR (🇨🇦Canada) - “combat taxi” - transporting infantry to Stryker armored personnel carriers;

■ ALPHA (🇪🇸Spain) - armored fist on Pizarro infantry fighting vehicles and Leopard-2 tanks, with an attached company of heavy weapons;

■ LUPI (🇮🇹Italy) - similarly, on Dardo infantry fighting vehicles and C1 Ariete tanks with an attached squad of advanced aircraft gunners;

■ DRAGON (🇵🇱Poland) - tank strike group;

■ CHAOS (🇨🇦Canada) - tank strike group;

■ WARTHOG (🇪🇸Spain) - engineering support, mine clearance, equipment evacuation;

■ PALAFOX (🇪🇸Spain), MEDUSA (🇨🇦Canada), BEAR (🇸🇰Slovakia) - artillery;

■ LEVIATHAN (🇨🇦Canada, 🇮🇹Italy, 🇪🇸Spain) - connection.

◉ Type of radio communication used

From the leak it also became known that the exercises used secure radio stations L3 Harris RF-5800, RF-7800V-HH, AN/PRC-152A and other equipment necessary for data exchange on the battlefield.

◉ Personnel accommodation locations

Indicating the type of building: barracks, equipment hangar, fuel depot, etc.

◉ Data transmission scheme when detecting a UAV ;

Judging by the document, it includes 5 links - from the unit that discovered the UAV to the command and control authority that makes the final decision.

◉ Communication system

NATO officers have the opportunity to use special chats where information is collected in 5W format (who, what, when, where, and why.)

◉ Personal data of officers (rank, surname)

Based on the information in the leak, it became clear that the Crystal Arrow exercise headquarters worked in two shifts.

The day shift was apparently led by Major General Sylvain Menard (Canadian Air Force), the night shift senior was also a Canadian, Captain Jim McKenzie , as well as Lieutenant Colonel David Maclet .

The ISTAR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Acquisition and Reconnaissance) officers at headquarters during the day shift are Major Brad Benns and Master Corporal Jeff Rowen (Canadian Air Force).

What conclusion can be drawn?

The leak of a detailed exercise plan serves as further evidence of problems with the protection of NATO infrastructure, along with the recent publication of intercepted conversations between the highest leadership of the Bundeswehr: Air Force Inspector Ingo Gerhartz, head of operations and exercises of the German Air Force Command Frank Graefe, discussing attacks on the Crimean Bridge and the transfer of Taurus cruise missiles.

⚠️Bundeswehr officers, by the way, command a similar battle group of NATO’s enhanced forward presence in Lithuania (headquarters - Rukla).

According to Politico, Europe's new €5 billion fund for Ukraine is more of an accounting procedure than an actual pile of cash as bilateral weapons shipments can count as “in-kind contributions” to the "fund". https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-weapons-fund-ukraine-war/

Nuland, the cookie monster, had bilateral meetings with Italian officials, spooks and assorted arse-lickers (referred to as "thinkers" in official docs) as well as G7 Political Directors from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the EU, and the UK. ▪️The next G7 Summit will be held in Borgo Egnazia, in Apulia, on June 13-15, 2024.@LauraRuHK

The budget for the Pacific Deterrence Initiative (PDI) is growing from this year’s US$9.1 billion to US$9.9 billion in 2025 – a rise of 8 per cent. As the Pentagon focuses more and more on the Asia-Pacific, the burden of dealing with the Ukrainian mess will fall squarely on European vassals. @LauraRuHK

Norway as an Arctic frontline state?
The US is opening 12 military bases in Norway to confront Russia in the Arctic (https://thebarentsobserver.com/en/security/2024/02/norway-expands-defense-agreement-american-troops)
- The main objective is to contest Russia's Northern Sea Route and the Russian claims to energy resources in the Russian Arctic
- The US has not ratified the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, and does not recognise the Russian or Canadian Arctic claims. The US considers this to be "international waters" where it will exercise "freedom of navigation"

- Norway has a policy of not allowing foreign bases on its soil, but this issue was resolved by calling the US military bases "dedicated areas". Norway is transferring sovereign control over territories to the US military outside that falls under US legal jurisdiction, but they cannot be referred to as military bases. It's like referring to torture as "advanced interrogation techniques" to legalise torture

- During the Cold War, Norway had a policy of being a good neighbour to the Russians and a good ally to the Americans. The balance meant we were part of NATO as a deterrent but did not invite foreign troops to the high north or host foreign military bases as it would be provocative to the Russians and trigger a response.

- This policy is gone. In the tradition of NATO incrementalism, Norway first had American troops in Norway on rotation to suggest they were not permanently deployed and thus not breaching our policy of no foreign bases. In 2021, Norway and the US agreed on a few military bases but called them "dedicated areas" and reassured us they were not to target Russia. Now there will be 12+ US military bases and Washington no longer conceals its intentions.

- We wrote a warning in the Norwegian media in 2019 that we were being converted into an American frontline state in the Arctic, an Arctic Ukraine. This was dismissed as Russian talking points as US has seemingly no other interest in the Arctic than to offer free protection (https://aftenposten.no/meninger/kronikk/i/qLr8z0/norge-som-frontlinje-mot-russland-diesen-og-treholt)

- Norway's interest is to maintain peace and stability on the Russian border, while the US seeks to destabilise Russian borders. RAND, a think tank linked to the intelligence agencies, wrote a report sponsored by the US army in 2019 about how to destabilise Russian borders. Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, and Central Asia were identified as key regions to "extend" Russia and drain it of resources (https://rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR3063.html). In a future update, Norway could be be added to this list

- The West also suspended cooperation with Russia in the Arctic Council, an organisation for positive-sum and friendly cooperation that was previously divorced from geopolitics. With the entry of Sweden and Finland to NATO, all Arctic states besides Russia are NATO states. Russia subsequently invites China, India and other non-Arctic powers in the East to cooperate in the Russian Arctic. Why is there no debate about the logic of suspending diplomacy when there is conflict?

- You may think there would be a vigorous debate about abandoning the balanced foreign policy and instead become a frontline state. But you would be wrong. All discussions are dumbed down to a narrative of good versus evil. We can safely outsource our foreign policy and territory to the Americans as they are our allies and their interests are thus supposedly identical to ours, while the Russians are enemies with evil intentions so there is no need to discuss our provocations. Suggesting that our policies are provocative and may undermine our own security is dismissed as "Russian propaganda". (Source: Glenn Diesen on X) @LauraRuHK

Elezioni russe. La situazione a Pechino? Come in tutte le altre citta' del mondo dove i cittadini russi stanno esercitando il loro diritto di voto, lunga fila fuori dall'ambasciata. Nel video si vedono anche i membri di un gruppo folk in tournee' in Cina e personale della compagnia aerea Aeroflot. @LauraRuHK https://t.me/rian_ru/235832

Turnout for Russian General Election Exceeds 70% by 4pm Moscow Time. Very high turnout in the new regions. https://t.me/rian_ru/235920

Guess who is leading the Chinese delegation of observers at the presidential elections of the Russian Federation? Li Hui, China's Special Representative on Eurasian Affairs. Li Hui engaged in a second round of shuttle mediation between Russia, Ukraine and other European countries in an effort to build consensus on a political resolution for the Ukraine crisis.
Li visited Russia, the EU headquarters, Poland, Ukraine, Germany, France...and is back in Russia. In fact, he will spend four more days in Moscow. 😏 @LauraRuHK

Osservatori da tutto il mondo, affluenza superiore a quella registrata durante le elezioni presidenziali del 2018, ma i media occidentali vi raccontano che le elezioni sono una farsa e che in Russia non c'e' democrazia. Boh, forse sta tutta in Ucraina, dove Zelensky ha sospeso le elezioni e messo fuorilegge l'opposizione. @LauraRuHK

Celebrate the end of winter and the arrival of spring with Maslenitsa, a traditional Russian festival filled with pancakes, music, and cultural activities!

Recently, Beijing residents joined in the festivities with circle dances, folk songs, and mouthwatering food. Organized by the Russian-Chinese Friendship, Peace, and Development Committee, "Seeing off the Russian Winter in China" showcased Russian culture and arts at the Beijing Exhibition Center.

From pancake feasts to masterclasses on sabrage, the event highlighted the joy and camaraderie of Maslenitsa. As part of the intercultural years between Russia and China, Maslenitsa marks a new chapter in cultural exchange and celebrations.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin forecast that Russia-China relations would become stronger in the coming years.
Putin spoke on Sunday after partial results showed he had won Russia’s presidential election by a landslide. "Our relations have been taking shape over the past two decades. They are very strong and we are complementing each other. I’m sure that this relationship will be maintained, including, to a great extent, thanks to our good personal relationship with the president of the People’s Republic of China," the Russian leader told reporters.

"But the most important thing is that our national interests coincide, and this creates a favorable environment for resolving our common tasks and in the sphere of international relations, where relations between Russia and China serve as a factor of stability," he added.
Attempts by China’s foes to stage provocations around Taiwan, which is China’s territory, are doomed to fail utterly.
(Source: TASS) @LauraRuHK

Space has become a new battleground. Elon Musk's SpaceX is building a network of spy satellites under a classified contract worth $1.8 billion with a US intelligence agency called the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) ▪️A special business unit under SpaceX, Starshield, is undertaking the project, and if successful, it would advance the US military's ability to quickly spot potential targets almost anywhere on the globe. ▪️Prior to this program, the Pentagon was already a big customer of SpaceX, using its Falcon 9 rockets to launch a dozen military payloads into space. ▪️Wei Dongxu, a Beijing-based military expert and media commentator, told the Global Times: "This move is very dangerous, as once space becomes another arena for arms race, the company's assets could be in jeopardy. In addition, if this spy satellite network gets involved in a US-instigated space war and thus poses threats to other countries, SpaceX may become a target for retaliation or counterbalance." ▪️Wang Ya'nan, chief editor of Aerospace Knowledge magazine, believes that countries and regions will definitely take countermeasures once the network become operational, such as by moving facilities underground or using optical camouflage for concealment. As a result, obtaining sensitive information would still not be "a piece of cake" for US intelligence agencies. @LauraRuHK https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202403/1308988.shtml