Council on Foreign Relations
14th December 2022
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5th September 2023
My thoughts are with heroic Russian dissident & Canada’s newest honorary citizen
We just learnt he is being secretly transported to an unknown location, punished for his continued opposition to #Putin regime, even from prison. Stand in solidarity & demand his release
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6th September 2023
Appointment of Rustem Umerov as Ukraine’s DefenceMinister highlights the tragedy & glory of Crimean Tatars, descendants of Mongols:on 18 May 1944, in one of many brutal deportations of entire nations,Stalin & Beria deported 200,000 to Uzbekistan where Umerov born.Many died. 1/2

6th September 2023
“The UAE exported $149m worth of computer components and modules to Russia in the first five months of this year, compared with $1m in the same period last year. Exports of communications equipment grew to $64m from zero in the same period.”
As #Ukraine edges closer to #Crimea, Putin looks to replicate the Hitler Youth. Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman has said students in occupied Crimea are set to receive military training courses under Russian plans to militarise the annexed region. https://theguardian.com/world/live/2023/sep/02/russia-ukraine-war-live-boat-targeting-crimea-bridge-destroyed-moscow-says-kyiv-claims-advances-in-south?CMP=share_btn_tw&page=with%3Ablock-64f33b938f08a108316d5aea#block-64f33b938f08a108316d5aea
Putin urged Scholz to recognize Crimea as Russian, and the occupied territories of Donetsk and Lugansk regions as independent. – Telephone conversation between Putin and the German Chancellor published by Bild.
Putin urged Scholz to recognize Crimea as Russian, and the occupied territories of Donetsk and Lugansk regions as independent. – Telephone conversation between Putin and the German Chancellor published by Bild.
Russia is expanding its use of “hybrid warfare” — including cyber attacks, border disruptions and disinformation campaigns — in a bid to destabilize NATO’s eastern flank, the Polish government’s top national security official warned on Tuesday.
Replying to
The world has endured the global pandemic & Russia’s genocidal aggression. While Ukraine resists invasion, we all face information and cyber warfare on an ever increasing scale. The rise of AI and other emerging technologies further adds to those dangers. But don’t despair.
6th September 2023
Turkey under Erdoğan has pursued two interrelated goals in foreign policy: attempting to be pro-Ukraine, without becoming anti-Russia, writes
chathamhouse.org How will geopolitics shape Turkey’s international future? How geopolitics will affect Turkey’s relationship with the West will depend on whether they compete or cooperate in their shared
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6th September 2023
The BRICS has been able to tap into the Global South’s suspicion that global-governance organizations are too Western, writes Lord Jim O’Neill.
chathamhouse.org Does an expanded BRICS mean anything? The influence of BRICS will depend on its effectiveness, not on its composition or size.
Today on “The Intelligence”: the coming three-way nuclear-arms race, striking levels of truancy in America, and India’s battle of the rickshaw apps


Russia’s massive brain drain is ravaging the economy – these stunning figures show why it will soon be smaller than Indonesia’s
businessinsider.com Russia’s massive brain drain is ravaging the economy – these stunning figures show why it will soon… By some estimates, 86% of those who have left Russia are under the age of 45, and 80% have a college education.
6th September 2023
The 2013 #G20 Saint Petersburg Summit was held in what is known as the “Cultural Capital of Russia.” Located in the northwest of the country, St. Petersburg holds a prominent place in Russian history, culture and art. Let’s get acquainted with the Russian city in this CGTN series… Show more

Russia is imperialist and has always been imperialist. This is what today’s Russians have inherited from their past. In Lithuania, we know all about the history of Russian “culture and humanity” from bitter experience. Some examples… 1/10
The chief executive of the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways (RAI) announced on the transit of Russian cargo to Saudi Arabia via the Iran transport corridor for the first time. A transit train hauling 36 containers entered Iran for the first time from Russia through Iran’s Incheh Borun rail border near Turkmenistan, Miad Salehi stated. The deputy roads minister added that this cargo transit train was dispatched to the port city of Bandar Abbas on the Strait of Hormuz and will be transferred from there to the Saudi Arabian port city of Jeddah by sea. Russia seeks to develop the International North-South Transport Corridor (|NSTC) to connect India, Iran, Russia, Azerbaijan, and other countries via railways and sea. Russia says the INSTC will rival the Suez Canal as a major global trade route. MORE http://bit.ly/3KVKDFZ
Russia is the big winner from OPEC+ cuts as higher prices more than offset its modest reduction in flows, in stark contrast to the situation faced by Riyadh, writes
bloomberg.com Russia Is the Big Winner From OPEC+ Output Cuts Higher prices have more than offset lower supply, in stark contrast to the situation faced by Riyadh.

6th September 2023
#Russia has agreed on further curbs to its #oil exports with #OPEC+ partners and full details of the deal will be announced next week, Deputy Prime Minister Alexender Novak was quoted by Russian media as saying Aug. 31. Explore
*RUSSIA TO REVEAL NEW OPEC+ SUPPLY CUT AGREEMENT DETAILS NEXT WEEK $CL_F #OOTT

5th September 2023
He said Russia was ready to return to the UN-brokered Black Sea grain deal “as soon” as restrictions on its own exports were lifted.
Note Date
Several dozen Japanese men have answered Ukraine’s call for foreign volunteers to fight Russia’s invasion, including 50 former members of Japan’s Self-Defense Forces and 2 veterans of the French Foreign Legion. This is that famous Samurai spirit!
Note Date
Today I met Justin D, a 24-y/o American who served in the French Foreign Legion & who arrived in Ukraine a week ago to assist the country’s defense against a potential Russian offensive “I want to see Kyiv and Ukraine keep their sovereignty and not be another puppet of Russia.”

6th September 2023
With a Jewish president and a Muslim minister of defense, Ukraine’s increasingly diverse national leadership highlights the utter absurdity of Russia’s “Nazi Ukraine” propaganda, writes Peter Dickinson
5th September 2023
China’s top banks increased their investments in Russia more than 4x between February 2022 and March 2023 as Beijing sought to promote the yuan as a global alternative to the $ and Russia moved towards using the yuan as a reserve currency, according to FT.
Financial Times: China’s biggest banks have quadrupled their investments in Russia since start of…
Vladimir Putin (Culture)
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We have to get very, very tough on cyber and cyber warfare. It is – it is a huge problem.
Donald Trump (Cyber warfare quotes)
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