Silicon Curtain

2026-04-19 | UPDATES #178 | This episode is about how Russia Is building the infrastructure to seize control of every rouble, every account, every transaction, from its population to fuel Putin's pointless war. Russia's population are waking up to the reality that their money is not their money. Their property is not their property. Their resources are not their resources. Everything is on loan from the state – retention of all these is conditional upon their loyalty and compliance. What's expected of them is indifference to politics in peacetime and unreasonable sacrifice, without question in wartime. Their lives are not their lives. And finally, many are discovering that their country is not their country, it's a territory ruled, and owned, by a class of people that don't give a damn about their squeals of indignation and outrage at privileges revoked. This is an object lesson for the West too. We may complain about our governments, our politicians, infrastructure and institutions. But things can always be worse, especially if we lose sight of hope, stop believing in progress, and deny our political agency as individuals. Russia shows what happens where there is no rule of law, no moral or political limits on executive power, no concept of the inviolability of property, rights or possessions. ----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation----------A REQUEST FOR HELP!I'm heading back to Kyiv next month, to film, do research and conduct interviews. The logistics and need for equipment and clothing are a little higher than for my previous trips. It will be cold, and may be dark also. If you can, please assist to ensure I can make this trip a success. My commitment to the audience of the channel, will be to bring back compelling interviews conducted in Ukraine, and to use the experience to improve the quality of the channel, it's insights and impact. Let Ukraine and democracy prevail! https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrashttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformationNONE OF THIS CAN HAPPEN WITHOUT YOU!So what's next? We're going to Kyiv in April 2026 to film on the ground, and will record interviews with some huge guests. We'll be creating opportunities for new interviews, and to connect you with the reality of a European city under escalating winter attack, from an imperialist, genocidal power. PLEASE HELP ME ME TO GROW SILICON CURTAINWe are planning our events for 2026, and to do more and have a greater impact. After achieving more than 12 events in 2025, we will aim to double that! 24 events and interviews on the ground in Ukraine, to push back against weaponized information, toxic propaganda and corrosive disinformation. Please help us make it happen!----------SOURCES: Kremlin financial control plans — TOLK Forum:The Moscow Times — "How the Kremlin Is Considering Cracking Down on Financial Freedom" (April 7, 2026) The Moscow Times — "Putin Signs Law Allowing Police to Freeze Bank Accounts Without Court Orders" (August 2025)Bloomberg — "Russia's VPN Crackdown Caused Bank Outage, Telegram Founder Says" (April 4, 2026) Business Standard / Bloomberg — "Russia's VPN crackdown caused bank outage, says Telegram founder" (April 4, 2026)Cybernews — "Russia's VPN crackdown triggers payment system disruption, Telegram's CEO Durov says" (April 2026) Techdirt — "Whoops: Russia's Attempt To Block VPNs Causes Major Banking Failure" (April 13, 2026)LatestLY — "Telegram Founder Pavel Durov Blames Russian VPN Crackdown for Major Payment System Failures" (April 4, 2026) Mediazona (English) — "Russia's internet censorship in 2026: VPN crackdowns, mobile shutdowns, Telegram blocks and the state messenger Max" (April 7, 2026) ----------

Jason Jay Smart is a political adviser who has lived and worked in Ukraine, Moldova, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Latin America. Due to his work with the democratic opposition to Vladimir Putin, Smart was made persona non grata for life by Russia in 2010. Jason is a Special Correspondent at the Kyiv Post. It's the state of US support for Ukraine that we will discuss today.----------LINKS:https://jasonjaysmart.com/ https://www.kyivpost.com/authors/5 https://americanpoliticalservices.com/https://www.facebook.com/jasonjaysmarthttps://twitter.com/officejjsmart ----------ACTIVE CAMPAIGN:We are raising funds for 5 of 15 Vampire DronesSilicon Curtain for Kupiansk Vampires. Dzyga's Paw, together with Jonathan Fink, is joining forces to raise $40,000 to provide the Khartiia Brigade with Vampire Drones.https://dzygaspaw.com/silicon-curtain-for-kupiansk-vampiresThese heavy bombers are designed to destroy manpower and equipment, as well as for remote mining. The Vampire UAV, manufactured by Skyfall, has proven itself to be one of the most effective weapons in the Kupiansk direction. Skyfall is one of Ukraine's largest defense tech companies, producing Vampire bomber drones, various modifications of Shrike FPV drones, P1-SUN, Shahed drone interceptors, communication systems, and components.----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation----------TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND:Car4Ukrainehttps://car4ukraine.com/en-US/campaignsDzyga's Pawhttps://dzygaspaw.com/projectsSuperhumans - Hospital for war traumashttps://superhumans.com/en/UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukrainehttps://unbroken.org.ua/Come Back Alivehttps://savelife.in.ua/en/Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchenhttps://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraineUNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyyhttps://u24.gov.ua/Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundationhttps://prytulafoundation.orgNGO “Herojam Slava”https://heroiamslava.org/----------PLATFORMS:Substack: https://substack.com/@siliconcurtainTwitter: https://twitter.com/CurtainSiliconLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/finkjonathan/Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4thRZj6NO7y93zG11JMtqm----------DESCRIPTION:Why Ukraine Matters: Media Manipulation, Russia's Economic Strain, and the War's Global StakesThe panel argues the war in Ukraine has profound long-term global consequences for Americans and Europeans and must be framed beyond individual strikes. They discuss how corporate media incentives and social-media dynamics amplify outrage, distraction, and cherry-picked narratives, while foreign coverage is limited by cost and lack of permanent TV presences in Ukraine. Speakers contrast Ukraine's good-faith negotiation posture with Russia's unserious delegations and propaganda, and contend Russia is increasingly weakened by drone-centric warfare and growing internal economic stress, including deficits, liquidity concerns, toxic loans, and elite asset seizures. They cite dissenting signals from Russian economic and nationalist circles and suggest Putin is detached from reality due to distorted information. The conversation explores post-Putin scenarios, risks of forced ceasefire pressure, Europe and Ukraine security alignment.----------

Silicon Bites Ep320 | 2026-04-18 | Ukraine's war on Russian oil, the allies who begged them to stop, and the sanctions waiver that proved whose side Washington is on. On the morning of April 16th, a plume of black smoke rose from the Russian port city of Tuapse on the Black Sea coast. It stretched over a hundred kilometres out to sea. It was visible from space. NASA published the satellite image.The Tuapse Oil Refinery — a Rosneft facility, one of the ten largest in Russia, with an annual processing capacity of twelve million tons — was on fire. Ukrainian drones from the Security Service's Alpha special operations centre had struck fuel storage tanks, deepwater oil-loading arms, pipeline infrastructure, and a multifunctional radar station. The fire spread to neighbouring reservoirs and burned through the day. Ukraine's General Staff confirmed the strike. The OSINT project CyberBoroshno reported the fire had intensified. OSINTtechnical posted the satellite footage. The port of Tuapse handles up to ten percent of Russia's total petroleum product exports.----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation----------SOURCES:Kyiv Independent — "Ukrainian drone strikes turn major Russian oil refinery into 'volcano' along the Black Sea" (April 16, 2026) The Moscow Times — "Smoke Plume Rises Above Krasnodar Oil Refinery After Ukraine and Russia Trade Deadly Barrages" (April 16, 2026) UNITED24 Media — "Tuapse Oil Refinery in Flames After Drone Strike Hits Russia's Black Sea Port" (April 16, 2026)Ukrainska Pravda — "Ukraine's special forces hit Rosneft oil terminal in Russia's Tuapse with drones" (April 16, 2026) Ukrinform — "General Staff confirms hits on Tuapse oil refinery" (April 16, 2026) Mezha — "Ukrainian forces struck Tuapse refinery, fires and storage damage reported" (April 16, 2026) Al Jazeera — "Ukraine's long-range strikes prompt new Russian threat against Europe" (April 17, 2026)RBC Ukraine — "Ukraine hits four Russian oil refineries in one night" (April 18, 2026) EA WorldView — "Trump Administration Extends Sanctions Waiver on Russia's Oil" (April 18, 2026)----------SILICON CURTAIN LIVE EVENTS - FUNDRAISER CAMPAIGN Events in 2025 - Advocacy for a Ukrainian victory with Silicon Curtainhttps://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasOur events of the first half of the year in Lviv, Kyiv and Odesa were a huge success. Now we need to maintain this momentum, and change the tide towards a Ukrainian victory. The Silicon Curtain Roadshow is an ambitious campaign to run a minimum of 12 events in 2025, and potentially many more. Any support you can provide for the fundraising campaign would be gratefully appreciated. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasWe need to scale up our support for Ukraine, and these events are designed to have a major impact. Your support in making it happen is greatly appreciated. All events will be recorded professionally and published for free on the Silicon Curtain channel. Where possible, we will also live-stream events.https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------

2026-04-18 | UPDATES #177 | Putin has never been weaker — and he knows it. Everything is falling apart for the tyrant of the Kremlin. Putin has never been in a worse position than he is right now. Nothing is going his way — simultaneously, across every front — in the spring of 2026.The front is stalled. Losses are outpacing recruitment. The economy has contracted for the first time since the invasion. His approval rating is falling for the sixth straight week. Two-thirds of Russians want peace talks. His last remaining European ally was swept from power by his own voters. The oil windfall from the Iran war is evaporating. Ukrainian drones are systematically dismantling Russian refining capacity. And the propaganda machine — the machine that held the line through Kharkiv, through Prigozhin, through four years of attrition — is cracking. In 2022, when Putin lost Kharkiv and Kherson, he still had cards to play. Mobilisation. The war economy. Orbán. Trump. Iran as a partner. The threat of freezing Ukraine into submission. Every card has now been played. None of them worked. Ukraine has only got stronger despite the terrible suffering that Putin has inflicted on the country and its people. ----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation----------A REQUEST FOR HELP!I'm heading back to Kyiv next month, to film, do research and conduct interviews. The logistics and need for equipment and clothing are a little higher than for my previous trips. It will be cold, and may be dark also. If you can, please assist to ensure I can make this trip a success. My commitment to the audience of the channel, will be to bring back compelling interviews conducted in Ukraine, and to use the experience to improve the quality of the channel, it's insights and impact. Let Ukraine and democracy prevail! https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrashttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformationNONE OF THIS CAN HAPPEN WITHOUT YOU!So what's next? We're going to Kyiv in April 2026 to film on the ground, and will record interviews with some huge guests. We'll be creating opportunities for new interviews, and to connect you with the reality of a European city under escalating winter attack, from an imperialist, genocidal power. PLEASE HELP ME ME TO GROW SILICON CURTAINWe are planning our events for 2026, and to do more and have a greater impact. After achieving more than 12 events in 2025, we will aim to double that! 24 events and interviews on the ground in Ukraine, to push back against weaponized information, toxic propaganda and corrosive disinformation. Please help us make it happen!----------SOURCES: UNITED24 Media — "Putin's Approval Rating Slides to 66.7% Amid Falling Trust and Declining Party Support" (April 17, 2026) UNITED24 Media — "Putin's Approval Rating Falls to Lowest Level Since 2022" (April 10, 2026)Kyiv Post — "Putin's 'Real' Approval Rating Falls Below 30% for First Time Since Start of War" (April 10, 2026) RBC Ukraine — "Putin's approval rating continues to fall" (April 17, 2026) RFE/RL — "In Russia, Putin Sees Something Not Seen In Years: A Notable Drop In Approval Ratings" (April 2026)Meduza — "Putin's approval rating falls below 70%" (April 10, 2026) Kyiv Independent — "Russia sets yet another Donbas capture deadline" (April 17, 2026) Kyiv Post — "Moscow Gears Up for New Offensive, Eyes Total Donbas Control by September" (April 17, 2026)ISW / Critical Threats — "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, April 13, 2026" ----------

2026-04-18 | UPDATES #176 | Easter lies, fratricide on the front line, and 667 reasons Ukraine's air defences are the best in the world. On Easter Saturday, Vladimir Putin declared a thirty-two-hour ceasefire. A humanitarian gesture, the Kremlin called it. The truce would begin at 4pm Moscow time and last through Orthodox Easter Sunday. There is a pattern to Moscow's announcements – major defeats are always labelled as humanitarian gestures.By 7am the next morning, Russia had violated its own ceasefire two thousand, two hundred and ninety-nine times. Twenty-eight assault operations. Four hundred and seventy-nine shelling fires on Ukrainian positions. Seven hundred and forty-seven kamikaze drone strikes. One thousand and forty-five FPV drone attacks. Near Chasiv Yar in Donetsk, Russian forces used first-person-view drones to attack unarmed Russian soldiers who were being evacuated from the front line during the supposed truce. They killed three of their own men. Then, four days later — on April 16th — Russia launched its most devastating aerial attack of 2026. Nearly seven hundred drones. Dozens of ballistic and cruise missiles. Sixteen dead, including a twelve-year-old boy in Kyiv. Over a hundred wounded. A drone slammed directly into an eighteen-storey residential building. Easter peace. Russian style. We're talking about a pattern of deception that stretches back more than a decade — and a Ukrainian air defence network that just shot down ninety-five percent of everything Russia threw at it.----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation----------A REQUEST FOR HELP!I'm heading back to Kyiv next month, to film, do research and conduct interviews. The logistics and need for equipment and clothing are a little higher than for my previous trips. It will be cold, and may be dark also. If you can, please assist to ensure I can make this trip a success. My commitment to the audience of the channel, will be to bring back compelling interviews conducted in Ukraine, and to use the experience to improve the quality of the channel, it's insights and impact. Let Ukraine and democracy prevail! https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrashttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformationNONE OF THIS CAN HAPPEN WITHOUT YOU!So what's next? We're going to Kyiv in April 2026 to film on the ground, and will record interviews with some huge guests. We'll be creating opportunities for new interviews, and to connect you with the reality of a European city under escalating winter attack, from an imperialist, genocidal power. PLEASE HELP ME ME TO GROW SILICON CURTAINWe are planning our events for 2026, and to do more and have a greater impact. After achieving more than 12 events in 2025, we will aim to double that! 24 events and interviews on the ground in Ukraine, to push back against weaponized information, toxic propaganda and corrosive disinformation. Please help us make it happen!----------SOURCES: Al Jazeera — "Russia and Ukraine agree to 32-hour Orthodox Easter ceasefire" (April 10, 2026)Al Jazeera — "Ukraine and Russia accuse each other of breaching Easter ceasefire" (April 12, 2026)Euronews — "Ukraine and Russia accuse each other of breaching 36-hour Orthodox Easter ceasefire" (April 12, 2026) Euronews — "Ukraine and Russia exchange prisoners ahead of Orthodox Easter ceasefire" (April 11, 2026) PBS News — "Orthodox Easter ceasefire falters as Ukraine says Russia continues drone strikes" (April 12, 2026) PBS News — "Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of Easter ceasefire violations" (April 12, 2026) ----------

Lev Parnas is a Soviet-born American businessman and former associate of Rudy Giuliani. Parnas, Giuliani, Igor Fruman, John Solomon, Yuriy Lutsenko, Dmytro Firtash and his allies, Victoria Toensing and Joe diGenova, were involved in creating the false Biden–Ukraine conspiracy theory, which was part of the Trump–Ukraine scandal's efforts to damage Joe Biden. As president, Donald Trump said he did not know Parnas nor what he was involved in; Parnas insisted Trump "knew exactly what was going on". In October 2021, Parnas was found guilty in U.S. Federal Court on six counts related to illegal donations to the 2020 campaign of Donald Trump. He was sentenced to 20 months in prison, three years of supervised release and $2,322,500 in restitution on June 29, 2022. In early March 2026, Parnas announced his candidacy for the Florida 27th district seat in the 2026 election. ----------LINKS:https://levparnas.org/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lev_Parnashttps://www.occrp.org/en/investigation/parnas-adventures-in-magalandhttps://www.c-span.org/video/?c5110982/lev-parnas-testifies-coordinated-effort-falsely-accuse-biden-familyhttps://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parnas-Lev-Written-Statement.pdf----------ACTIVE CAMPAIGN:We are raising funds for 5 of 15 Vampire DronesSilicon Curtain for Kupiansk Vampires. Dzyga's Paw, together with Jonathan Fink, is joining forces to raise $40,000 to provide the Khartiia Brigade with Vampire Drones.https://dzygaspaw.com/silicon-curtain-for-kupiansk-vampiresThese heavy bombers are designed to destroy manpower and equipment, as well as for remote mining. The Vampire UAV, manufactured by Skyfall, has proven itself to be one of the most effective weapons in the Kupiansk direction. Skyfall is one of Ukraine's largest defense tech companies, producing Vampire bomber drones, various modifications of Shrike FPV drones, P1-SUN, Shahed drone interceptors, communication systems, and components.----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation----------TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND:Car4Ukrainehttps://car4ukraine.com/en-US/campaignsDzyga's Pawhttps://dzygaspaw.com/projectsSuperhumans - Hospital for war traumashttps://superhumans.com/en/UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukrainehttps://unbroken.org.ua/Come Back Alivehttps://savelife.in.ua/en/Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchenhttps://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraineUNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyyhttps://u24.gov.ua/Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundationhttps://prytulafoundation.orgNGO “Herojam Slava”https://heroiamslava.org/----------PLATFORMS:Substack: https://substack.com/@siliconcurtainTwitter: https://twitter.com/CurtainSiliconLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/finkjonathan/Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4thRZj6NO7y93zG11JMtqm----------DESCRIPTION:In a livestream tied to a Ukraine fundraiser, Lev Parnas explains why he is running for Congress in Florida's 27th District, saying he wants to create change beyond social media and challenge Democratic establishment leadership. Drawing on his role as a former gatekeeper between Trump and Giuliani and his experience in “shadow diplomacy,” he argues Trump is not a friend to Ukraine and is driven primarily by money and power, viewing Russia as strong and Ukraine as weak, with future profit motives tied to rebuilding resources coordinated with Russian interests. Parnas criticizes Michael Cohen and Michael Wolff as unreliable and calls Anthony Scaramucci the most credible of the three discussed. The group discusses decades of Russian oligarch money and influence in Western real estate and politics, propaganda shaping US attitudes toward Ukraine, and Putin's relationships with other leaders. ----------

Silicon Bites Ep319 | 2026-04-17 | Russia's Donbas ultimatum, America's contradictions, and why JD Vance doesn't know what he's talking about. How do I know? On April 8th, from Budapest — standing alongside Viktor Orbán — JD Vance looked into a camera and said this: "We're talking about haggling at this point over a few square kilometres of territory in one direction or another. Is that worth losing hundreds of thousands of additional Russian and Ukrainian young men?"A few square kilometres. That's the Vice President of the United States describing the fate of millions of Ukrainian citizens, a fortified defensive belt holding back a Russian army of 680,000, and territory that — if surrendered — would give Moscow a launchpad for the next phase of its invasion.Two days later, Zelenskyy responded. "The Vice President, with all due respect, does not take part in the negotiations. If he were involved, he would probably have a deeper understanding of what Ukrainian territory actually is."----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation----------SOURCES:Kyiv Independent — "Russia sets yet another Donbas capture deadline while demanding Ukraine withdraw without fighting, HUR says" (April 17, 2026) Kyiv Post — "Moscow Gears Up for New Offensive, Eyes Total Donbas Control by September – HUR" (April 17, 2026)Rubryka — "Russia prepares spring-summer offensive and aims to seize Donbas by autumn – Ukraine's intelligence" (April 17, 2026) Ostro Info / Hromadske — "Russia intends to carry out a summer offensive and capture Donbas by September" (April 2026) UNITED24 Media — "Russia Gives Ukraine Two-Month Deadline to Leave Donbas, Zelenskyy Says" (March 31, 2026) Al Jazeera — "Russia claims to take full control of Ukraine's Luhansk region" (April 1, 2026) CFR Global Conflict Tracker — "War in Ukraine" (updated April 2026) RFE/RL — "Rubio Accuses Zelenskyy Of Lying About US Position On Bid To End Russia's War" (March 27, 2026) Kyiv Independent — "'That's a lie' — Rubio dismisses Zelensky's claims US security guarantees tied to withdrawal from Donbas" (March 27, 2026)Kyiv Independent — "Zelensky responds to Rubio's accusation of lying" (March 28, 2026)Euronews — "Rubio slams Zelenskyy's Donbas comments and says US may divert Ukraine arms to Iran" (March 27, 2026)The Irish Times — "'That's a lie': Rubio denies Zelenskiy claim US is demanding Kyiv give up eastern Donbas" (March 28, 2026) Kyiv Post — "Rubio Rejects Zelensky's Claim That US Linked Security Guarantees to Ukraine's Withdrawal From Donbas" (March 27, 2026) ----------SILICON CURTAIN LIVE EVENTS - FUNDRAISER CAMPAIGN Events in 2025 - Advocacy for a Ukrainian victory with Silicon Curtainhttps://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasOur events of the first half of the year in Lviv, Kyiv and Odesa were a huge success. Now we need to maintain this momentum, and change the tide towards a Ukrainian victory. The Silicon Curtain Roadshow is an ambitious campaign to run a minimum of 12 events in 2025, and potentially many more. Any support you can provide for the fundraising campaign would be gratefully appreciated. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasWe need to scale up our support for Ukraine, and these events are designed to have a major impact. Your support in making it happen is greatly appreciated. All events will be recorded professionally and published for free on the Silicon Curtain channel. Where possible, we will also live-stream events.https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------

2026-04-17 | UPDATES #175 | The economic forum where Russia's own political and economic scientists said the quiet part out loud. It's not good news for Putin. Last week, something extraordinary happened in Moscow. In a conference centre in the middle of the capital, at an event the authorities have tolerated for a decade — the Moscow Economic Forum. Tolerated why? Because the regime needs some feedback mechanisms to help shape policy, needs a way to monitor the dissent from its policy course from the professional classes (not political dissenters, these are not tolerated), and because they know these people will never openly turn on the regime. But something has changed. The sense of doom, angst and despair has grown, and the frustration with Putin's choices on the economy, on funding the war, are bubbling to the surface. The Elites are distancing themselves from Putin's policies and starting to peel away from him as a figure – but don't expect that to translate into a political revolution. It won't. ----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation----------A REQUEST FOR HELP!I'm heading back to Kyiv next month, to film, do research and conduct interviews. The logistics and need for equipment and clothing are a little higher than for my previous trips. It will be cold, and may be dark also. If you can, please assist to ensure I can make this trip a success. My commitment to the audience of the channel, will be to bring back compelling interviews conducted in Ukraine, and to use the experience to improve the quality of the channel, it's insights and impact. Let Ukraine and democracy prevail! https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrashttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformationNONE OF THIS CAN HAPPEN WITHOUT YOU!So what's next? We're going to Kyiv in April 2026 to film on the ground, and will record interviews with some huge guests. We'll be creating opportunities for new interviews, and to connect you with the reality of a European city under escalating winter attack, from an imperialist, genocidal power. PLEASE HELP ME ME TO GROW SILICON CURTAINWe are planning our events for 2026, and to do more and have a greater impact. After achieving more than 12 events in 2025, we will aim to double that! 24 events and interviews on the ground in Ukraine, to push back against weaponized information, toxic propaganda and corrosive disinformation. Please help us make it happen!----------SOURCES: BIZNES Online — "We are heading for trouble — a double-digit economic decline: rescue recipes from MEF" (Мы идем к беде – двузначному падению экономики: рецепты спасения от МЭФ) (April 2026) Komsomolskaya Pravda (KP.RU) — "At MEF-2026, they called for urgent repair of the Russian economy" (На МЭФ-2026 призвали срочно начать ремонт российской экономики) (April 13, 2026) Svoye Delo Plus — "We are in trouble and running late: Academician Robert Nigmatulin delivers sharp criticism of economic management" (April 15, 2026)Infokam — "Academician Robert Nigmatulin calls for saving Russia" (April 2026)REPOST News — "Academician Nigmatulin forecasts double-digit economic decline" (April 10, 2026) MEF official site — Plenary I: "From cooling to development" (April 2026) MEF official site — Programme and agenda (April 7–8, 2026) Pravda Germany / PolitNavigator — "At the Moscow Economic Forum, they argued about the desire of young people to work" (April 9, 2026) PRIME / RIA — MEF-2026 preview and participant list (April 7, 2026) ----------

Silicon Bites Ep318 | 2026-04-16 | The people who wrote Britain's latest strategic defence plan just turned on the government that commissioned it. The dam of consensus broke at the Guildhall in Salisbury. A former NATO Secretary General — a man Sir Keir Starmer personally appointed to write Britain's blueprint for national defence — walked to a lectern, looked out at the room, and said:"We are underprepared. We are underinsured. We are under attack. We are not safe. Britain's national security and safety is in peril."That man is Lord George Robertson. Former Labour defence secretary. Former head of the most powerful military alliance on Earth. And the person who, alongside Fiona Hill and General Sir Richard Barrons, delivered the government's own Strategic Defence Review just ten months ago. They gave Starmer sixty-two recommendations. He accepted all of them. He promised to deliver them at — these were his words — "wartime pace." But then failed to deliver change at that speed or scale.----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation----------SOURCES:Sky News — "'Corrosive complacency' – Lord Robertson tears into Starmer and Reeves in extraordinary intervention on defence spending" (15 April 2026) Global Defense Corp — "Welfare payments chewed the defence budget. 'Corrosive complacency' towards British national security, Lord Robertson says" (16 April 2026)BritBrief — "Ex-Labour defence chiefs demand welfare cuts to fund military spending, warning security is 'in peril'" (14 April 2026) BritBrief — "Starmer rejects ex-NATO chief's warning that UK security is 'in peril'" (15 April 2026)GBNews — "Keir Starmer hits back at ex-Nato chief after attack on Labour's defence plans" (14 April 2026) Forces News — "Lord Robertson's critique on defence gives voice to AF community who can't speak out" (14 April 2026) The Independent / AOL — "Reeves digs heels in over defence boost despite fears UK security is 'in peril'" (14 April 2026) WSWS — "Labour peer George Robertson demands UK welfare spending cull to fund 'warfighting readiness'" (15 April 2026) ----------SILICON CURTAIN LIVE EVENTS - FUNDRAISER CAMPAIGN Events in 2025 - Advocacy for a Ukrainian victory with Silicon Curtainhttps://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasOur events of the first half of the year in Lviv, Kyiv and Odesa were a huge success. Now we need to maintain this momentum, and change the tide towards a Ukrainian victory. The Silicon Curtain Roadshow is an ambitious campaign to run a minimum of 12 events in 2025, and potentially many more. Any support you can provide for the fundraising campaign would be gratefully appreciated. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasWe need to scale up our support for Ukraine, and these events are designed to have a major impact. Your support in making it happen is greatly appreciated. All events will be recorded professionally and published for free on the Silicon Curtain channel. Where possible, we will also live-stream events.https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------

2026-04-16 | UPDATES #174 | Putin's wrecked economy – the grandfather in the Kremlin and the elite who want him gone. Yesterday, in a Kremlin meeting room, Vladimir Putin looked across a table at his own ministers and Central Bank chief Elvira Nabiullina — and demanded that they explain to him, in plain Russian, why the economy he built, the war machine he fuelled, the "fortress" he promised, is cracking under his feet. Maybe he is not recognising the full extent of the problem – maybe he is not being told the full extent of the problem – but he is starting to acknowledge that there is a problem. The source of the problem is of course his disastrous war, his kleptocratic regime, global ambitions – but none of these will be admitted to. ----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation----------A REQUEST FOR HELP!I'm heading back to Kyiv next month, to film, do research and conduct interviews. The logistics and need for equipment and clothing are a little higher than for my previous trips. It will be cold, and may be dark also. If you can, please assist to ensure I can make this trip a success. My commitment to the audience of the channel, will be to bring back compelling interviews conducted in Ukraine, and to use the experience to improve the quality of the channel, it's insights and impact. Let Ukraine and democracy prevail! https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrashttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformationNONE OF THIS CAN HAPPEN WITHOUT YOU!So what's next? We're going to Kyiv in April 2026 to film on the ground, and will record interviews with some huge guests. We'll be creating opportunities for new interviews, and to connect you with the reality of a European city under escalating winter attack, from an imperialist, genocidal power. PLEASE HELP ME ME TO GROW SILICON CURTAINWe are planning our events for 2026, and to do more and have a greater impact. After achieving more than 12 events in 2025, we will aim to double that! 24 events and interviews on the ground in Ukraine, to push back against weaponized information, toxic propaganda and corrosive disinformation. Please help us make it happen!----------SOURCES: The Moscow Times — "Putin Demands Answers as Russia's Economy Undershoots Expectations" (April 15, 2026) Bloomberg — "Putin Orders Officials to Explain Russia's Economic Slowdown as GDP Falls" (April 15, 2026)Meduza — "Putin says Russia's GDP contraction in first 2 months of year is due to seasonal factors" (April 15, 2026) Xinhua / Free Malaysia Today — "Putin sounds alarm over Russia's slowing economy" (April 15, 2026) EADaily / Bloomberg report — "In Russia, they decided not to jam Telegram because of the fall in Putin's rating" (April 14, 2026) The Moscow Times — "Russia's Civilian Industry Downturn Accelerated in Early 2026" (March 30, 2026) Euromaidan Press — "Moscow booms as Russia's provinces collapse under war costs" (January 13, 2026) UNITED24 Media — "Why Major Russian Factories Are Shifting to Three-Day Workweeks" (April 2026)NV (New Voice of Ukraine) — "Russia's GDP shrinks 1.8% as 22 industries slide into decline" (April 2026) RBC Ukraine — "Crisis deepens in Russia's auto sector as KAMAZ trims workweek and AvtoVAZ shuts down line" (April 2026) The Moscow Times — "Russia's Rusal to Shutter Major Silicon Plant as Industry Cuts Deepen" (November 17, 2025) Militarnyi — "Russian Tank-Building Uralvagonzavod Announced Large-Scale Layoffs" (November 7, 2025) World Socialist Web Site — "Russia: Mass layoffs, strikes amid expanding war" (March 30, 2026) ----------

Silicon Bites Ep317 | 2026-04-15 | Russia's gold reserves are going, going, gone. The kremlin starts eating its war chest. For the first time in nearly a quarter century, Vladimir Putin is selling Russia's gold. Not lending it. Not shuffling it from one Kremlin pocket to another. Selling it. On the open market. To pay for a war he cannot win and cannot stop.Here is what just happened, confirmed by The Moscow Times on March 24th and corroborated by the World Gold Council, Euromaidan Press, and Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service. In January, the Central Bank of Russia liquidated 300,000 troy ounces of physical gold. In February, another 200,000. Roughly fourteen metric tons in two months — the largest bullion drawdown since the second quarter of 2002. Russia's total gold reserves have collapsed to 74.3 million ounces, the lowest level since March 2022 — the month the full-scale invasion began.And the bigger picture is uglier still. According to Russia's own Ministry of Finance data reviewed by The Moscow Times, the gold held in the National Wealth Fund — the sovereign rainy-day pot — has been slashed by 71 percent since May 2022. From 554.9 tons down to roughly 160. Three quarters of the war chest. Gone.----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation----------SOURCES:The Moscow Times, "Russia's Gold Sales Hit Highest Level Since 2002 as Budget Pressures Mount," March 23, 2026United24 Media, "Russian Central Bank Drains Gold For the First Time Since 2002 as War Deficit Mounts," March 2026 United24 Media, "Russia Liquidates 71% of Its Gold Reserves to Finance War Effort," January 21, 2026 Euromaidan Press, "Gold down 27%, Urals up 71% — Russia's sanctions hedge melts as its oil budget fills," March 24, 2026 UAWire, "Russia sells gold reserves for first time in 25 years to cover budget deficit," March 2026 NV / The New Voice of Ukraine, "Russia sells gold reserves for first time in 25 years to cover budget gap," March 2026The Gold Forecast / Kitco News, "Russian restrictions on gold could exacerbate selloff," March 25, 2026 Arabic Trader, "Russia bans the export of heavy gold bars starting from this date" (Putin decree, TASS), March 2026 ----------SILICON CURTAIN LIVE EVENTS - FUNDRAISER CAMPAIGN Events in 2025 - Advocacy for a Ukrainian victory with Silicon Curtainhttps://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasOur events of the first half of the year in Lviv, Kyiv and Odesa were a huge success. Now we need to maintain this momentum, and change the tide towards a Ukrainian victory. The Silicon Curtain Roadshow is an ambitious campaign to run a minimum of 12 events in 2025, and potentially many more. Any support you can provide for the fundraising campaign would be gratefully appreciated. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasWe need to scale up our support for Ukraine, and these events are designed to have a major impact. Your support in making it happen is greatly appreciated. All events will be recorded professionally and published for free on the Silicon Curtain channel. Where possible, we will also live-stream events.https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------

2026-04-15 | UPDATES #173 | This was the plan all along. Get Ukraine out of the way one way or another. If Biden's administration (and those that preceded it) treated Ukraine as a second-tier ally and Russia as a peer adversary, then Trump's administration has flipped the script. In their perception, Ukraine is a third or forth tier country, and barely a partner at all, whereas Russia has become a prospective ally, trading partner and a power whose vision of the world is in alignment with that of the U.S. The cover story is a that Russia shares common, conservative and traditional values, but the subtext is that Russia aspires to imperial regional hegemony, with an informal view of power relations built on transaction, coercion and the idea that might makes right. This is a world that Trump empathises with, and in which he aspires to become a player in.But as ever, he has backed a loser and invested his political capital in a losing idea. Trump and Co. constantly overestimate Russia's strength and fail to see how brittle and weak it has become. They also have a contempt for Ukraine that blinds them to how strong it has become, and how much stronger it could get, in the wake of a defeat of Russia in Ukraine and self-ejection of the U.S. from the security and defence architecture of Europe. ----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation----------A REQUEST FOR HELP!I'm heading back to Kyiv next month, to film, do research and conduct interviews. The logistics and need for equipment and clothing are a little higher than for my previous trips. It will be cold, and may be dark also. If you can, please assist to ensure I can make this trip a success. My commitment to the audience of the channel, will be to bring back compelling interviews conducted in Ukraine, and to use the experience to improve the quality of the channel, it's insights and impact. Let Ukraine and democracy prevail! https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrashttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformationNONE OF THIS CAN HAPPEN WITHOUT YOU!So what's next? We're going to Kyiv in April 2026 to film on the ground, and will record interviews with some huge guests. We'll be creating opportunities for new interviews, and to connect you with the reality of a European city under escalating winter attack, from an imperialist, genocidal power. PLEASE HELP ME ME TO GROW SILICON CURTAINWe are planning our events for 2026, and to do more and have a greater impact. After achieving more than 12 events in 2025, we will aim to double that! 24 events and interviews on the ground in Ukraine, to push back against weaponized information, toxic propaganda and corrosive disinformation. Please help us make it happen!----------SOURCES: VSquare investigation, Kremlin Hotline: How Hungary Coordinates With Russia Blocking Ukraine From the EU (published April 8, 2026). Reuters, Key quotes from Vance and Orban's news conference (April 7, 2026). Reuters, Hungary vote removes Ukraine's staunchest foe in EU (April 13, 2026). Reuters, Trump tells ABC News reporter he was not concerned about Orban's loss in Hungary (April 15, 2026). Reuters, NATO on track to fund Ukraine defence aid despite burden-sharing gaps, Rutte says (April 15, 2026). Reuters, Ukraine retakes 50 sq km of territory in March, army chief says (April 15, 2026).Reuters, Russia launches more than 300 drones, missiles at Ukraine overnight (April 15, 2026).Reuters, Ukraine to produce drones in Norway, Oslo says (April 14, 2026). Reuters, Merz and Zelenskiy sign drone and defence cooperation accords (April 14, 2026). Reuters, Russian special envoy Dmitriev in US, meeting Trump administration members, sources say (April 9, 2026). ----------

2026-04-14 | UPDATES #172 | The ghost leaves the machine — Surkov's alleged flight and the unravelling of Putinism. The man who invented "managed reality" for the Kremlin has, reportedly, had to manage his own reality to remain out of prison. Disappeared. A fugitive. That's the rumour. The subject of a criminal case being — and I quote the phrasing from Russian sources — "being prepared." The ghost-writer of Putin's postmodern autocracy has been ghosted by the system he built.Vladislav Surkov. Putin's brain. That was never Dugin – but Surkov is a far more likely candidate for that title. The grey cardinal. The architect of sovereign democracy. The curator of the invasion of Ukraine. The man who ran the Donbas occupation like a stage production. And, according to multiple Russian and Ukrainian sources in the last few hours, a man who has just bolted from Russia — one step ahead, they say, of the FSB knock on the door.----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation----------A REQUEST FOR HELP!I'm heading back to Kyiv next month, to film, do research and conduct interviews. The logistics and need for equipment and clothing are a little higher than for my previous trips. It will be cold, and may be dark also. If you can, please assist to ensure I can make this trip a success. My commitment to the audience of the channel, will be to bring back compelling interviews conducted in Ukraine, and to use the experience to improve the quality of the channel, it's insights and impact. Let Ukraine and democracy prevail! https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrashttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformationNONE OF THIS CAN HAPPEN WITHOUT YOU!So what's next? We're going to Kyiv in April 2026 to film on the ground, and will record interviews with some huge guests. We'll be creating opportunities for new interviews, and to connect you with the reality of a European city under escalating winter attack, from an imperialist, genocidal power. PLEASE HELP ME ME TO GROW SILICON CURTAINWe are planning our events for 2026, and to do more and have a greater impact. After achieving more than 12 events in 2025, we will aim to double that! 24 events and interviews on the ground in Ukraine, to push back against weaponized information, toxic propaganda and corrosive disinformation. Please help us make it happen!----------SOURCES: EADaily, "What do you mean, 'left'? The Kremlin commented on Surkov's 'emergency departure'" (11 March 2026) — Peskov / RTVI quote, Yuri Kotenok Telegram sourcing. Informat (Romania), "Vladislav Surkov, former advisor to Putin, has fled Russia due to investigations related to the management of funds" (10 March 2026) — UAE / Latin America speculation, 2014–2020 funds investigation.Ukraine Today, "BREAKING NEWS: Vladislav Surkov has urgently fled Russia fearing immediate arrest" (10 March 2026) Stellar Reaches, "A Russian Puppetmaster Flees" (11 March 2026)PD Jukes / Trojan Horses Substack, "The Ghost Who Fled: Surkov's Fall and the Unravelling of Putinism" (Scout's Diary Entry #444, 9 March 2026) The L'Express interview (19 March 2025) and analysis:Kyiv Post, "'War in Ukraine Will Separate Sheep From Goats' – Vladislav Surkov" (24 March 2025) Ukrainska Pravda (English), "'Novorossiya' ideologist claims Russia has no borders and will expand in all directions – ISW" (23 March 2025)UNITED24 Media, "'Russian World Has No Borders': Putin's Ex-Advisor Lays Out Kremlin's Expansionist Vision" (23 March 2025) Institute for the Study of War (via X/Twitter), 22 March 2025 assessment American Foreign Policy Council / National Interest, Ilan I. Berman, "Russia's Imperial Mindset Hasn't Changed" (11 April 2025)----------

Published on Victory Day - deliberately. While Putin's tanks roll across Red Square on 9 May (if the parade goes ahead), Ukrainian drone operators are dismantling that same military in real time. The Dark Heart of Russia is published on that date as an ironic statement: the war Russia says it is winning is the war it has already lost.WHO IS IN IT: Four NATO commanding officers. The former NSC Russia director. The man who broke the Kremlin's money. A chess grandmaster. A Nobel Peace Prize laureate. The Russian Duma deputy who cast the lone vote against the annexation of Crimea - who now fights for Ukraine. 30 of the world's leading experts deliver the verdict the West has been too timid to hear. General David H. Petraeus, General Sir Richard Shirreff, General Mark Hertling, Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, Fiona Hill, Garry Kasparov, Bill Browder, Peter Pomerantsev, Luke Harding, Mark Galeotti, Oleksandra Romantsova, Ilya Ponomarev, and fourteen more.Edited by Jonathan Fink | Gibson Square | Publication date 9 May 2026. Drawn for their exceptional insight into Russia's political soul from nearly 1,000 long-form interviews recorded for the leading Geopolitical podcast Silicon Curtain (YouTube) - 2M+ views/month, 180k subscribers.----------The Dark Heart of Russia - NOW available from the following stores: Bookshop.orghttps://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-dark-heart-of-russia-a-startling-journey-through-russia-s-sinister-culture-jonathan-fink/a452423d870823fcWorld of Bookshttps://www.worldofbooks.com/en-gb/products/dark-heart-of-russia-book-jonathan-fink-9781783342662Waterstoneshttps://www.waterstones.com/book/the-dark-heart-of-russia/jonathan-fink//9781783342662Blackwellshttps://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/9781783342662Hatchardshttps://www.hatchards.co.uk/book/the-dark-heart-of-russia/bill-browder/9781783342679Amazon UKhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Dark-Heart-Russia-Journey-Startling/dp/1783342668/ref=mp_s_a_1_3----------FOUR ARGUMENTS THE WEST HAS REFUSED TO MAKE1. Russians are also the problem.The fiction that Putin alone is responsible does not survive the evidence. Vast sections of Russian society have participated actively in an imperial project that has killed hundreds of thousands.2. Something is structurally wrong with Russia.The rot predates Putin and will outlast him. Contributors trace it from the totalitarian inheritance to today's Orwellian state. Regime change alone is not a solution, for an empire wired for aggression.3. Russia is the global export hub for kleptocracy.The Kremlin is the laboratory for ‘kleptocratism': capturing democracies, weaponising grievance, installing strongmen, exporting chaos. From Trump's America to Orbán's Hungary - Moscow's playbook is everywhere.4. This war is the hinge of the century.How it ends - and on whose terms - will determine whether constitutional democracies or the authoritarian-kleptocrat model prevails. There is no separating Ukraine from the wider crisis of the West.“The West is, once again, being lulled to sleep. The thirty voices in this book are the ones who have spent their careers refusing to let that happen.” - Jonathan Fink----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation----------TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND:Car4Ukrainehttps://car4ukraine.com/en-US/campaignsDzyga's Pawhttps://dzygaspaw.com/projectsSuperhumans - Hospital for traumashttps://superhumans.com/en/UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukrainehttps://unbroken.org.ua/Come Back Alivehttps://savelife.in.ua/en/Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchenhttps://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraineUNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyyhttps://u24.gov.ua/Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundationhttps://prytulafoundation.org----------

Ostap Ukrainats was born in 1994 in Kalush, Ivano-Frankivsk in western Ukraine. He graduated from the National Kyiv-Mohyla University with BA and MA degrees in comparative literature. He made his debut as a writer in 2017 with the novel "Malchut", which was hailed the "debut of the year" by Village magazine. Since then, his novels „Trance” and „Crusade Chancellery” were well received by readers. Ostap writes in the genre of historical and peculiar fiction, often referring to cultural heritage and history of anecdotes. He lives in Lviv. Of his four novels, three are dedicated to historical events and explore Ukrainian identity through the prism of postcolonial and trauma studies. A year before the invasion, he opened a publishing house specializing in humanities with his wife and their colleague.----------LINKS:https://willadecjusza.pl/en/ostap-ukrainets-ostap-ukrayinets-1https://lareviewofbooks.org/contributor/ostap-ukrainets/https://www.instagram.com/ukrostap/https://bookforum.ua/en/participants/9131https://lareviewofbooks.org/short-takes/dont-touch-my-corner-the-war-from-ivano-frankivsk/----------Easter Pysanky: Silicon Curtain - https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/easter-pysanky-silicon-curtainCar for Ukraine has joined forces with a group of influencers, creators, and news observers during this special Easter season. In peaceful times, we might gift a basket of pysanky (hand-painted eggs), but now, we aim to deliver a basket of trucks to our warriors.This time, our main focus is on the Seraphims of the 104th Brigade and Chimera of HUR (Main Directorate of Intelligence), highly effective units that: - disrupt enemy logistics - detect and strike command centers - carry out precision operations against high-value enemy targetshttps://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/easter-pysanky-silicon-curtain----------SILICON CURTAIN FILM FUNDRAISERA project to make a documentary film in Ukraine, to raise awareness of Ukraine's struggle and in supporting a team running aid convoys to Ukraine's front-line towns.https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------SILICON CURTAIN LIVE EVENTS - FUNDRAISER CAMPAIGN Events in 2025 - Advocacy for a Ukrainian victory with Silicon Curtainhttps://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasOur first live events this year in Lviv and Kyiv were a huge success. Now we need to maintain this momentum, and change the tide towards a Ukrainian victory. The Silicon Curtain Roadshow is an ambitious campaign to run a minimum of 12 events in 2025, and potentially many more. We may add more venues to the program, depending on the success of the fundraising campaign. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasWe need to scale up our support for Ukraine, and these events are designed to have a major impact. Your support in making it happen is greatly appreciated. All events will be recorded professionally and published for free on the Silicon Curtain channel. Where possible, we will also live-stream events.https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND:Save Ukrainehttps://www.saveukraineua.org/Superhumans - Hospital for war traumashttps://superhumans.com/en/UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukrainehttps://unbroken.org.ua/Come Back Alivehttps://savelife.in.ua/en/Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchenhttps://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraineUNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyyhttps://u24.gov.ua/Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundationhttps://prytulafoundation.orgNGO “Herojam Slava”https://heroiamslava.org/kharpp - Reconstruction project supporting communities in Kharkiv and Przemyślhttps://kharpp.com/NOR DOG Animal Rescuehttps://www.nor-dog.org/home/----------

2026-04-13 | UPDATES #171 | Falling out of the sky: Russia's air power is rusting to oblivion. On the ninth of December last year, a Russian An-22 — the biggest turboprop military transport ever built, one of maybe five still airworthy in the entire Russian fleet — broke apart in mid-air over the Ivanovo region and plunged into a reservoir. Seven crew dead. It had just come out of scheduled repairs. Three and a half months later, on the thirty-first of March, a Russian An-26 fell out of the sky over occupied Crimea. Twenty-nine people on board. Nobody walked away. Among the dead: Lieutenant General Aleksandr Otroshchenko, commander of the Northern Fleet's Mixed Aviation Corps. Russia's aviation capabilities and resources are atrophying. Soon, it may devolve back to a time of pre-flight technical civilization, without external support. Tonight — the slow, documented, self-inflicted collapse of Russian military air power. And the delicious, bitter irony sitting at the heart of it.----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation----------A REQUEST FOR HELP!I'm heading back to Kyiv next month, to film, do research and conduct interviews. The logistics and need for equipment and clothing are a little higher than for my previous trips. It will be cold, and may be dark also. If you can, please assist to ensure I can make this trip a success. My commitment to the audience of the channel, will be to bring back compelling interviews conducted in Ukraine, and to use the experience to improve the quality of the channel, it's insights and impact. Let Ukraine and democracy prevail! https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrashttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformationNONE OF THIS CAN HAPPEN WITHOUT YOU!So what's next? We're going to Kyiv in April 2026 to film on the ground, and will record interviews with some huge guests. We'll be creating opportunities for new interviews, and to connect you with the reality of a European city under escalating winter attack, from an imperialist, genocidal power. PLEASE HELP ME ME TO GROW SILICON CURTAINWe are planning our events for 2026, and to do more and have a greater impact. After achieving more than 12 events in 2025, we will aim to double that! 24 events and interviews on the ground in Ukraine, to push back against weaponized information, toxic propaganda and corrosive disinformation. Please help us make it happen!----------

Silicon Bites Ep316 | 2026-04-12 | Orbán falls: the strongman who ran out of tricks and cons. Another one bites the dust. Tonight, on the banks of the Danube, tens of thousands of Hungarians are chanting "Russian, go away" — and Viktor Orbán, the European Union's longest-serving leader, the self-styled architect of "illiberal democracy," the man Donald Trump's MAGA movement called the future of the West… has just phoned his rival to concede defeat. After sixteen years. After four straight victories. After rewriting the constitution, capturing the courts, gerrymandering the map, and turning state media into a personal megaphone — Orbán has been beaten. And not by a sliver. Not by a recount margin. By a landslide so wide that, in the words of his conqueror, it is "visible from the moon and every window in Hungary."The numbers first, because the numbers are staggering. With around 77 percent of precincts counted, Péter Magyar's Tisza party — that's the Party of Respect and Freedom — is sitting on roughly 53 percent. Orbán's Fidesz: 38. According to The Irish Times, Tisza is projected to take 138 of the 199 seats in Hungary's parliament. Fidesz collapses from 133 seats in 2022 down to 54. That's not a defeat. That's a demolition. And here's the kicker: Tisza is on course for a two-thirds supermajority — the exact same constitutional sledgehammer Orbán used to entrench himself for a decade and a half. Now it belongs to the man who wants to dismantle his machine that operated in favour of a corrupt clique and the Kremlin. Turnout? Over 77 percent by 6:30 in the evening — the AP and PBS both reporting it as a record in post-Communist Hungarian history. Magyar told the crowd in Budapest that 3.3 million Hungarians voted for him — more than any party has ever received in the country's democratic era.----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation----------SOURCES:Al Jazeera — "Peter Magyar's Tisza wins Hungary election as Viktor Orban concedes" (12 April 2026): PBS NewsHour / AP wire — "Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán concedes defeat after 'painful' election result" (12 April 2026)CNN Live — "Hungary election: Trump ally Viktor Orbán concedes landmark defeat after 16 years in power" (12 April 2026)NBC News — "Viktor Orbán concedes defeat as Hungary's Tisza Party heads for election win" (12 April 2026)NBC News — "After 16 years in power, Putin's closest friend in Europe faces a pivotal election" (11 April 2026)CBC News — "Hungarian voters reject Trump-Putin ally Orbán in favour of pro-West rival Magyar" (12 April 2026)The Irish Times — "Viktor Orban concedes defeat in Hungarian election as opposition heads for landslide win" (12 April 2026)TIME — "Far Right Leader Viktor Orbán Ousted by Voters After 16 Years in Power. Here's What That Means" (12 April 2026)----------SILICON CURTAIN LIVE EVENTS - FUNDRAISER CAMPAIGN Events in 2025 - Advocacy for a Ukrainian victory with Silicon Curtainhttps://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasOur events of the first half of the year in Lviv, Kyiv and Odesa were a huge success. Now we need to maintain this momentum, and change the tide towards a Ukrainian victory. The Silicon Curtain Roadshow is an ambitious campaign to run a minimum of 12 events in 2025, and potentially many more. Any support you can provide for the fundraising campaign would be gratefully appreciated. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasWe need to scale up our support for Ukraine, and these events are designed to have a major impact. Your support in making it happen is greatly appreciated. All events will be recorded professionally and published for free on the Silicon Curtain channel. Where possible, we will also live-stream events.https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------

2026-04-12 | UPDATES #170 | The moral vacuum at the heart of Putinism and Russian World philosophy is exemplified by Pavel Gubarev. He's conducted a long interview with the hugely popular online host Yuri Dud. And it reveals that Pavel Gubarev, as well as being a despicable and cowardly functionary of a vile regime, an unashamed agent of chaos and death, who has no remorse for his role in the destruction Russia has wrought, and can barely rationalise that role in any coherent way. But the interview also shows him to be the embodiment of the pointless absurdity of the Russian World, it's cruelty and irrationality, contradictions and perversity, Putin's bandit empire, which clearly shows the nihilism of Russian imperialism that brings only destruction and suffering.A note on Yuri Dud, who is likely unfamiliar to Western audiences. He is not a propagandist, has been sanctioned by the Putin regime, now bears the infamous ‘Foreign Agent' designation, and does not reside in Russia. He is a German-born Russian journalist known primarily for his YouTube channel, vDud, where he published interviews with individuals from Russia and other post-Soviet states. He is one of the most popular YouTubers in Russia, with over ten million subscribers. His series of socio-political interviews have included multiple opponents of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, but also has interviewed many proponents of the regime, and celebrities still residing in Russia. Because of that he is considered problematic by many Ukrainians, and his critique of pro-war Russians could be interpreted as ambiguous or lacking in moral and political clarity. He considers himself to be of Ukrainian origin and Russian by identity. ----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation----------A REQUEST FOR HELP!I'm heading back to Kyiv next month, to film, do research and conduct interviews. The logistics and need for equipment and clothing are a little higher than for my previous trips. It will be cold, and may be dark also. If you can, please assist to ensure I can make this trip a success. My commitment to the audience of the channel, will be to bring back compelling interviews conducted in Ukraine, and to use the experience to improve the quality of the channel, it's insights and impact. Let Ukraine and democracy prevail! https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrashttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformationNONE OF THIS CAN HAPPEN WITHOUT YOU!So what's next? We're going to Kyiv in April 2026 to film on the ground, and will record interviews with some huge guests. We'll be creating opportunities for new interviews, and to connect you with the reality of a European city under escalating winter attack, from an imperialist, genocidal power. PLEASE HELP ME ME TO GROW SILICON CURTAINWe are planning our events for 2026, and to do more and have a greater impact. After achieving more than 12 events in 2025, we will aim to double that! 24 events and interviews on the ground in Ukraine, to push back against weaponized information, toxic propaganda and corrosive disinformation. Please help us make it happen!----------

Ben Hodges is a retired United States Army officer, who became commander of United States Army Europe in November 2014, and held that position for three years until retiring from the United States Army in January 2018. Until recently he was the Pershing Chair in Strategic Studies, at the Centre for European Policy Analysis, specialising in NATO, Transatlantic relationship and international security. ----------ACTIVE CAMPAIGN:We are raising funds for 5 of 15 Vampire DronesSilicon Curtain for Kupiansk Vampires. Dzyga's Paw, together with Jonathan Fink, is joining forces to raise $40,000 to provide the Khartiia Brigade with Vampire Drones.https://dzygaspaw.com/silicon-curtain-for-kupiansk-vampiresThese heavy bombers are designed to destroy manpower and equipment, as well as for remote mining. The Vampire UAV, manufactured by Skyfall, has proven itself to be one of the most effective weapons in the Kupiansk direction. Skyfall is one of Ukraine's largest defense tech companies, producing Vampire bomber drones, various modifications of Shrike FPV drones, P1-SUN, Shahed drone interceptors, communication systems, and components.----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation----------PLATFORMS:Substack: https://substack.com/@siliconcurtainTwitter: https://twitter.com/CurtainSiliconLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/finkjonathan/Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4thRZj6NO7y93zG11JMtqm----------

Welcome to our monthly conversation with Konstantin, who is one of the most respected voices on YouTube about what is happening Inside Russia. Konstantin Samoilov is a well-known YouTuber whose channel ‘Inside Russia' comments insightfully on Russia's decent into authoritarianism over the last few years. But now, like many others, he's outside Russia, with no idea of when he can return there. ----------LINKS: @INSIDERUSSIA https://www.patreon.com/insiderussiaINSIDE RUSSIA is a source of current news on Russia - Konstantin carefully selects 9 news stories that are important and really matter, with commentaries and analyses by Konstantin delivered daily to channel patrons at Patreon.comGet your access to daily news updates at patreon.com/INSIDERUSSIA----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation----------ACTIVE CAMPAIGN:We are raising funds for 5 of 15 Vampire DronesSilicon Curtain for Kupiansk Vampires. Dzyga's Paw, together with Jonathan Fink, is joining forces to raise $40,000 to provide the Khartiia Brigade with Vampire Drones.https://dzygaspaw.com/silicon-curtain-for-kupiansk-vampiresThese heavy bombers are designed to destroy manpower and equipment, as well as for remote mining. The Vampire UAV, manufactured by Skyfall, has proven itself to be one of the most effective weapons in the Kupiansk direction. Skyfall is one of Ukraine's largest defense tech companies, producing Vampire bomber drones, various modifications of Shrike FPV drones, P1-SUN, Shahed drone interceptors, communication systems, and components.----------DESCRIPTION: Russia's Internet Shutdown: Privileges Revoked, Hidden Mobilization, and a Possible Plot to Replace PutinJonathan speaks with Constance Sala about Russia's accelerating slide into authoritarianism, arguing that in the absence of rule of law Russians have privileges—not rights—and the state is now revoking “internet access” as another privilege. Sala describes longtime expectations among expats and foreign bloggers of having an “exit plan,” and says he warned since 2022 that YouTube and broader internet restrictions would arrive. They discuss how shutdowns, forced migration to a state-controlled app (Max), phone checks for VPNs/Telegram, and collapsing business activity could enable criminalization and “hidden mobilization,” while also severing horizontal social ties. Sala claims lawlessness has crossed a Rubicon, cites opaque mass livestock slaughter in Novosibirsk, and advances a theory that elites may be deliberately worsening conditions to frame Putin and install a new “savior,” likely ending the war as a first move. ----------CHAPTERS:02:05 Internet as Privilege04:00 Expats Always Ready08:12 Bans Finally Arrive09:40 No Rights in Russia11:19 Bubbles Burst by State13:32 Hidden Mobilization Setup15:58 Phone Checks and Drafting17:50 Propaganda and Belief20:10 Lawlessness and Max App23:27 Zero Trust and Middle Class27:35 Middle Class Crushed27:54 Internet Fragmentation Plan30:05 No Masks No Excuses31:32 Putin Set Up Theory36:11 Farmers And Cow Slaughter39:13 Why Novosibirsk Sparks40:27 Akademgorodok Dissent Roots42:39 Engineered Savior Coup46:08 1917 Parallels And Peace----------

David DeBatto is host of the ‘No Delusion Zone' podcast @NoDelusionZone is a retired U.S. Army Counterintelligence Special Agent, a geopolitical analyst, writer, and podcaster. David is an Iraq war veteran who served as Team Leader of a Tactical Human Intelligence Team (THT) in operations within Iraq and is also a former police officer. David is considered too conservative for the progressive left and too independent minded for the radical right and seeks to challenge political dogma and the naked self-interest of politicians.----------LINKS:@NoDelusionZone https://www.protectingtherepublic.com/podcasthttps://www.protectingtherepublic.com/https://substack.com/@protectingtherepublichttps://x.com/ddebattohttps://www.kyivpost.com/authors/743----------SILICON CURTAIN LIVE EVENTS - FUNDRAISER CAMPAIGN Events in 2025 - Advocacy for a Ukrainian victory with Silicon Curtainhttps://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasOur events of the first half of the year in Lviv, Kyiv and Odesa were a huge success. Now we need to maintain this momentum, and change the tide towards a Ukrainian victory. The Silicon Curtain Roadshow is an ambitious campaign to run a minimum of 12 events in 2025, and potentially many more. Any support you can provide for the fundraising campaign would be gratefully appreciated. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND:Save Ukrainehttps://www.saveukraineua.org/Superhumans - Hospital for war traumashttps://superhumans.com/en/UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukrainehttps://unbroken.org.ua/Come Back Alivehttps://savelife.in.ua/en/Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchenhttps://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraineUNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyyhttps://u24.gov.ua/Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundationhttps://prytulafoundation.orgNGO “Herojam Slava”https://heroiamslava.org/kharpp - Reconstruction project supporting communities in Kharkiv and Przemyslhttps://kharpp.com/NOR DOG Animal Rescuehttps://www.nor-dog.org/home/----------

Silicon Bites Ep314 | 2026-04-08 | Putin's quiet mobilisation and the breaking of the economic volunteer model. 409,000. That's how many men Vladimir Putin needs to push into uniform in 2026 to keep his war running. It's the figure Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi put on the record in February — Russia intends to draft over 400,000 people this year and stand up at least eleven new divisions. Four hundred thousand bodies to feed into the Pokrovsk meat grinder, into the Kupyansk line, into the drone killing fields of Donetsk Oblast.Putin has created an outsourced Gulag – where any infringement of the law, any threat to the regime will get you sent to the front – a one-way ticket for anyone other than the convict class of Wagner. Where the poor and powerless, where ethnic and identity minorities, where opponents and zealots can be sent to the outsourced concentration camp of the Donbas. ----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation----------SOURCES:Institute for the Study of War (ISW) — Analysis on Kremlin preparations for hidden draft, February 2026. Kyiv Independent — "Putin signs law allowing year-round conscription in Russia," November 4, 2025. Kyiv Post — "Putin Signs Decree to Call Up Reservists for 2026 Training," December 9, 2025. Kyiv Post — "Russian Regional Boss Orders Businesses to Find Army 'Volunteers' Among Employees" (Ryazan / Malkov decree), late March 2026. The Moscow Times — Reporting on Ryazan decree No. 17, March 2026. dagens.com / Obozrevatel — "Russia may turn to forced conscription, analysts warn" (recruitment dropping below losses), March 2026. Meduza — "Russia's conscription system will become year-round starting January 1," December 30, 2025. The Moscow Times — "Russia's New Military Recruits Dipped in 2025, Figures Show," January 16, 2026. The Moscow Times — "Regions Reintroduce Huge Sign-On Bonuses for Contract Soldiers After Lowering Payments in 2025," January 14, 2026. The Moscow Times — "Regions Calling: Governments Cut Back on Once-Lucrative Military Enlistment Payments," January 6, 2026.----------SILICON CURTAIN LIVE EVENTS - FUNDRAISER CAMPAIGN Events in 2025 - Advocacy for a Ukrainian victory with Silicon Curtainhttps://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasOur events of the first half of the year in Lviv, Kyiv and Odesa were a huge success. Now we need to maintain this momentum, and change the tide towards a Ukrainian victory. The Silicon Curtain Roadshow is an ambitious campaign to run a minimum of 12 events in 2025, and potentially many more. Any support you can provide for the fundraising campaign would be gratefully appreciated. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasWe need to scale up our support for Ukraine, and these events are designed to have a major impact. Your support in making it happen is greatly appreciated. All events will be recorded professionally and published for free on the Silicon Curtain channel. Where possible, we will also live-stream events.https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------

2026-04-08 | UPDATES #167 | The day Russia lost the war: four years on from the retreat from Kyiv. Not the grinding meat-grinder war in the Donbas – which is a front in the broad conflict. Not the war of attrition that is still burning through Russian soldiers and Russian armour at a rate Moscow cannot replace. The actual war – the long war. The war Putin thought he was launching on 24 February 2022 — a three-day lightning strike, a decapitation of Kyiv, a puppet government installed by the end of the week, a victory parade on Khreshchatyk by the tenth day. That war was by 8 April 2022. The Kremlin just refused to accept the verdict. And refuses to this day to acknowledge that there was no strategic win to be gained, only incremental failure towards long-term loss. Four years later, we are still living inside the consequences of a man who lost his war but decided to keep fighting it anyway or at least sacrificing his people and resources to perpetuate the delusion that Russia could still win.----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation----------A REQUEST FOR HELP!I'm heading back to Kyiv next month, to film, do research and conduct interviews. The logistics and need for equipment and clothing are a little higher than for my previous trips. It will be cold, and may be dark also. If you can, please assist to ensure I can make this trip a success. My commitment to the audience of the channel, will be to bring back compelling interviews conducted in Ukraine, and to use the experience to improve the quality of the channel, it's insights and impact. Let Ukraine and democracy prevail! https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrashttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformationNONE OF THIS CAN HAPPEN WITHOUT YOU!So what's next? We're going to Kyiv in April 2026 to film on the ground, and will record interviews with some huge guests. We'll be creating opportunities for new interviews, and to connect you with the reality of a European city under escalating winter attack, from an imperialist, genocidal power. PLEASE HELP ME ME TO GROW SILICON CURTAINWe are planning our events for 2026, and to do more and have a greater impact. After achieving more than 12 events in 2025, we will aim to double that! 24 events and interviews on the ground in Ukraine, to push back against weaponized information, toxic propaganda and corrosive disinformation. Please help us make it happen!----------SOURCES: Wikipedia (consolidated) — "2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine" and "Russo-Ukrainian war (2022–present)." Accessed April 2026.Wikipedia — "Battle of Bucha." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_BuchaChronicleAI / Kyiv dispatch — "Four Years On: EU Diplomats Converge on Kyiv to Mark Bucha Massacre, Vow Justice," April 2026. Euronews — "Romanian foreign minister in Kyiv on Bucha anniversary to witness 'moment of resilience,'" April 3, 2026. RFE/RL — "'Sea Of Pain': Emotional Ceremonies Held Across Ukraine As Russia's Full-Scale Invasion Enters 5th Year," February 24, 2026. UN News — "Ukraine: Bucha and Irpin rise from the ashes of Russian military occupation," February 2024. NPR — "Ravaged by Russian troops, Ukraine's Bucha rises from the ashes," July 2023. EUvsDisinfo — "In April 2022 Russians withdrew from Kyiv to demonstrate their readiness for peace" (debunking). Russia Matters (Harvard Kennedy School) — "The Russia-Ukraine War Report Card," March 25, 2026. Russia Matters — "The Russia-Ukraine War Report Card," March 18, 2026. ----------

Yuri Rashkin live in London. LINKS:https://rashkinreport.substack.com/https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/rashkin-report/id1183073638----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation----------Silicon Curtain is a part of the Christmas Tree Trucks 2025 campaign - an ambitious fundraiser led by a group of our wonderful team of information warriors raising 110,000 EUR for the Ukrainian army. https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/christmas-tree-trucks-2025-silicon-curtainThe Goal of the Campaign for the Silicon Curtain community:- 1 armoured battle-ready pickupWe are sourcing all vehicles around 2010-2017 or newer, mainly Toyota Hilux or Mitsubishi L200, with low mileage and fully serviced. These are some of the greatest and the most reliable pickups possible to be on the frontline in Ukraine. Who will receive the vehicles?https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/christmas-tree-trucks-2025-silicon-curtain- The 38th Marine Brigade, who alone held Krynki for 124 days, receiving the Military Cross of Honour.- The 1027th Anti-aircraft and artillery regiment. Honoured by NATO as Defender of the Year 2024 and recipient of the Military Cross of Honour.- 104th Separate Brigade, Infantry, who alone held Kherson for 100 days, establishing conditions for the liberation of the city.- 93rd Brigade "Kholodnyi Yar", Black Raven Unmanned Systems Battalion ----------SILICON CURTAIN LIVE EVENTS - FUNDRAISER CAMPAIGN Events in 2025 - Advocacy for a Ukrainian victory with Silicon Curtainhttps://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasOur events of the first half of the year in Lviv, Kyiv and Odesa were a huge success. Now we need to maintain this momentum, and change the tide towards a Ukrainian victory. The Silicon Curtain Roadshow is an ambitious campaign to run a minimum of 12 events in 2025, and potentially many more. Any support you can provide for the fundraising campaign would be gratefully appreciated. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasWe need to scale up our support for Ukraine, and these events are designed to have a major impact. Your support in making it happen is greatly appreciated. All events will be recorded professionally and published for free on the Silicon Curtain channel. Where possible, we will also live-stream events.https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND:Save Ukrainehttps://www.saveukraineua.org/Superhumans - Hospital for war traumashttps://superhumans.com/en/UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukrainehttps://unbroken.org.ua/Come Back Alivehttps://savelife.in.ua/en/Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchenhttps://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraineUNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyyhttps://u24.gov.ua/Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundationhttps://prytulafoundation.orgNGO “Herojam Slava”https://heroiamslava.org/kharpp - Reconstruction project supporting communities in Kharkiv and Przemyslhttps://kharpp.com/NOR DOG Animal Rescuehttps://www.nor-dog.org/home/-----------

Livestream with Yuri RashkinLINKS:https://rashkinreport.substack.com/https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/rashkin-report/id1183073638----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation----------Silicon Curtain is a part of the Christmas Tree Trucks 2025 campaign - an ambitious fundraiser led by a group of our wonderful team of information warriors raising 110,000 EUR for the Ukrainian army. https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/christmas-tree-trucks-2025-silicon-curtainThe Goal of the Campaign for the Silicon Curtain community:- 1 armoured battle-ready pickupWe are sourcing all vehicles around 2010-2017 or newer, mainly Toyota Hilux or Mitsubishi L200, with low mileage and fully serviced. These are some of the greatest and the most reliable pickups possible to be on the frontline in Ukraine. Who will receive the vehicles?https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/christmas-tree-trucks-2025-silicon-curtain- The 38th Marine Brigade, who alone held Krynki for 124 days, receiving the Military Cross of Honour.- The 1027th Anti-aircraft and artillery regiment. Honoured by NATO as Defender of the Year 2024 and recipient of the Military Cross of Honour.- 104th Separate Brigade, Infantry, who alone held Kherson for 100 days, establishing conditions for the liberation of the city.- 93rd Brigade "Kholodnyi Yar", Black Raven Unmanned Systems Battalion ----------SILICON CURTAIN LIVE EVENTS - FUNDRAISER CAMPAIGN Events in 2025 - Advocacy for a Ukrainian victory with Silicon Curtainhttps://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasOur events of the first half of the year in Lviv, Kyiv and Odesa were a huge success. Now we need to maintain this momentum, and change the tide towards a Ukrainian victory. The Silicon Curtain Roadshow is an ambitious campaign to run a minimum of 12 events in 2025, and potentially many more. Any support you can provide for the fundraising campaign would be gratefully appreciated. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasWe need to scale up our support for Ukraine, and these events are designed to have a major impact. Your support in making it happen is greatly appreciated. All events will be recorded professionally and published for free on the Silicon Curtain channel. Where possible, we will also live-stream events.https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND:Save Ukrainehttps://www.saveukraineua.org/Superhumans - Hospital for war traumashttps://superhumans.com/en/UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukrainehttps://unbroken.org.ua/Come Back Alivehttps://savelife.in.ua/en/Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchenhttps://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraineUNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyyhttps://u24.gov.ua/Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundationhttps://prytulafoundation.orgNGO “Herojam Slava”https://heroiamslava.org/kharpp - Reconstruction project supporting communities in Kharkiv and Przemyslhttps://kharpp.com/NOR DOG Animal Rescuehttps://www.nor-dog.org/home/-----------

Eka Gigauri is a Georgian anti-corruption and democracy advocate best known as the Executive Director of Transparency International Georgia, a role she has held since November 2010. Under her leadership, TI Georgia expanded its staff, opened regional offices, and became one of the country's most prominent watchdog organizations focused on corruption, governance, elections, and democratic accountability. She has also served on the board of the global Transparency International movement. Eka Gigauri is a Georgian anti-corruption campaigner and A former senior official in Georgia's Border Police, she has become one of the country's best-known civil-society voices warning of state capture, democratic erosion, and the authoritarian turn under Georgian Dream. ----------LINKS:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eka_Gigaurihttps://transparencyschool.org/lecturer/eka-gigauri/https://www.opengovpartnership.org/people/eka-gigauri/https://www.linkedin.com/in/gigaurieka/----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation----------TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND:Car4Ukrainehttps://car4ukraine.com/en-US/campaignsDzyga's Pawhttps://dzygaspaw.com/projectsSuperhumans - Hospital for war traumashttps://superhumans.com/en/UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukrainehttps://unbroken.org.ua/Come Back Alivehttps://savelife.in.ua/en/Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchenhttps://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraineUNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyyhttps://u24.gov.ua/Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundationhttps://prytulafoundation.orgNGO “Herojam Slava”https://heroiamslava.org/----------PLATFORMS:Substack: https://substack.com/@siliconcurtainTwitter: https://twitter.com/CurtainSiliconLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/finkjonathan/Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4thRZj6NO7y93zG11JMtqm----------

David DeBatto is host of the ‘No Delusion Zone' podcast @NoDelusionZone is a retired U.S. Army Counterintelligence Special Agent, a geopolitical analyst, writer, and podcaster. David is an Iraq war veteran who served as Team Leader of a Tactical Human Intelligence Team (THT) in operations within Iraq and is also a former police officer. David is considered too conservative for the progressive left and too independent minded for the radical right and seeks to challenge political dogma and the naked self-interest of politicians. ----------LINKS:@NoDelusionZone https://www.protectingtherepublic.com/podcasthttps://www.protectingtherepublic.com/https://substack.com/@protectingtherepublichttps://x.com/ddebattohttps://www.kyivpost.com/authors/743----------SILICON CURTAIN LIVE EVENTS - FUNDRAISER CAMPAIGN Events in 2025 - Advocacy for a Ukrainian victory with Silicon Curtainhttps://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasOur events of the first half of the year in Lviv, Kyiv and Odesa were a huge success. Now we need to maintain this momentum, and change the tide towards a Ukrainian victory. The Silicon Curtain Roadshow is an ambitious campaign to run a minimum of 12 events in 2025, and potentially many more. Any support you can provide for the fundraising campaign would be gratefully appreciated. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND:Save Ukrainehttps://www.saveukraineua.org/Superhumans - Hospital for war traumashttps://superhumans.com/en/UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukrainehttps://unbroken.org.ua/Come Back Alivehttps://savelife.in.ua/en/Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchenhttps://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraineUNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyyhttps://u24.gov.ua/Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundationhttps://prytulafoundation.orgNGO “Herojam Slava”https://heroiamslava.org/kharpp - Reconstruction project supporting communities in Kharkiv and Przemyślhttps://kharpp.com/NOR DOG Animal Rescuehttps://www.nor-dog.org/home/----------

Silicon Bites Ep313 | 2026-04-07 | Today, Moscow's man in Budapest. The spying, the lies, and the election that could change everything. Add to an already complex story, the spectacle of Orbán, Vance, and the audacity of their interference accusations. Five days out from the Hungarian election, and the mask is off. On Tuesday, April 7th, US Vice President JD Vance landed in Budapest. For a campaign rally. For overt election interference, while having the gall to proclaim Hungary a shining beacon of democracy and freedom in Europe. He stood next to Viktor Orbán — the prime minister who has spent sixteen years dismantling Hungarian democracy, who has been Moscow's most reliable asset inside both NATO and the European Union — and told Hungarians that the real threat to their election was, and I quote him directly from the Balkan Insight and France 24 reports of his press conference, the "bureaucrats in Brussels" engaged in "foreign election interference." Vance accused Brussels of trying to destroy the Hungarian economy and stifle free speech, and declared flatly, "Viktor Orban is going to win the next election." The lies and hypocrisy are now off the scale. ----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation----------SOURCES:VSquare / The Insider / ICJK Consortium — Leaked audio recordings of Szijjártó-Lavrov calls (published March 31, 2026) — Primary: "I am always at your disposal"; oligarch sanctions removal; Gazprom HQ visitEuronews — "Leaked call shows Szijjártó discussing EU sanctions removal with Russia's Lavrov" (March 31, 2026) — Ismailova delisting timeline; Szijjártó defends calls as "routine diplomacy"Reuters / U.S. News — "Hungary Foreign Minister Discussed EU Sanctions With Russia in Leaked Audio" (March 31, 2026) — Szijjártó: "We will do our best in order to get her off"; VSquare verified by external audio expertsIrish Times — "Hungary under fire after leaked audio reveals efforts to help Russia overturn EU sanctions" (March 31, 2026) — Tusk: "Is there anything more disgusting?"; Martin: "very sinister development"; Germany: "very serious"Kyiv Post — "'I Am Always at Your Disposal' – Hungary's Szijjártó Heard Promising Russia's Lavrov to Delist Sanctioned Oligarchs" (April 1, 2026) — 72 out of 128 entities removed; Sorokin call; EU intelligence officer: "this is a transcript of an intelligence officer working his asset"Ukrainska Pravda — "Szijjártó helps Russia: recordings of conversations with Lavrov regarding EU sanctions have appeared" (March 31, 2026) — "Did I say something wrong?"; Landsbergis reference; Washington Post background on live EU briefings----------SILICON CURTAIN LIVE EVENTS - FUNDRAISER CAMPAIGN Events in 2025 - Advocacy for a Ukrainian victory with Silicon Curtainhttps://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasOur events of the first half of the year in Lviv, Kyiv and Odesa were a huge success. Now we need to maintain this momentum, and change the tide towards a Ukrainian victory. The Silicon Curtain Roadshow is an ambitious campaign to run a minimum of 12 events in 2025, and potentially many more. Any support you can provide for the fundraising campaign would be gratefully appreciated. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasWe need to scale up our support for Ukraine, and these events are designed to have a major impact. Your support in making it happen is greatly appreciated. All events will be recorded professionally and published for free on the Silicon Curtain channel. Where possible, we will also live-stream events.https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------

2026-04-07 | UPDATES #166 | Russia goes offline, and Muscovites are not ‘loving it.' Cheburnet arrives, and Russians discover consequences. On Friday morning, April 3rd, at around ten o'clock Moscow time, Russia stopped working. The money stopped dispensing and flowing. Sberbank — Russia's largest lender — went down. Then VTB. Then T-Bank. Then Alfa-Bank. Then Gazprombank. Then the Central Bank's own Faster Payments System, the interbank rail that processes QR code transfers and phone-number payments. All of it, simultaneously, across Moscow, St Petersburg, Samara, Novosibirsk, the Sverdlovsk region, Chelyabinsk.Card terminals in shops threw errors. ATMs refused to dispense cash. Mobile banking apps wouldn't open. In the Moscow metro, turnstiles stopped accepting bank cards — staff had to wave passengers through for free just to stop crowds forming. Petrol stations demanded cash. A regional zoo in Belgorod put up a sign asking visitors to pay in physical roubles. Traffic jams stretched for kilometres on toll roads because the payment gates wouldn't read cards. Sberbank alone logged more than four thousand complaints in a single hour. This is the sound of a country sliding towards a digital cage. The Kremlin is the one building it, and Russians are only just waking up to the realisation they have no rights, and soon will have no privileges. ----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation----------A REQUEST FOR HELP!I'm heading back to Kyiv next month, to film, do research and conduct interviews. The logistics and need for equipment and clothing are a little higher than for my previous trips. It will be cold, and may be dark also. If you can, please assist to ensure I can make this trip a success. My commitment to the audience of the channel, will be to bring back compelling interviews conducted in Ukraine, and to use the experience to improve the quality of the channel, it's insights and impact. Let Ukraine and democracy prevail! https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrashttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformationNONE OF THIS CAN HAPPEN WITHOUT YOU!So what's next? We're going to Kyiv in April 2026 to film on the ground, and will record interviews with some huge guests. We'll be creating opportunities for new interviews, and to connect you with the reality of a European city under escalating winter attack, from an imperialist, genocidal power. PLEASE HELP ME ME TO GROW SILICON CURTAINWe are planning our events for 2026, and to do more and have a greater impact. After achieving more than 12 events in 2025, we will aim to double that! 24 events and interviews on the ground in Ukraine, to push back against weaponized information, toxic propaganda and corrosive disinformation. Please help us make it happen!----------SOURCES: The Moscow Times — "Mass Outage Hits Sberbank and Other Major Russian Lenders," April 3, Kyiv Independent — "Russia's banks face major service outages amid internet crackdown," April 3, 2026. The Record (Recorded Future News) — "Major outage hits Russian banking apps, metro payments across regions," April 6, 2026. Security Affairs — "Major outage cripples Russian banking apps and metro payments nationwide," April 6, 2026. AInvest — "Russia's VPN Crackdown: A $1B+ Banking Outage and the Cost of Digital Control," April 6, 2026. Reuters via Global Banking and Finance — "Moscow Payment System Problem Disrupts Shoppers, Metro & Retailers," April 3, 2026. The New Voice of Ukraine (NV) — "Russia bank outage halts payments and blocks cash withdrawals across key regions," April 3, 2026. Mediazona (English) — "Russia's internet censorship in 2026: VPN crackdowns, mobile shutdowns, Telegram blocks and the state messenger Max," April 7, 2026. ----------

Joe Lindsley is a traveller and a writer; until recently he held the unique distinction of reporting from Ukraine every weekday of Russia's full-scale war for a U.S radio station. Now he is the founder and host of Under Fire News, a multi-platform media campaign aiming to keep Ukraine in the headlines. He was protégé to Fox News founder Roger Ailes, but Lindsley escaped that frenzied world where power mattered more than truth. Joe remains in Ukraine to help the world understand what is at stake in this fight, the nature of Ukrainian freedom, and what we can learn from Volya – Will to win.----------LINKS:https://underfire.news/https://underfirenews.substack.com/https://www.facebook.com/josephlindsley/https://www.youtube.com/@jplindsleyhttps://x.com/JPLindsleyhttps://www.instagram.com/jplindsley/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Lindsley https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-lindsley-60087618/https://linktr.ee/ufnews ----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation----------ACTIVE CAMPAIGN:We are raising funds for 5 of 15 Vampire DronesSilicon Curtain for Kupiansk Vampires. Dzyga's Paw, together with Jonathan Fink, is joining forces to raise $40,000 to provide the Khartiia Brigade with Vampire Drones.https://dzygaspaw.com/silicon-curtain-for-kupiansk-vampiresThese heavy bombers are designed to destroy manpower and equipment, as well as for remote mining. The Vampire UAV, manufactured by Skyfall, has proven itself to be one of the most effective weapons in the Kupiansk direction. Skyfall is one of Ukraine's largest defense tech companies, producing Vampire bomber drones, various modifications of Shrike FPV drones, P1-SUN, Shahed drone interceptors, communication systems, and components.----------TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND:Car4Ukrainehttps://car4ukraine.com/en-US/campaignsDzyga's Pawhttps://dzygaspaw.com/projectsSuperhumans - Hospital for war traumashttps://superhumans.com/en/UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukrainehttps://unbroken.org.ua/Come Back Alivehttps://savelife.in.ua/en/Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchenhttps://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraineUNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyyhttps://u24.gov.ua/Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundationhttps://prytulafoundation.orgNGO “Herojam Slava”https://heroiamslava.org/----------PLATFORMS:Substack: https://substack.com/@siliconcurtainTwitter: https://twitter.com/CurtainSiliconLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/finkjonathan/Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4thRZj6NO7y93zG11JMtqm----------DESCRIPTION:Russia's War on Faith: Attacks on Ukrainian Christians, Lviv Strike, and Europe's Missed Deterrence | Joseph LindsleyTraveler and journalist Joseph Lindsley, founder of Under Fire News reporting from Kyiv, discusses Russia's persecution of Christians in Ukraine, including targeted repression in occupied territories where Greek Catholicism, Roman Catholicism, evangelical churches, and Ukrainian Orthodoxy are illegal, and reports that 49 clergy have been killed, often after torture, with churches repurposed as Russian cultural centers. He says the wider war attacks one of Europe's most actively Christian societies, citing high Ukrainian church attendance and a visible religious revival. The conversation highlights a drone strike that hit a centuries-old monastery complex in UNESCO-protected central Lviv, arguing it should wake up the West, and calls for Europe to take visible steps such as sending uniformed non-combatant troops to assess air defense and vulnerabilities. ----------

David DeBatto is host of the ‘No Delusion Zone' podcast @NoDelusionZone is a retired U.S. Army Counterintelligence Special Agent, a geopolitical analyst, writer, and podcaster. David is an Iraq war veteran who served as Team Leader of a Tactical Human Intelligence Team (THT) in operations within Iraq and is also a former police officer. David is considered too conservative for the progressive left and too independent minded for the radical right and seeks to challenge political dogma and the naked self-interest of politicians. ----------LINKS:@NoDelusionZone https://www.protectingtherepublic.com/podcasthttps://www.protectingtherepublic.com/https://substack.com/@protectingtherepublichttps://x.com/ddebattohttps://www.kyivpost.com/authors/743----------SILICON CURTAIN LIVE EVENTS - FUNDRAISER CAMPAIGN Events in 2025 - Advocacy for a Ukrainian victory with Silicon Curtainhttps://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasOur events of the first half of the year in Lviv, Kyiv and Odesa were a huge success. Now we need to maintain this momentum, and change the tide towards a Ukrainian victory. The Silicon Curtain Roadshow is an ambitious campaign to run a minimum of 12 events in 2025, and potentially many more. Any support you can provide for the fundraising campaign would be gratefully appreciated. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND:Save Ukrainehttps://www.saveukraineua.org/Superhumans - Hospital for war traumashttps://superhumans.com/en/UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukrainehttps://unbroken.org.ua/Come Back Alivehttps://savelife.in.ua/en/Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchenhttps://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraineUNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyyhttps://u24.gov.ua/Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundationhttps://prytulafoundation.orgNGO “Herojam Slava”https://heroiamslava.org/kharpp - Reconstruction project supporting communities in Kharkiv and Przemyślhttps://kharpp.com/NOR DOG Animal Rescuehttps://www.nor-dog.org/home/----------

2026-04-06 | UPDATES #165 | Ukraine takes the war to Russia's oil jugular. Novorossiysk is burning, again. Russia's most important oil export hub on the Black Sea — the endpoint for pipelines carrying crude from Siberia, the Urals, and Kazakhstan — was hammered overnight by more than fifty Ukrainian drones, in what multiple analysts are calling the most ambitious and damaging Ukrainian strike on the port to date.The West is telling Ukraine to ease up. And Ukraine is telling the West, no, through its actions. What are some of the so-called Western partners really asking – whether Ukraine can destroy itself, and submit to the invader, for their convenience. Die, to buy to West some time, while they fail to prepare for the Russian threat. The optics of this are gross, the hypocrisy nauseating and the lack of strategic understanding and myopia just astounding. If Russia is strengthened through oil and gas revenues, it's profile as a threat to Europe simply increases.And it wasn't just oil infrastructure. Ukraine hit a Russian missile frigate. It hit an offshore drilling rig. It hit a Be-12 amphibious aircraft in occupied Crimea. All in the same night. All while Russia was simultaneously raining drones on Odesa — killing three people there, including a toddler.----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation----------A REQUEST FOR HELP!I'm heading back to Kyiv next month, to film, do research and conduct interviews. The logistics and need for equipment and clothing are a little higher than for my previous trips. It will be cold, and may be dark also. If you can, please assist to ensure I can make this trip a success. My commitment to the audience of the channel, will be to bring back compelling interviews conducted in Ukraine, and to use the experience to improve the quality of the channel, it's insights and impact. Let Ukraine and democracy prevail! https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrashttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformationNONE OF THIS CAN HAPPEN WITHOUT YOU!So what's next? We're going to Kyiv in April 2026 to film on the ground, and will record interviews with some huge guests. We'll be creating opportunities for new interviews, and to connect you with the reality of a European city under escalating winter attack, from an imperialist, genocidal power. PLEASE HELP ME ME TO GROW SILICON CURTAINWe are planning our events for 2026, and to do more and have a greater impact. After achieving more than 12 events in 2025, we will aim to double that! 24 events and interviews on the ground in Ukraine, to push back against weaponized information, toxic propaganda and corrosive disinformation. Please help us make it happen!----------SOURCES: Kyiv Independent — "Novorossiysk port on fire again as Ukrainian strike campaign on Russian oil. Kyiv Independent — "Ukraine targets Russian frigate, oil rig amid overnight Black Sea attack, military says," April 6, 2026. Kyiv Post — "Ukraine Nails Russian Missile Frigate in Novorossiysk Strike, Hits Black Sea Rig," April 6, 2026.Kyiv Post — "Ukrainian Drone Attack Badly Damages Russia's Main Black Sea Oil Terminal," April 6, 2026.Al Jazeera — "Ukraine strikes Russian Black Sea energy hub Novorossiysk," April 6, 2026. The Moscow Times — "Ukrainian Drone Attack Triggers Fire at Key Russian Black Sea Oil Terminal," April 6, 2026. Reuters via MarineLink — "Ukrainian Drones Attack Caspian Pipeline Consortium's Black Sea Terminal," April 6, 2026. Defence Blog — "Ukraine strikes key Russian oil terminal," April 6, 2026. ----------

2026-04-05 | UPDATES #164 | Orbán's Pipeline Plot, Russia's Election Machine, and the Seven Days That Could Kill Hungarian Democracy. Today — Sunday, April 5th, 2026 — exactly seven days before Hungary goes to the polls in what may be the most consequential election in European history this year — two backpacks containing what Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic described as explosives of "devastating power" were found a few hundred metres from the TurkStream gas pipeline in northern Serbia, near the Hungarian border.Within hours, Viktor Orbán convened an extraordinary defence council in Budapest. He posted on Facebook that Serbian authorities had uncovered "a powerful explosive device and activation mechanisms at a critical gas infrastructure site linking Serbia and Hungary." The investigation is underway. The pipeline carries Russian natural gas from Turkey through the Balkans to Hungary and Central Europe. If you have been watching the Hungarian election campaign, this moment was not a surprise. It was predicted. Warned about. Flagged by intelligence services, investigative journalists, opposition leaders, and European policy analysts — for weeks. What you are watching may be the most telegraphed false flag operation in modern European political history. And it is happening right now.----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation----------A REQUEST FOR HELP!I'm heading back to Kyiv next month, to film, do research and conduct interviews. The logistics and need for equipment and clothing are a little higher than for my previous trips. It will be cold, and may be dark also. If you can, please assist to ensure I can make this trip a success. My commitment to the audience of the channel, will be to bring back compelling interviews conducted in Ukraine, and to use the experience to improve the quality of the channel, it's insights and impact. Let Ukraine and democracy prevail! https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrashttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformationNONE OF THIS CAN HAPPEN WITHOUT YOU!So what's next? We're going to Kyiv in April 2026 to film on the ground, and will record interviews with some huge guests. We'll be creating opportunities for new interviews, and to connect you with the reality of a European city under escalating winter attack, from an imperialist, genocidal power. PLEASE HELP ME ME TO GROW SILICON CURTAINWe are planning our events for 2026, and to do more and have a greater impact. After achieving more than 12 events in 2025, we will aim to double that! 24 events and interviews on the ground in Ukraine, to push back against weaponized information, toxic propaganda and corrosive disinformation. Please help us make it happen!----------SOURCES: Reuters via Global Banking & Finance — "Explosives Found Near Serbia-Hungary Gas Pipeline, Orban Warns," April 5, 2026.Bloomberg — "Serbia's Vucic Says Explosive Found at Gas Pipe Near Hungary," April 5, 2026.Türkiye Today — "Explosives found close to major gas pipeline in northern Serbia near Hungary," April 5, 2026.Arab News — "Serbian president says explosives found near gas pipeline to Hungary," April 5, 2026.Daily News Hungary — "Explosives found near Serbia-Hungary gas pipeline, army seals roads near border," April 5, 2026.Report.az — "Serbia thwarts sabotage attempt on key energy facility," April 5, 2026.Washington Post — "To tilt Hungarian election, Russians proposed staging assassination attempt," March 21, 2026.Insight News Media — "Magyar accuses Russia of deploying GRU agents to sway Hungary vote," March 2026.Balkan Insight / BIRN — "Hungary's Election Campaign: From Russia with Love," March 18, 2026.----------

Today I'm speaking with Anders Puck Nielsen, military analyst and influential YouTuber based in Denmark. He specialises in naval warfare and strategy. His public project now spans a YouTube channel, the Logic of War newsletter, and the book The Logic of War, which he describes as an accessible introduction to modern warfare.----------LINKS:https://www.youtube.com/@anderspuck https://www.logicofwar.com/https://www.anderspucknielsen.dk/home/https://twitter.com/anderspuckhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/anderspucknielsen/https://bsky.app/profile/anderspucknielsen.dk----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation----------TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND:Car4Ukrainehttps://car4ukraine.com/en-US/campaignsDzyga's Pawhttps://dzygaspaw.com/projectsSuperhumans - Hospital for war traumashttps://superhumans.com/en/UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukrainehttps://unbroken.org.ua/Come Back Alivehttps://savelife.in.ua/en/Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchenhttps://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraineUNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyyhttps://u24.gov.ua/Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundationhttps://prytulafoundation.orgNGO “Herojam Slava”https://heroiamslava.org/----------PLATFORMS:Substack: https://substack.com/@siliconcurtainTwitter: https://twitter.com/CurtainSiliconLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/finkjonathan/Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4thRZj6NO7y93zG11JMtqm----------

Zarina Zabrisky is an American writer based in the Bay Area, California. She is the author of the novel, We, Monsters, several collections of short stories, including Explosion, A Cute Tombstone and her debut work, Iron, and a book of collaborative poetry and art, Green Lions, co-written with Simon Rogghe. Zabrisky is currently based in Odesa, Ukraine. From the beginning of the 2022 full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Zabrisky has been reporting on the war in Ukraine for Euromaidan Press, Byline Times and A Community Alliance, and has been published in The Paris Review and various other publications. ----------ARTICLE:https://euromaidanpress.com/2026/03/16/mined-in-starved-out-hunted-from-above-life-in-the-towns-russia-demands-at-the-peace-table/#google_vignettehttps://bylinetimes.com/2025/05/29/un-confirms-russian-drone-attacks-on-kherson-are-crimes-against-humanity-and-war-crimes/FILM:

2026-04-04 | UPDATES #163 | Trump's Vanishing Act, the War That Won't End, and the Vance Question Nobody Wants to Answer. At 11:08 this morning, the White House called a lid. For the non-initiated: that means the President of the United States will not be seen in public for the rest of the day. No statements, no cameras, no departure for Mar-a-Lago. And on a weekend when there is a remarkable amount going on. During a war. With an American airman missing in Iran and fighter jets being shot down.Within hours, social media erupted with speculation that Donald Trump was at Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre. The White House response was a post on X from Communications Director Steven Cheung praising Trump's work ethic over the Easter weekend. A Marine sentry posted outside the Oval Office would suggest that Trump was in the office, but this has not prevented fevered media speculation from blowing up. Speculation that forced Donald Trump's spokesman to deny the US President's death and hospitalisation rumours. ----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation----------A REQUEST FOR HELP!I'm heading back to Kyiv next month, to film, do research and conduct interviews. The logistics and need for equipment and clothing are a little higher than for my previous trips. It will be cold, and may be dark also. If you can, please assist to ensure I can make this trip a success. My commitment to the audience of the channel, will be to bring back compelling interviews conducted in Ukraine, and to use the experience to improve the quality of the channel, it's insights and impact. Let Ukraine and democracy prevail! https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrashttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformationNONE OF THIS CAN HAPPEN WITHOUT YOU!So what's next? We're going to Kyiv in April 2026 to film on the ground, and will record interviews with some huge guests. We'll be creating opportunities for new interviews, and to connect you with the reality of a European city under escalating winter attack, from an imperialist, genocidal power. PLEASE HELP ME ME TO GROW SILICON CURTAINWe are planning our events for 2026, and to do more and have a greater impact. After achieving more than 12 events in 2025, we will aim to double that! 24 events and interviews on the ground in Ukraine, to push back against weaponized information, toxic propaganda and corrosive disinformation. Please help us make it happen!----------SOURCES: The Mirror US — "White House denies Trump is in the hospital as new health rumors explode," April 4, 2026.AOL — "White House denies Trump is in the hospital," April 4, 2026.The Deep Dive — "Trump Sparks Health Speculation as White House Calls Lid Amid Iran Conflict," April 4, 2026.IBTimes UK — "Trump Trends Online After Unconfirmed Reports Place Him at Walter Reed," April 4, 2026.Inkl — "Is Trump at Walter Reed? Facts from the Official Announcement," April 4, 2026.Türkiye Today — "Trump allegedly hospitalized at Walter Reed as White House calls lid," April 4, 2026.Irish Star — "Trump health rumors explode as White House denies Walter Reed visit," April 4, 2026.CBS News — "Trump diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency," July 17, 2025.ABC News — "Trump diagnosed with 'chronic venous insufficiency,'" July 18, 2025. https://abcnews.com/Politics/trump-vascular-testing-leg-swelling-white-house/story?id=123839307----------

Col. (Ret.) Vitalii Ostapchuk is the Co-Founder and Director of Memory Way, a Ukrainian non-profit initiative dedicated to preserving memory, dignity, and historical truth through meaningful action in Ukraine and internationally.Michael Henshaw is the Founder and President of the Asymmetric MIA Accounting Group – AMAG, Inc. He is a combat veteran and senior executive with more than 25 years of experience in military service, government leadership, and international operations.Marc Mazerolle is in pursuit of answers regarding the death of his son, Patrick Mazerolle, who died on the front lines in September 2025 at the age of 24. Mr. Mazerolle's efforts to complete official recognition procedures, navigate international administrative processes, and raise the necessary funds to repatriate his son's remains are covered in this interview. The family has mobilized community support, raising over $50,000 to cover legal and logistical costs.----------LINKS:Memory Way: https://www.memoryway.org.ua/leadership/How you can help: https://www.memoryway.org.ua/how-you-can-help/Donations: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/help-mia-families-find-closure-fund-amag-worldwide-recoveries----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation----------TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND:Car4Ukrainehttps://car4ukraine.com/en-US/campaignsDzyga's Pawhttps://dzygaspaw.com/projectsSuperhumans - Hospital for war traumashttps://superhumans.com/en/UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukrainehttps://unbroken.org.ua/Come Back Alivehttps://savelife.in.ua/en/Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchenhttps://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraineUNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyyhttps://u24.gov.ua/Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundationhttps://prytulafoundation.orgNGO “Herojam Slava”https://heroiamslava.org/----------PLATFORMS:Substack: https://substack.com/@siliconcurtainTwitter: https://twitter.com/CurtainSiliconLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/finkjonathan/Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4thRZj6NO7y93zG11JMtqm----------

2026-04-04 | UPDATES #162 | Russia recorded almost no territorial gains in March. With just 23 SQ km approximately taken in March and losses elsewhere offsetting that advance. Russia's rate of advance has collapsed compared with earlier months. (The Guardian)The fighting has not gone quiet. The war is not over. Moscow has not renounced its maximalist gains, not one bit. The big change is that their advance to achieve those aims has slowed already from a snail's pace to stall completely. The front is still burning across more than 1,200 kilometres. Russian missiles and drones are still hammering Ukrainian cities in what Zelensky has called an “Easter escalation.” Men are still dying every hour from Pokrovsk to Huliaipole. But something important has shifted. The central fact, the one that cuts through all the noise, is this: after more than two years of grinding, costly, attritional offensives, Russia's land campaign in Ukraine appears to have stalled. (Reuters) Does it have the techniques and resources to trigger movement again? ----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation----------A REQUEST FOR HELP!I'm heading back to Kyiv next month, to film, do research and conduct interviews. The logistics and need for equipment and clothing are a little higher than for my previous trips. It will be cold, and may be dark also. If you can, please assist to ensure I can make this trip a success. My commitment to the audience of the channel, will be to bring back compelling interviews conducted in Ukraine, and to use the experience to improve the quality of the channel, it's insights and impact. Let Ukraine and democracy prevail! https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrashttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformationNONE OF THIS CAN HAPPEN WITHOUT YOU!So what's next? We're going to Kyiv in April 2026 to film on the ground, and will record interviews with some huge guests. We'll be creating opportunities for new interviews, and to connect you with the reality of a European city under escalating winter attack, from an imperialist, genocidal power. PLEASE HELP ME ME TO GROW SILICON CURTAINWe are planning our events for 2026, and to do more and have a greater impact. After achieving more than 12 events in 2025, we will aim to double that! 24 events and interviews on the ground in Ukraine, to push back against weaponized information, toxic propaganda and corrosive disinformation. Please help us make it happen!----------SOURCES: Reuters, April 3, 2026 — Zelensky says the frontline situation is the best for Ukraine in 10 months. Reuters, April 3, 2026 — Zelensky denounces an “Easter escalation” as Russia intensifies daytime strikes. Reuters, April 1, 2026 — Russia claims full control of Luhansk; Ukraine disputes it. Associated Press, April 1, 2026 — Kyiv rejects Moscow's Luhansk claim; AP notes ISW sees Ukrainian tactics disrupting Russian advances. The Guardian / AFP, April 4, 2026 — Russian army records almost no territorial gains in March; January, February and March comparative figures; Starlink/Telegram factor. The Kyiv Independent, April 3–4, 2026 — Zelensky says Russian losses in March topped 35,000; General Staff tally reaches 1,302,370 on April 4. Kyiv Post, April 2, 2026 — Report that Ukrainian forces recaptured more ground in March than they lost; Syrskyi says 480 sq km liberated since late January. Euromaidan Press, April 1–2, 2026 — Russian advance slowing; Kovalenko estimate of 31,960 Russian losses for 155 sq km in March, or 206 troops per sq km. Institute for the Study of War correction, April 3–4, 2026 — March 2026 gains figure corrected to 5.46 sq km after adding Lyptsi-area occupied ground. ----------

2026-04-03 | UPDATES #161 | Today in Russia, the digital money stopped moving. On Friday morning, customers of Sberbank — Russia's biggest bank — began reporting failures in payments, transfers, app access, QR-code transactions, and even ATM withdrawals. Other major lenders, including VTB and T-Bank, were also hit by outage reports. Shops and petrol stations switched to cash-only. Moscow metro turnstiles opened for free because payment systems failed. Even a zoo in Belgorod told visitors to bring cash. In a metropolitan area of roughly 22 million people, that is not a glitch. That is a stress test of the everyday state.The official line was narrow and evasive. Russia's National Payment Card System — the NSPK, the backbone behind the fast-payments network — said there had been a “technical failure at one of the banks” and insisted people's funds were safe. Sberbank later said the problem had been resolved, without saying what caused it. At the time of reporting, there was no public proof of a cyberattack, and no official evidence of a systemic bank run or immediate insolvency event. What we do have is a government and banking system telling Russians, once again, not to panic while the digital plumbing collapses in public.----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation----------A REQUEST FOR HELP!I'm heading back to Kyiv next month, to film, do research and conduct interviews. The logistics and need for equipment and clothing are a little higher than for my previous trips. It will be cold, and may be dark also. If you can, please assist to ensure I can make this trip a success. My commitment to the audience of the channel, will be to bring back compelling interviews conducted in Ukraine, and to use the experience to improve the quality of the channel, it's insights and impact. Let Ukraine and democracy prevail! https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrashttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformationNONE OF THIS CAN HAPPEN WITHOUT YOU!So what's next? We're going to Kyiv in April 2026 to film on the ground, and will record interviews with some huge guests. We'll be creating opportunities for new interviews, and to connect you with the reality of a European city under escalating winter attack, from an imperialist, genocidal power. PLEASE HELP ME ME TO GROW SILICON CURTAINWe are planning our events for 2026, and to do more and have a greater impact. After achieving more than 12 events in 2025, we will aim to double that! 24 events and interviews on the ground in Ukraine, to push back against weaponized information, toxic propaganda and corrosive disinformation. Please help us make it happen!----------SOURCES: Reuters, April 3 — Moscow shoppers and travellers hit by payment system problem. The Moscow Times, April 3 — Mass outage hits Sberbank and other major Russian lenders. The Kyiv Independent, April 3 — Russia's banks face major service outages amid internet crackdown. Reuters, March 31 — Russia goes after VPNs as “great crackdown” gathers pace. AP, March 14 / opened result — Moscow struggles with cellphone internet outages. The Guardian, March 31 — Russia slowly trying to splinter its internet from rest of world, analysts say. Chatham House, March 26 — Moscow internet blackouts: the Kremlin tightens its grip on Russia's digital space. Apple Support, updated April 1 — Billing for Apple subscriptions and digital purchases in Russia. Meduza, April 1 — Russia blocks Apple ID mobile top-ups amid App Store dispute. The Moscow Times, April 1 — Russians lose access to Apple ID mobile payments. ----------

Victor Rud is a board member of the Ukrainian American Bar Association and chairman of its Committee on Foreign Affairs. Rud has more than 35-years of experience as an international attorney. Before Ukrainian independence, he was co-counsel, in the West, for members of the Ukrainian Helsinki Accords Watch Group, and for other dissidents in Ukraine. He was also counsel to the US Public Member to the Helsinki Accords Review Conference in Madrid. He is an honours graduate of Harvard College and Duke Law School. ----------LINKS: https://www.kyivpost.com/authors/242 https://www.linkedin.com/in/victorud/ https://defencereport.com/author/victor-rud/ https://hcnj.clubs.harvard.edu/article.html?aid=315 https://www.publicinternationallawandpolicygroup.org/expert-roundtable-peace-process-ukraine https://uaba.org/page-1825383 ----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation----------TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND:Car4Ukrainehttps://car4ukraine.com/en-US/campaignsDzyga's Pawhttps://dzygaspaw.com/projectsSuperhumans - Hospital for war traumashttps://superhumans.com/en/UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukrainehttps://unbroken.org.ua/Come Back Alivehttps://savelife.in.ua/en/Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchenhttps://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraineUNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyyhttps://u24.gov.ua/Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundationhttps://prytulafoundation.orgNGO “Herojam Slava”https://heroiamslava.org/----------PLATFORMS:Substack: https://substack.com/@siliconcurtainTwitter: https://twitter.com/CurtainSiliconLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/finkjonathan/Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4thRZj6NO7y93zG11JMtqm----------

Silicon Bites Ep312 | 2026-04-03 | Ten oil refineries. Twelve S-300 and S-400 air defence systems. Five strategic factories. Fourteen fuel depots. Three warships. Two naval missile systems. And a single microchip plant that has just halted Iskander missile production for six months. Putin is not a Master Strategist, and his war against Ukraine is not going well. That is the March scorecard. And Ukraine's Defence Ministry has now confirmed it: March 2026 was the most damaging single month of strategic strikes against Russia's military-industrial complex since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022. While the Western media was focused on Trump's NATO threats and the Iran war and Orbán's election campaign, Ukraine was quietly, methodically, and with increasing range and precision, dismantling the infrastructure that Russia needs to keep killing Ukrainians. Factory by factory. Refinery by refinery. Air defence system by system.----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation----------SOURCES:Euromaidan Press / Ukraine Defence Ministry — "March from hell: Ukraine hits 10 refineries, 12 air defence systems, 5 Russian factories, halting missile chip supply for 6 months" (April 2, 2026)Euromaidan Press — "Ukraine obliterates main workshop at Bryansk microelectronics plant — Iskander missile assembly will hit critical snag" (March 11, 2026) — Kuzan on Iskander production disruption; 6-month halt; grey-market chip assembly problemUkrainska Pravda — "Ukraine's General Staff releases footage of Storm Shadow strike on Bryansk plant" (March 10, 2026) — "Brains and nervous system of modern weapons"; General Staff statement; Zelenskyy confirmationUkrainska Pravda (OSINT) — "OSINT reveals details of Storm Shadow strike on Kremniy EL plant in Bryansk" (March 11, 2026) — CyberBoroshno route tracking; 16:52 detection; 16:59 first impact; 413th Regiment aerial reconnaissanceUnited24 Media — "Ukraine Destroys Kremniy El Microchip Plant Behind Russian Missiles" (March 2026) — Comparison of Storm Shadow vs previous drone strikes; Iskander and Izdeliye-30 supply halted; products list including Pantsir, S-300, S-400, Topol-M, Bulava, KalibrRBC-Ukraine — "Strike on Bryansk plant could halt Iskander chip supply for six months" (March 2026) — Production halted ~6 months; main building + warehouse fire sizes; Flamingo missiles on Votkinsk plant cross-referenceKyiv Post — "Ukraine Uses Storm Shadow to Blast Russian Microelectronics Plant" (March 10, 2026) — Founded 1958; 1,200+ component types; 90%+ defence ministry output; full weapons systems listWashington Post — "Ukraine strikes Russian electronics plant that builds missile components" (March 12, 2026) — Washington Post confirmation of Kyiv claimsThe Moscow Times — "Ukrainian Missiles Strike Major Microchip Factory in Bryansk" (March 10, 2026) — Seven killed confirmed; Kremlin accused Britain; Bogomaz casualty statement; Bryansk mourning day----------

2026-04-02 | UPDATES #160 | Now, the follow-on to Hedgehog — the story that Euromaidan Press broke on March 31st, 2026, in a piece titled exactly what it says: "Ukraine fired its NATO trainers. The alliance is running out of time to learn why."Ukraine has been scaling back the training of its own forces abroad. Basic training will now run in just three EU countries with support from four NATO states — down from the 18 EU member states that hosted Ukrainian brigade-level training of all types through late 2025. Kyiv clarified it has not cancelled overseas training outright but is "clustering and optimizing".The real story, as Defence News reported on March 27th, is the reversal of direction. For twelve years, the West trained Ukraine. Now Ukraine is training the West. Germany — the first NATO member to formally invite Ukrainian trainers into its own army's schools — has welcomed a cadre of Ukrainian military advisers to teach drone warfare, counter-UAS tactics, and electronic warfare integration. Lieutenant General Christian Freuding, head of the German army, told Reuters: "The Ukrainian military is currently the only one in the world with frontline experience against Russia."----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation----------A REQUEST FOR HELP!I'm heading back to Kyiv next month, to film, do research and conduct interviews. The logistics and need for equipment and clothing are a little higher than for my previous trips. It will be cold, and may be dark also. If you can, please assist to ensure I can make this trip a success. My commitment to the audience of the channel, will be to bring back compelling interviews conducted in Ukraine, and to use the experience to improve the quality of the channel, it's insights and impact. Let Ukraine and democracy prevail! https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrashttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformationNONE OF THIS CAN HAPPEN WITHOUT YOU!So what's next? We're going to Kyiv in April 2026 to film on the ground, and will record interviews with some huge guests. We'll be creating opportunities for new interviews, and to connect you with the reality of a European city under escalating winter attack, from an imperialist, genocidal power. PLEASE HELP ME ME TO GROW SILICON CURTAINWe are planning our events for 2026, and to do more and have a greater impact. After achieving more than 12 events in 2025, we will aim to double that! 24 events and interviews on the ground in Ukraine, to push back against weaponized information, toxic propaganda and corrosive disinformation. Please help us make it happen!----------

Silicon Bites Ep311 | 2026-04-02 | Who is the real paper tiger? Ukraine schools NATO on drones while Trump torches the alliance. Several stories around NATO's future have converged this week – but here are two of the most important. Ukraine fired its NATO trainers. A mystified alliance is running out of time to learn why, suggests Hans Petter Midttun in an article published by Euromaidan Press. Ukraine's General Staff has decided to scale back overseas training for its troops and—despite the constant threat of Russian missile and drone strikes — move it to Ukraine. According to Militarnyi, General Staff's Deputy Chief for Doctrine and Training Yevhen Mezhevikin cited logistical concerns and a lack of relevant combat experience among Western instructors. "They are disconnected from our realities, from the current combat operations," he said.----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation----------SOURCES:Euromaidan Press — "Ukraine fired its NATO trainers. The alliance is running out of time to learn why." (March 31, 2026) — Primary analysis by Hans Petter Midttun; Russia's 80,000-strong Unmanned Systems Forces; 8,900 FPV drones per day; 2030 projection of 210,000Euromaidan Press — "'We are f—': 10 Ukrainians with drones wipe out two NATO battalions in war game" (February 13, 2026) — Delta system; 2.2-second detection; Hedgehog 2025 exercise detailsWall Street Journal — "NATO exercise reveals alliance can't survive Ukraine-style drone warfare" — Jillian Kay Melchior (February 12, 2026) — Primary source reporting; firsthand accounts from Hedgehog exercise participantsUnited24 Media — "NATO Drills Reveal Drone Warfare Could Eliminate Two Battalions in a Day" (February 13, 2026) — Delta system; Petraeus LinkedIn comments; Estonian Defence League coordinationUnited24 Media — "How 10 Ukrainian Drone Operators Crushed a NATO Offensive in Estonia" (February 15, 2026) — 412th Nemesis Brigade and 427th Rarog Brigade details; Vector reconnaissance systemDefence News — "Role reversal: Ukraine moves training home and exports the lessons abroad" (March 27, 2026) — Germany as first NATO member to invite Ukrainian trainers; Lt. Gen. Freuding quote; DELTA in REPMUS 2025; down from 18 to 3 EU training nations; Vandier quote on Russia adapting19FortyFive — "A NATO Wargame in Estonia Let Ukrainian Drone Experts Play the Bad Guy and the Results Were Brutal" (February 17, 2026) — Petraeus on lessons only being learned through systemic reform; combined arms contextDroneXL — "NATO's Hedgehog exercise exposed a brutal truth" (February 13, 2026) — Cross-reference on exercise details; US troops absent from Hedgehog 2025----------SILICON CURTAIN LIVE EVENTS - FUNDRAISER CAMPAIGN Events in 2025 - Advocacy for a Ukrainian victory with Silicon Curtainhttps://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasOur events of the first half of the year in Lviv, Kyiv and Odesa were a huge success. Now we need to maintain this momentum, and change the tide towards a Ukrainian victory. The Silicon Curtain Roadshow is an ambitious campaign to run a minimum of 12 events in 2025, and potentially many more. Any support you can provide for the fundraising campaign would be gratefully appreciated. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasWe need to scale up our support for Ukraine, and these events are designed to have a major impact. Your support in making it happen is greatly appreciated. All events will be recorded professionally and published for free on the Silicon Curtain channel. Where possible, we will also live-stream events.https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------

Cormac Smith has worked in Public Relations and Corporate Communications for over three decades. In 2016 he traveled to Ukraine to take up a special appointment as the ‘Strategic Communication Advisor' to Pavlo Klimkin, then the Foreign Minister of Ukraine. He was attached to the British Embassy in Kyiv but was embedded in Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the first foreigner to hold such a position. While in Kyiv, he also advised and provided training for five other government ministries and worked directly with three other cabinet ministers: Health, Education and the Deputy Prime Minister. ----------LINKS:https://defencebrink.uk/https://x.com/CormacS63https://x.com/philipingmbe----------ACTIVE CAMPAIGN:We are raising funds for 5 of 15 Vampire DronesSilicon Curtain for Kupiansk Vampires. Dzyga's Paw, together with Jonathan Fink, is joining forces to raise $40,000 to provide the Khartiia Brigade with Vampire Drones.https://dzygaspaw.com/silicon-curtain-for-kupiansk-vampiresThese heavy bombers are designed to destroy manpower and equipment, as well as for remote mining. The Vampire UAV, manufactured by Skyfall, has proven itself to be one of the most effective weapons in the Kupiansk direction. Skyfall is one of Ukraine's largest defense tech companies, producing Vampire bomber drones, various modifications of Shrike FPV drones, P1-SUN, Shahed drone interceptors, communication systems, and components.----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation----------TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND:Car4Ukrainehttps://car4ukraine.com/en-US/campaignsDzyga's Pawhttps://dzygaspaw.com/projectsSuperhumans - Hospital for war traumashttps://superhumans.com/en/UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukrainehttps://unbroken.org.ua/Come Back Alivehttps://savelife.in.ua/en/Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchenhttps://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraineUNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyyhttps://u24.gov.ua/Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundationhttps://prytulafoundation.orgNGO “Herojam Slava”https://heroiamslava.org/----------PLATFORMS:Substack: https://substack.com/@siliconcurtainTwitter: https://twitter.com/CurtainSiliconLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/finkjonathan/Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4thRZj6NO7y93zG11JMtqm----------

2026-04-01 | UPDATES #159 | Girkin's letter from prison on the Telegram Kill Switch, Shoigu Slipping, and the Iron Curtain Descending. Based on Igor Girkin's prison letter (March 22, 2026) and other reporting. Igor Girkin (Strelkov) was once untouchable — a former FSB colonel, a war criminal by any honest accounting, the man who by his own admission pulled the trigger that started the Donbas war in 2014, the commander sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment by a Dutch court for his role in shooting down Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 and killing all 298 people aboard. A man who called Putin a "lowlife" and a "cowardly bum" on his Telegram channel — and was arrested the following day. He is now in a penal colony in the Kirov region of Russia. Strelkov — (the Shooter) is currently serving four years in a Russian penal colony on charges of inciting extremism. He is one of the most hawkish, most committed Russian nationalists in the country's entire political ecosystem. He is not a democrat, not a liberal, not a friend of Ukraine in any sense of that word.----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation----------A REQUEST FOR HELP!I'm heading back to Kyiv next month, to film, do research and conduct interviews. The logistics and need for equipment and clothing are a little higher than for my previous trips. It will be cold, and may be dark also. If you can, please assist to ensure I can make this trip a success. My commitment to the audience of the channel, will be to bring back compelling interviews conducted in Ukraine, and to use the experience to improve the quality of the channel, it's insights and impact. Let Ukraine and democracy prevail! https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrashttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformationNONE OF THIS CAN HAPPEN WITHOUT YOU!So what's next? We're going to Kyiv in April 2026 to film on the ground, and will record interviews with some huge guests. We'll be creating opportunities for new interviews, and to connect you with the reality of a European city under escalating winter attack, from an imperialist, genocidal power. PLEASE HELP ME ME TO GROW SILICON CURTAINWe are planning our events for 2026, and to do more and have a greater impact. After achieving more than 12 events in 2025, we will aim to double that! 24 events and interviews on the ground in Ukraine, to push back against weaponized information, toxic propaganda and corrosive disinformation. Please help us make it happen!----------

Silicon Bites Ep310 | 2026-04-01 | April the 1st I thought. This is a very well-produced joke – so close to our worst fears of the dark dystopian hole down which the U.S. has fallen, and into which it's dragging the world. But no, this does not appear to be an April Fool's prank. It appears to be a real political vanity project, promoted by Donald Trump and Eric Trump, attached to a real donation site, tied to a real Miami site already set aside for the future library. But it is also drenched in unreality, because the first public “reveal” was an AI-generated fantasy reel: an uncanny value of dictator chic, drenched in gold, gold everywhere, and on everything. Trump's name stamped on the skyline, a presidential jet in the lobby, White House replicas inside, and a giant gold statue of Trump raised above the mass of the faithful like some imperial mascot of post-modern, ironic American kitsch. Reuters confirmed parts of the video were generated with Google AI tools, while AP, the Washington Post, Sky, and NPR all independently described the same core imagery and the same link to the official fundraising site.----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation----------SOURCES:Reuters, March 31, 2026 — Trump library renderings, AI-generated video, Trump's comments on hotel plans.Associated Press, March 30–31, 2026 — airport renaming, library reveal, Miami site details.NPR/KOSU, updated April 1, 2026 — what the project is, Trump's “I don't believe in building libraries or museums” quote, NARA context, site transfer, funding questions. Washington Post, March 30, 2026 — scale of the tower, two gold statues, donation site, Eric Trump post.The Guardian, March 31, 2026 — ridicule, authoritarian comparisons, Newsom office reaction, Rutger Bregman comment. Sky News, March 31, 2026 — visual details of the renderings and AI-generated presentation. Reuters, March 31, 2026 — federal judge halts Trump White House ballroom project pending congressional approval. Associated Press, March 31, 2026 — judge says Trump is steward, not owner, in ballroom ruling. ----------SILICON CURTAIN LIVE EVENTS - FUNDRAISER CAMPAIGN Events in 2025 - Advocacy for a Ukrainian victory with Silicon Curtainhttps://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasOur events of the first half of the year in Lviv, Kyiv and Odesa were a huge success. Now we need to maintain this momentum, and change the tide towards a Ukrainian victory. The Silicon Curtain Roadshow is an ambitious campaign to run a minimum of 12 events in 2025, and potentially many more. Any support you can provide for the fundraising campaign would be gratefully appreciated. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasWe need to scale up our support for Ukraine, and these events are designed to have a major impact. Your support in making it happen is greatly appreciated. All events will be recorded professionally and published for free on the Silicon Curtain channel. Where possible, we will also live-stream events.https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------

2026-03-31 | UPDATES #158 | The Tsar is on edge, spooked even. Putin's post-Iran paranoia and the traffic cameras that changed everything. Based on Julia Ioffe's Puck News analysis (March 24, 2026) and other reporting. This is an interesting question. What does it take to terrify Vladimir Putin? Fear of death alone seems not to be enough, but fear of losing power, of humiliation is even worse. The man who has spent twenty-six years turning Russia into a personal fortress. The man who operates from three identical, interchangeable offices — at Novo-Ogaryovo, at Valdai, at Sochi — each decorated to the millimetre so that even his closest aides cannot determine which city he's in on any given day. The man who has had his Black Sea palace partially demolished and rebuilt, who has 12 Pantsir-S1 air defence systems stationed around his Valdai compound, who has Kremlin-adjacent Telegram channels claiming his FSB is on permanent alert against biochemical attacks in his bedsheets. What does it take to terrify that man? Stunning recent reporting suggests that a traffic camera in Tehran has particularly triggered him.----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation----------A REQUEST FOR HELP!I'm heading back to Kyiv next month, to film, do research and conduct interviews. The logistics and need for equipment and clothing are a little higher than for my previous trips. It will be cold, and may be dark also. If you can, please assist to ensure I can make this trip a success. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrashttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformationNONE OF THIS CAN HAPPEN WITHOUT YOU!So what's next? We're going to Kyiv in April 2026 to film on the ground, and will record interviews with some huge guests. We'll be creating opportunities for new interviews, and to connect you with the reality of a European city under escalating winter attack, from an imperialist, genocidal power. PLEASE HELP ME ME TO GROW SILICON CURTAINWe are planning our events for 2026, and to do more and have a greater impact. After achieving more than 12 events in 2025, we will aim to double that! 24 events and interviews on the ground in Ukraine, to push back against weaponized information, toxic propaganda and corrosive disinformation. Please help us make it happen!----------SOURCES: Julia Ioffe / Puck News — "Putin's Post-Iran Paranoia" (March 24, 2026)https://puck.news/putins-post-iran-paranoia/Puck News teaser / follow-up — "The Russian president has curtailed his schedule, and Moscow has virtually no cell service. The official explanation is about Ukrainian drones, but Putin is clearly spooked." (March 29, 2026)https://puck.news/the-secret-iran-intel-that-terrified-dems/Newsweek — "Putin assassination fears could explain internet shutdown" (March 2026)Euromaidan Press — "Putin watched Khamenei get killed. Then disappeared from public view for nine days. Then shut down Moscow's internet." (March 25, 2026)RBC-Ukraine — "Putin no longer seen at Kremlin following Khamenei's elimination, reports say" (March 2026)United24 Media — "Putin Reportedly Avoids Kremlin After Reports of Iranian Leaders Tracked by Cameras" (March 2026)Times of Israel — "Report: Israel hacked Tehran traffic cameras to track Khamenei ahead of assassination" (March 3, 2026)United24 Media — "Israel and CIA Conduct Precision Strike on Khamenei Using Tehran Surveillance Systems" (March 3, 2026)Kyiv Post — "Putin's Sochi Residence Gets Mega Security Zone Amid Drone Fears" (March 2026)United24 Media — "Russia Drafts Massive Protected Zone Around Putin's Sochi Residence" (March 13, 2026)----------

Caolan Robertson is a journalist, film maker, political writer and social commentator. He is a director at Byline TV and now lives in "beautiful Ukraine".----------LINKS:https://www.youtube.com/@CaolanReports @CaolanReports Caolan's interview with the Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYa7H1EmpCMThe Mad Max City In Ukraine Where 300 Drones Attack Every Day - DOCUMENTARY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InGah1DF2Cchttps://byline.tv/putindocumentary/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXU8QU0k3Mk----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation----------TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND:Car4Ukrainehttps://car4ukraine.com/en-US/campaignsDzyga's Pawhttps://dzygaspaw.com/projectsSuperhumans - Hospital for war traumashttps://superhumans.com/en/UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukrainehttps://unbroken.org.ua/Come Back Alivehttps://savelife.in.ua/en/Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchenhttps://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraineUNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyyhttps://u24.gov.ua/Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundationhttps://prytulafoundation.orgNGO “Herojam Slava”https://heroiamslava.org/----------PLATFORMS:Substack: https://substack.com/@siliconcurtainTwitter: https://twitter.com/CurtainSiliconLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/finkjonathan/Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4thRZj6NO7y93zG11JMtqm----------

Mark Galeotti is an author and academic – by training an historian – but in practice an interdisciplinary scholar with interests encompassing politics, criminology, security studies, international relations, and anthropology. He is a specialist in transnational and organized crime, security affairs, Russian Politics, Russian History, Intelligence and Security. Mark has a PhD in Government from LSE and has worked as a Senior Lecturer and Head of Department of History at Keele University. He is a Principal Director at Mayak Intelligence, and is an Honorary Professor, SSEES at UCL. He is a Senior Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute. He has also been Professor of Global Affairs at New York University from 2009 to 2016.----------BOOKS:Forged in War: A military history of Russia from its beginnings to today (2026)Homo Criminalis: How crime organises the world (2025)Downfall: Prigozhin, Putin, and the new fight for the future of Russia by Mark Galeotti and Anna Arutunyan (2024)Mark Galeotti: Putin's Wars: From Chechnya to Ukraine (2022)Mark Galeotti: The Weaponisation of Everything: A Field Guide to the New Way of War (2022)Mark Galeotti: A Short History of Russia: From the Pagans to Putin (2021)Mark Galeotti: Storm-333: KGB and Spetsnaz seize Kabul, Soviet-Afghan War 1979 (2021)Mark Galeotti: We Need to Talk About Putin: How the West gets him wrong (2019)Mark Galeotti: Russian Political War: Moving Beyond the Hybrid (2019)Mark Galeotti: The Vory: Russia's Super Mafia (2018)----------LINKS:https://inmoscowsshadows.wordpress.com/https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/in-moscows-shadows/id1510124746https://twitter.com/MarkGaleottihttps://www.rusi.org/people/galeottihttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Galeotti----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND:Save Ukrainehttps://www.saveukraineua.org/Superhumans - Hospital for war traumashttps://superhumans.com/en/UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukrainehttps://unbroken.org.ua/Come Back Alivehttps://savelife.in.ua/en/Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchenhttps://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraineUNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyyhttps://u24.gov.ua/Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundationhttps://prytulafoundation.orgNGO “Herojam Slava”https://heroiamslava.org/kharpp - Reconstruction project supporting communities in Kharkiv and Przemyślhttps://kharpp.com/NOR DOG Animal Rescuehttps://www.nor-dog.org/home/----------PLATFORMS:Twitter: https://twitter.com/CurtainSiliconInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/siliconcurtain/Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4thRZj6NO7y93zG11JMtqmLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/finkjonathan/Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------DESCRIPTION: Mark Galeotti on Putin's 19th‑Century Power Politics, Russia's Internet Crackdown, and the Regime's Growing BrittlenessThe host interviews historian and Russia specialist Mark Galeotti about how Putin views power primarily as coercion and great‑power privilege, and how the Ukraine war is burning through Russia's resources, modernity, legitimacy, and technological dynamism, echoing a “late Ivan the Terrible” decline. They discuss Russia's accelerating digital repression—mobile internet disruptions, VPN targeting, blocked app payments—and argue it is driven largely by competing security agencies rather than a single coherent “regime,” creating internal struggle with technocrats and business elites worried about economic and political costs. ----------

Livestream with Jonathan MS Pearce. Fundraising for equipment through Dzyga's Paw, and trucks for Car4Ukraine, and to support Silicon Curtain trips to Ukraine, to record interviews on the ground.Donate to help out:https://dzygaspaw.com/projectshttps://car4ukraine.com/en-US/campaigns----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation----------A REQUEST FOR HELP!I'm heading back to Kyiv this week, to film, do research and conduct interviews. The logistics and need for equipment and clothing are a little higher than for my previous trips. It will be cold, and may be dark also. If you can, please assist to ensure I can make this trip a success. My commitment to the audience of the channel, will be to bring back compelling interviews conducted in Ukraine, and to use the experience to improve the quality of the channel, it's insights and impact. Let Ukraine and democracy prevail! https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrashttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformationNONE OF THIS CAN HAPPEN WITHOUT YOU!So what's next? We're going to Kyiv in January 2026 to film on the ground, and will record interviews with some huge guests. We'll be creating opportunities for new interviews, and to connect you with the reality of a European city under escalating winter attack, from an imperialist, genocidal power. PLEASE HELP ME ME TO GROW SILICON CURTAINWe are planning our events for 2026, and to do more and have a greater impact. After achieving more than 12 events in 2025, we will aim to double that! 24 events and interviews on the ground in Ukraine, to push back against weaponized information, toxic propaganda and corrosive disinformation. Please help us make it happen!----------TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND:Save Ukrainehttps://www.saveukraineua.org/Superhumans - Hospital for war traumashttps://superhumans.com/en/UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukrainehttps://unbroken.org.ua/Come Back Alivehttps://savelife.in.ua/en/Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchenhttps://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraineUNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyyhttps://u24.gov.ua/Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundationhttps://prytulafoundation.orgNGO “Herojam Slava”https://heroiamslava.org/kharpp - Reconstruction project supporting communities in Kharkiv and Przemyslhttps://kharpp.com/NOR DOG Animal Rescuehttps://www.nor-dog.org/home/-----------

Silicon Bites Ep309 | 2026-03-30 | The alarm sounds from inside the community of regime loyalists – Russia's own z-patriots warn of a new 1917 revolution. This episode is based on Maxim Kalashnikov's Telegram warnings, February–March 2026. In February 1917, the Russian Empire collapsed from within — under the weight of a war that had gone on too long, demanded too much sacrifice, and offered no benefits in return – an economy that had cracked under the strain, and soldiers at the front who had simply stopped believing in the men who had sent them there. Women lined up for bread in Petrograd. Factory workers walked off their jobs. Soldiers — sent to fire on the crowds — refused. And in a matter of days, three centuries of Romanov rule was over.One hundred and nine years later, a man who has spent his career cheer-leading for Vladimir Putin, for the war in Ukraine, for Russian nationalism and imperial ambition, is invoking that exact moment. And he's not invoking it as a threat to the West. He's invoking it as a warning to Moscow and specifically, to Valdimir Putin. His name is Maxim Kalashnikov. And what he's saying from inside Russia's pro-war Z-blogger ecosystem should be required reading — and required listening — for everyone who wants to understand where this war is going.----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation----------SOURCES:@visionergeo / X (Twitter) — "If a Storm Lies Ahead..." — Kalashnikov Telegram post translated and published (2026)@visionergeo / X (Twitter) — Shakhty mine soldiers: "if Ukraine is not defeated by December, a wave will come from the front" — July 2025 Telegram postCharter'97 — "Z-Propagandist: US And Ukraine Have Trapped The Kremlin In A Trap" — February 22, 2026Charter'97 — "The Kremlin Is Preparing For A Social Explosion" — March 6, 2026Window on Eurasia — "Russia's Fate Being 'Decided by the Economy and Not with the Seizure of Some Village in Ukraine,' Kalashnikov Says" — February 2026@NatalkaKyiv / X (Twitter) — Kalashnikov February 17, 2026 post: "if the economy collapses, no shutdown of Telegram or communications will help. Both the 'elite' and the security structures will begin to fall apart."----------SILICON CURTAIN LIVE EVENTS - FUNDRAISER CAMPAIGN Events in 2025 - Advocacy for a Ukrainian victory with Silicon Curtainhttps://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasOur events of the first half of the year in Lviv, Kyiv and Odesa were a huge success. Now we need to maintain this momentum, and change the tide towards a Ukrainian victory. The Silicon Curtain Roadshow is an ambitious campaign to run a minimum of 12 events in 2025, and potentially many more. Any support you can provide for the fundraising campaign would be gratefully appreciated. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasWe need to scale up our support for Ukraine, and these events are designed to have a major impact. Your support in making it happen is greatly appreciated. All events will be recorded professionally and published for free on the Silicon Curtain channel. Where possible, we will also live-stream events.https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------