Sorry, but isn't this the behaviour the article is calling out? Teaching people the truth about the 'Chinese debt trap' is a useful thing to do. We shouldn't be purity testing the image they use. They might have chosen to use AI because it is better at communicating the basic idea, or simply because they don't think digging through archives is the best use of their time.
I'm not Russian, so take this with a grain of salt. When the USSR broke up, the Chechens - whose homeland ended up in the Russian federation - tried to secede. The Russian army crushed them militarily, but realised that governing a hostile population would be difficult. Also, Chechen separatists started conducting terrorist attacks in Russia. So they cut a deal with the Kadyrovs (who are Chechens, but on friendly terms with the Russians), where they put them in charge and basically stopped interfering in local affairs, in return for them clamping down on the more extreme separatists. I guess the Chechen people see this as less bad than direct Russian rule.
I think the author means that coal use isn't seen as a political red line, and coal plants are allowed to function temporarily when there is a demand surge, with the understanding that this is only a temporary stopgap until enough battery capacity is built.
If Russia and Azerbaijan are fighting, why is Armenia pivoting to the west? Isn't this their chance to retake the disputed territory with Russian help?
Pretty sure human population has declined multiple times in history.
Also whatever Trump does is probably going to be swamped by population changes in India or Africa.