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Do tanque e do porta-aviões do século XX aos drones baratos que destroem tanques de milhões, da IA que escolhe alvos em segundos (Lavender, Maven, Claude Mythos) aos robôs que já caminham no campo de batalha: neste episódio mergulhamos na maior revolução da tecnologia de guerra dos últimos 100 anos. Do “laboratório” da Ucrânia de drones FPV e fibra óptica, a IA transformou a decisão de matar em algoritmo, passando pela guerra de narrativas com deepfakes que ninguém mais sabe o que é real e o que está acontecendo. Guerra mais eficiente significa guerra melhor… ou só mais frequente e impessoal? Patronato do SciCast: 1. Patreon SciCast 2. Apoia.se/Scicast 3. Nos ajude via Pix também, chave: contato@scicast.com.br ou acesse o QRcode: Sua pequena contribuição ajuda o Portal Deviante a continuar divulgando Ciência! Contatos: contato@scicast.com.br https://twitter.com/scicastpodcast https://www.facebook.com/scicastpodcast https://www.instagram.com/PortalDeviante/ Fale conosco! E não esqueça de deixar o seu comentário na postagem desse episódio! Expediente: Produção Geral: Tarik Fernandes e André Trapani Equipe de Gravação: Luis Filipe Herdy, Gustavo Rebello, Gabriela Reciputti, Roberto Spinelli, Willian Spengler Citação ABNT: Scicast #692: Guerra sem humanos. Locução: Luis Filipe Herdy, Gustavo Rebello, Gabriela Reciputti, Roberto Spinelli, Willian Spengler. [S.l.] Portal Deviante, 20/07/2026. Podcast. Disponível em: https://www.deviante.com.br/podcasts/scicast-692 Imagem de capa: O drone russo KNV, com munição (verde) à frente e unidade de desenrolar de fibra óptica (em preto) atrás – Divulgação/Uchkuinik Referências e Indicações Sugestões de literatura: REBELLO, Gustavo. O uso militar de IAs: a ficção científica parou de ser inofensiva. Portal Deviante, 17 mar. 2026. Disponível em: https://www.deviante.com.br/noticias/o-uso-militar-de-ias-a-ficcao-cientifica-parou-de-ser-inofensiva/. Acesso em: 29 abr. 2026. HOROWITZ, Michael. Entrevista concedida a Tyler Rogoway et al. How America's Shahed-136 Kamikaze Drone Clone Became an Indispensable Weapon of War. The War Zone, 9 abr. 2026. Disponível em: https://www.twz.com/news-features/how-americas-shahed-136-clone-became-an-indispensable-weapon-of-war. Acesso em: 29 abr. 2026. BERNSTEIN, Yuval et al. ‘Lavender': The AI machine directing Israel's bombing spree in Gaza. +972 Magazine, Tel Aviv, 3 abr. 2024. Disponível em: https://www.972mag.com/lavender-ai-israeli-army-gaza/. Acesso em: 29 abr. 2026. CUKOR, Drew et al. Project Maven: A Marine Colonel, His Team, and the Dawn of AI Warfare. Nova York: HarperCollins, 2026. (Trechos disponíveis em: https://www.wired.com/story/project-maven-katrina-manson-book-excerpt/). DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE (EUA). Project Maven (Algorithmic Warfare Cross Functional Team). Washington, DC: DoD, 2017. Disponível em: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Maven. Acesso em: 29 abr. 2026. FEDOROV, Mykhailo. Ukraine overcomes critical obstacle to using fiber-optic drones. Defense Ministry of Ukraine, Kiev, 21 abr. 2026. Disponível em: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/ukraine-overcomes-critical-obstacle-to-using-fiber-optic-drones/vi-AA21o96u. Acesso em: 29 abr. 2026. FOUNDATION ROBOTICS. Phantom MK-1 humanoid robot deployed to Ukraine for testing. Business Insider, 25 mar. 2026. Disponível em: https://www.businessinsider.com/foundation-humanoid-robot-soldier-ukraine-testing-2026-4. Acesso em: 29 abr. 2026. LEE, Lloyd. Foundation Wants to Build an Army of Humanoid Robot Soldiers. Business Insider, 25 mar. 2026. Disponível em: https://www.businessinsider.com/foundation-humanoid-robot-soldier-ukraine-testing-2026-4. Acesso em: 29 abr. 2026. SCHANAHAN, Jack. Inside the Pentagon's Project Maven. YouTube, 2026. Disponível em: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Il-DWtgfqTk. Acesso em: 29 abr. 2026.WIRED. Meet the Gods of AI Warfare. Wired, 23 mar. 2026. Disponível em: https://www.wired.com/story/project-maven-katrina-manson-book-excerpt/. Acesso em: 29 abr. 2026. Sugestões de filmes: Decisão de Risco (2015, dir. Gavin Hood) – Eye in the Sky: Drone warfare, “human in the loop” Slaughterbots (2017, curta-metragem da Future of Life Institute) – 8 minutos que mostram enxames de drones autônomos Resistência (2023, dir. Gareth Edwards) – The Creator: Guerra futurista com IA e robôs humanoides Jogos de Guerra (1983) – WarGames: Clássico sobre IA e guerra nuclear automatizada (liga direto com o “Dead Hand”). Sugestões de vídeos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fa8k8IQ1_X0 Sugestões de links: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-07-22/ubi-study-backed-by-openai-s-sam-altman-bolsters-support-for-basic-income https://www.anthropic.com/research/exploring-model-welfare https://www.anthropic.com/research/impact-software-development https://arxiv.org/pdf/2411.00986 Sugestões de games: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II / III (2022-2023) – Uso realista de drones FPV, enxames e guerra eletrônica. DEFCON (2006, ou remakes modernos) – Simulação de guerra nuclear com sistemas automatizados de retaliação. Arma 3 com mods de drones ucranianos (comunidade) – Simulação tática de guerra assimétrica com FPV e fibra óptica. Six Days in Fallujah (2021) – Combate urbano moderno com IA e robótica
Silicon Bites Ep369 | 2026-07-18 | Why Russians can't have nice things — Ukraine burns the warehouses of the "Russian Amazon", and the war finally arrives at the Muscovite front door- challenging the comfort, convenience and privilege of the Russia elite population. On the morning of Saturday 18 July 2026, Muscovites woke to a black pall hanging over their capital. Not refineries this time, though those fires have become a familiar site to Russians. From the burning logistics empire of Wildberries — the "Russian Amazon" — struck by Ukrainian long-range drones in Elektrostal and in Kotovsk, alongside a blazing oil depot in Noginsk. Zelensky calls it "long-range sanctions." We call it the moment the consumer economy of the Muscovite heartland discovered that Putin's war has a return address. Strike Nova Poshta depots in Ukraine, well, there are consequences, Russians. ----------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: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.org----------SOURCES:Kyiv Independent — "2 Russian logistics centers, oil depot hit as Kyiv launches hundreds of drones towards Moscow" (18 July 2026)Militarnyi — "Retaliatory Strikes Against Russia's Warehouse Infrastructure Have Begun: Wildberries Terminals in Moscow and Tambov Regions are on Fire" (18 July 2026)Ukrinform — "USF confirm strike on Wildberries warehouse in Moscow region" (18 July 2026)UNITED24 Media — "Ukraine Brings the War to Russia's Amazon as Wildberries Hubs Go Up in Flames" (18 July 2026)Ukrainska Pravda — "Large-scale drone attack on Moscow and Moscow Oblast: oil depot and Wildberries warehouse on fire" (18 July 2026)UNN — "Wildberries warehouses, hit by Ukrainian UAVs, were used to supply sanctioned drone parts" (18 July 2026)UNN — "OSINT analysis confirmed a fire at the Wildberries warehouse in the Moscow region after a UAV attack – Astra" (18 July 2026)CNN — "Eight warehouse workers killed in deadliest Ukrainian attacks inside Russia for two years" (18 July 2026)CBS News — "Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian warehouses and oil depot kill at least 8, injure over 60" (18 July 2026)Euronews — "Ukrainian forces strike 'major' logistics hubs in central Russia" (18 July 2026)Defense Express / defence-ua.com — "Moscow Region on Fire — Ukraine Attacked Warehouses and Refineries in Several Cities Near Capital of russia" (18 July 2026)Mezha/Bukvy — "Ukraine strikes Russian Wildberries warehouses" (18 July 2026)----------
Silicon Bites Ep370 | 2026-07-19 | At half past one this morning, Sunday the 19th of July, the explosions started again in Kyiv. Forty-one missiles and 125 drones launched across Ukraine overnight — twenty-five of them ballistic — and most of the missiles, in Zelensky's own assessment, aimed at the capital. Three people killed in Kyiv at a minimum – 20 or more across the country. At least sixteen wounded – though the tally is rising through the day as rescue efforts continue. Fires burning in five districts of the city. Residential buildings, offices, a student dormitory, industrial premises — hit and ablaze, per the State Emergency Service.Has Putin lost his mind? Can he really think that this kind of mass terror strike is effective? The terror is real — but look closer: this is the logistics war, scaling up in real time, and Russia's vertical empire is losing it. ----------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: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.org----------SOURCES:AP (via WSLS/KRMG), "1 killed, 16 wounded in an overnight Russian attack on Kyiv," 19 July 2026Kyiv Independent, live news feed, 19 July 2026 (Kyiv ballistic attack; Tambov Oblast warehouse strike)Kyiv Independent, "2 Russian logistics centers, oil depot hit as Kyiv launches hundreds of drones towards Moscow," 18 July 2026 NPR, "8 killed and more than 60 wounded in Ukrainian drone attack on Russian regions," 18 July 2026Washington Post, "Russia rocks Kyiv with massive missile, drone attack," 2 July 2026 NPR, "Russia's missile and drone attacks on Ukraine kill at least 22," 6 July 2026 (interceptor shortage; Zelensky quote) CNN, "Deadly Russian strikes hammer Kyiv on eve of critical NATO summit," 5–6 July 2026 (UN HRMMU casualty finding; third-deadliest attack) ABC News, "Russian overnight bombardment of Kyiv kills 22," 6 July 2026 (Russian MoD claims; district damage)Euromaidan Press, "Russia has hit over 200 Ukrainian locomotives this year," 4 July 2026 RailwayNews EU, "Russia's Attacks Targeting Ukrainian Locomotives," July 2026 (1,000+ rail attacks since early 2026) ISW / Critical Threats, "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, July 7, 2026" (shadow-fleet tanker strikes; Crimea electrical facilities; Kinburn Spit)ISW via Kyiv Post, "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, July 13, 2026" (Crimea isolation campaign; Oleksandrivka liberations)----------
Silicon Bites Ep368 | 2026-07-16 | Could sacking Fedorov be one of the worst self-inflicted wounds of Ukraine's war? Russia is celebrating the move, which means it can't be good, and how the decision by Zelenskyy has brought the cardboard protests back on to the streets. THE SYSTEM STRIKES BACK: Zelensky fires Mykhailo Fedorov — the most effective defence minister of the full-scale war — after six months, sides with the Soviet-schooled general, whose family it must be noted, still live in Russia, though apparently have cut him off. ----------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: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.org----------SOURCES:Reuters (via US News) — Factbox: Who Is Ukraine's Mykhailo Fedorov, the Dismissed Defence Minister? (16 July 2026)Kyiv Independent — Zelensky dismisses Defense Minister Fedorov, deepening turmoil in Ukraine's military leadership (15–16 July 2026) Kyiv Independent — 'Utterly baffling': Ukrainians outraged, call for protest after Zelensky ousts Fedorov (16 July 2026)Ukrainska Pravda — Zelenskyy could no longer tolerate ongoing conflict between Defence Minister Fedorov and Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi – UP sources (16 July 2026)Ukrainska Pravda — Protesters in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities call for Fedorov to be kept on as defence minister (16 July 2026) Euromaidan Press — "Cardboard" protests against Zelenskyy's firing of Fedorov erupt across Ukraine (16 July 2026) Euronews — Ukrainians hold rare wartime protest over defence minister's dismissal (16 July 2026) Euronews — Zelenskyy dismisses Ukraine's popular Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov (15 July 2026)Bloomberg — Protests Flare in Kyiv Over Ouster of Popular Defense Minister (16 July 2026) AP (via ABC News) — Protesters rally in Kyiv as Zelenskyy moves to oust Ukraine's defense minister (16 July 2026)----------
Bert Watson is an American government-relations consultant, U.S. Navy veteran and long-standing advocate for stronger U.S.–Ukraine relations who has travelled to Ukraine repeatedly, including eight visits by June 2026. His perspective is unusual because it combines political communications, defence and energy experience with repeated exposure to Ukrainian military units, command posts, special-forces headquarters, hospitals, humanitarian organisations and defence innovators. ----------LINKS:https://www.thecipherbrief.com/experts/bert-watsonhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/bertwatson/https://www.watsonandco.us/team----------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----------
The military stand-off between the US and Iran has escalated again after Donald Trump ordered a seven-hour bombing campaign targeting Iranian missile barracks, coastal radar sites, and naval bases. The inevitable Iranian response targeting its Gulf neighbours was met with rare daytime strikes by American forces. On today's episode of Iran: the Latest, Roland Oliphant sits down with Tim Mak and Jacqueline Cole from the Iran War Dispatches Substack to discuss the significance of what each side is hitting and how the Pentagon is adapting its tactics against asymmetric Iranian warfare. They also discuss whether Trump's brutal threat to destroy Iran's power plants and bridges will bring Tehran to the negotiating table.Plus, worrying signs that Iran is becoming more militarised and why Jackie and Tim went to Armenia to find out what ordinary Iranians think of the war. HighlightsUS strikes Iran twice in 24 hours after Shahed attacks hit Gulf statesTrump's ultimatum to Iran: ‘Negotiate or we destroy your infrastructure'CONTRIBUTORS:Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphantTim Mak, founder Iran War Dispatches @timkmakJacqueline Cole, journalist Iran War Dispatches @jacmcoleWATCH US ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dkCONTENT REFERENCED:Trump's three options to solve his Iran problemhttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2026/07/09/trump-three-options-return-warTrump U-turns on Hormuz toll after one dayhttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2026/07/14/trump-hormuz-toll-uturn-one-day/Even Iran's children's authors are losing hopehttps://www.iranwar.news/p/even-irans-childrens-authors-areIran War Dispatches: https://www.iranwar.news/The Telegraph Podcast Publisher of the Year 2026 - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026ITL Nominated Podcast of the Year - Society of Editors News Podcasts Awards 2026Producer: Peter ShevlinVideo Producer: Max BowerResearcher and Social Producer: Anna HindmarshStudio Operator: Andy WatsonExecutive Producer: Venetia Rainey ► Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor► EMAIL US: Contact the team on battlelines@telegraph.co.uk► GET THE LATEST HEADLINES: Find all our latest Iran coverage here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/iran-war/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dara Lutsai is a Ukrainian cultural communicator, researcher and content creator who explores Ukrainian history, literature, identity and popular culture for contemporary audiences. She is the founder of Hart (Гарт), a cultural media project devoted to rediscovering and explaining aspects of Ukrainian history and culture that have often been obscured, marginalised or distorted by imperial and Soviet narratives. Through her social-media channels and long-form content, Lutsai examines subjects ranging from Ukrainian folklore, literature and urban culture to sexuality, gender, historical memory and the persistence of social stereotypes. Recent programmes have explored themes such as eroticism in Ukrainian folklore and literature, the cultural history of misogyny, and the political instrumentalisation of so-called "traditional values". A recurring feature of her work is an effort to present Ukrainian culture as complex, diverse and historically autonomous, rather than viewing it through inherited Russian or Soviet frameworks. Her approach combines historical research with an accessible and often playful style, using contemporary digital formats to bring neglected cultural subjects to younger audiences.----------LINKS:https://www.youtube.com/@gart_channelhttps://www.tiktok.com/@gart_channelhttps://www.instagram.com/dara.lutsai/https://www.patreon.com/cw/DaraGart----------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----------
Silicon Bites SW26-219 | 2026-07-14 | The Siege of Crimea: How Ukraine Is Sinking Russia's Shadow Fleet. For one week — from the sixth of July to the twelfth — a Russian ship was hit in the Sea of Azov, on average, one every hundred and twelve minutes. And it's still going on now. Will there be any vessels left? By the count of Ukraine's drone command, ninety Russian vessels were struck in that single week: tankers, tugboats, ferries, dry cargo ships. On the night of July ninth alone, twelve tankers, a tug and a cargo ship were hit — and we know some of those ships burned not from Kyiv, but from the Russian governor of Rostov Oblast, who confirmed the fires in Taganrog Bay, the evacuated crews, and, in a later strike, a dead sailor, himself. That total may now have exceed 100 vessels, and is still rising daily, hourly. And Moscow's response? Retreat. Russia has stopped accepting applications for transit through the Kerch Strait. It has halted shipping on the Don-Azov Canal — the artery connecting its river fleet to the sea. It is pulling its ships off the water rather than defending them. Roughly a hundred and twenty Russian vessels are thought to operate in the Azov. Ukraine's tally says three-quarters of them have now been hit.----------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: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.org----------SOURCES:----------
Silicon Bites Ep367 | 2026-07-14 | This episode: The Butcher's Bill. 1.4 million casualties, up to 450,000 dead — Russia is bleeding at World War Two scale for a war that isn't moving. Mobilization is now the Kremlin's only card. And it's a losing one. The numbers are now in, cross-confirmed by Washington think tanks, British intelligence, independent Russian journalists counting graves, and Ukraine's own commander-in-chief. Russia has suffered around 1.4 million battlefield casualties. As many as 450,000 of its soldiers are dead. No major power has lost anything like this in any war since 1945. And here is the part the Kremlin cannot fix – Russia is now losing men faster than it can recruit them. The war machine is consuming itself. Mobilization is coming — and mobilization will not save Putin. ----------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: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.org----------SOURCES:CSIS — "Russian Blood and Treasure: The Ballooning Costs of Putin's War" (Seth G. Jones & Riley McCabe)CNN — "Bloodier than Stalingrad: Number of casualties in Russia's war on Ukraine reaches 2 million" (2 July 2026)Kyiv Post — "US Think Tank: WWI-Scale Casualties, Civil Unrest Undermine Russia's War in Ukraine"The New Voice of Ukraine — "Russian losses nearly 8-to-1: CSIS"Mediazona (with BBC Russian) — "Russian losses in the war with Ukraine. Mediazona count, updated" (230,624 confirmed, 3 July 2026)Mediazona & Meduza — "352,000 deaths in four years" (probate registry estimate, 9 May 2026)Kyiv Independent — "Over 230,000 Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine identified by media investigation"Ukrainska Pravda — "Ukraine's commander-in-chief: pace of Russian advance has more than halved" (10 July 2026)Euromaidan Press — "With a 2-to-1 edge, Russia shrank its offensive from 13 fronts to 6, Syrskyi says"Kyiv Independent — "Ukraine war latest: Russian territorial advances slowed by more than half in 2026, Syrskyi says"Kyiv Post — "Syrsky Says Russia's 2026 Offensive Failed Despite Nearly 2-to-1 Troop Advantage" (incl. Zelensky Ankara remarks)Wikipedia (aggregating BBC/GCHQ, The Telegraph, Novaya Gazeta, Ukrainian General Staff) — "Casualties of the Russo-Ukrainian war"----------
Liubov Velychko is a Ukrainian investigative journalist based in Kyiv. Her reported areas include corruption, Russian disinformation, Russian intelligence-service influence operations, sanctions circumvention, energy politics, environmental crime and money laundering. She published in major Ukrainian outlets including LIGA.net, Mind.ua, Slovo i Dilo, and as a member of OCCRP and N-vestigate. Since Russia's full-scale invasion, she has focused heavily on Russia's information and influence infrastructure: FSB “temnyki” or talking-point systems, sanctions evasion, Russian lobbying in international institutions, and toxicity of Russian energy-sector influence. She also examines the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) not simply as a religious body, but as an influence network: financially dependent, hierarchically disciplined, culturally embedded and vulnerable to Moscow's coercive leverage.----------Linkshttps://texty.org.ua/articles/117235/sprobuj-rabstvo-tobi-spodobayetsya-chomu-svyashchennyky-ne-jdut-z-upc-mp/ ----------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/----------DESCRIPTION:How Moscow Uses the Ukrainian Orthodox Church as an Influence Network | Liubov Velychko in Kyiv Pechersk LavraUkrainian investigative journalist Liubov Velychko joins Jonathan in Kyiv Pechersk Lavra to discuss how the Ukrainian Orthodox Church under the Moscow Patriarchate functions not only as a religious body but as an influence network shaped by Russian political control. She explains the split between Ukraine's independent Orthodox Church and the Moscow-linked structure, why many priests and congregations remain (social ties, fear of Russian retaliation, finances, and legal/property constraints), and how narratives are produced hierarchically and delivered flexibly to different audiences under SBU monitoring. The conversation covers criminal cases against some priests for treason and collaboration, differences between occupied and free territories, and how Moscow weaponizes “religious persecution” claims abroad. ----------CHAPTERS:01:32 Why We're at Lavra03:01 Two Orthodox Churches05:38 Why Priests Stay09:08 Control and Coercion12:49 Why Congregations Attend14:25 How Narratives Spread17:53 SBU Monitoring and Cases22:40 Dangerous War Narratives24:37 Occupied Territory Playbook26:47 Democracy vs Obedience29:25 Church as Occupation Network33:08 Surviving Inside the System37:06 Weaponizing Religion Abroad----------
Adam McQuire and Holly Tann are British humanitarian volunteers from Liverpool who co-founded the non-profit organization Casus Pax. They have made numerous trips to Ukraine, delivering medical supplies, first-aid equipment, and educational materials to front-line regions including Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk.Beyond delivering life-saving aid, they have integrated into the local community and educational institutions in Zaporizhzhia, conducting first-aid and search-and-rescue training. Their specific contributions include: educational support, providing teaching equipment and STEM kits to secondary schools. First Aid Training: operating emergency skills classes for civilians, educators, and university staff. Academic Roles: serving as visiting professors at institutions like the National University “Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic”.Their grassroots organization relies on donations and business sponsorships to sustain its ongoing supply runs. You can follow their relief efforts and humanitarian missions on the Casus Pax Instagram or view their latest updates via the Casus Pax Facebook page.----------LINKS:https://casuspax.org/https://www.instagram.com/casuspax/https://www.facebook.com/p/Casus-Pax-100087930990574/https://buymeacoffee.com/casuspaxhttps://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/cpaxukrainehttps://www.linkedin.com/company/casus-pax/?originalSubdomain=ukhttps://physicsworld.com/a/from-the-lab-to-ukraines-front-line/https://zp.edu.ua/all-news/treninhy-navychky-nadannia-pershoi-dopomohy-v-ekstrenykh-sytuatsiiakh/----------ACTIVE CAMPAIGN:https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/summer-sunshine-trucks-2026-malcolm-nancehttps://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/summer-sunshine-trucks-2026-silicon-curtain----------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----------
Guest: SEAN M. WISWESSERCIA Senior Operations Officer (Ret.) / Consultant / Author and LecturerSean Wiswesser has thirty years of experience working as a national security professional with intelligence, foreign service, and defense organizations. He served on multiple overseas tours and many other deployments on temporary duty, including service in conflict zones and denied areas. He was a Chief of Station and had multiple joint-duty assignments with intelligence community partners. Sean currently consults for the Department of Defense for a number of companies, working on various programs, including weapons testing as well as intelligence support and training programs.Sean has been published with chapters in collaborative volumes with Army War College Press and Taylor and Francis (UK), as well as articles in the Journal of Small Wars and other publications. He has a column KREMLIN FILES with DC-based “The CIPHER Brief.” ----------BOOK:Tradecraft, Tactics, and Dirty Tricks: Russian intelligence and Putin's Secret War (2026)Published by Naval Institute Press. Sean Wiswesserhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/1682476014----------LINKS:----------ARTICLES:https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/06/27/russian-spies-so-reckless-says-former-cia-operative/----------ACTIVE CAMPAIGN:https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/summer-sunshine-trucks-2026-malcolm-nancehttps://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/summer-sunshine-trucks-2026-silicon-curtain----------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:Former CIA senior operations officer Sean Wiswesser discusses his book and argues Russian intelligence is a central operating system of the Russian state, not a side tool of Putin. He says the West wrongly treated the post–Cold War intelligence confrontation as over while Moscow continued to view the U.S. as the main enemy, and he frames Putin's Russia as a “thugocracy” driven by terror, coercion, corruption, and unbounded risk-taking in Europe, including assassination plots and sabotage.----------
Ksenia Iliuk is the co-founder and COO of LetsData, an AI-powered narrative-intelligence and influence-operation detection platform that tracks coordinated information threats across 50+ countries. She has over a decade of experience countering digital threats and has worked with European governments, NATO and EU-linked bodies on resilience against information warfare. She co-founded Lets Data in 2022, during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, drawing on Ukraine's direct experience of wartime information warfare.----------LINKS:https://www.linkedin.com/in/ksenia-iliuk/https://letsdata.net/https://datainnovation.org/2025/10/5-qs-with-ksenia-iluik-co-founder-of-letsdata/----------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:https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/summer-sunshine-trucks-2026-malcolm-nancehttps://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/summer-sunshine-trucks-2026-silicon-curtain----------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----------
Malcolm Nance is a former career US Naval Intelligence officer specializing in counter-terrorism, intelligence and violent extremism. He has been an advisor to the US government's law enforcement, Homeland Security and Intelligence agencies. As an Arabic-speaking special intelligence collections operator, field interrogator he provided top secret anti and counter-terrorism support to national intelligence agencies while on numerous reconnaissance and combat operations in the Balkans, Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa. On April 18, 2022, Nance revealed that he had joined the Ukrainian Foreign Legion in March 2022. In an interview with Michael Harriot of The Guardian, Nance alluded to African-American military aviator Eugene Bullard's service in the French Foreign Legion to his service in Ukraine, hoping to inspire "African Americans and young Americans who have been in the military" and describing the International Legion as "the pantheon of the defense of democracy in the defense of Ukraine".----------BOOKS: The Plot to Betray America: How Team Trump Embraced Our EnemiesImage of Hacking ISIS: How to Destroy the Cyber JihadThe Plot to Hack America: How Putin's Cyberspies and WikiLeaks Tried to StealDefeating ISIS: Who They Are, How They Fight, What They Believe----------LINKS:https://x.com/MalcolmNancehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_Nancehttps://www.linkedin.com/in/malcolmnance/https://www.spymuseum.org/host-an-event/spy-speaker-series/malcolm-nance/https://us.macmillan.com/author/malcolmnance----------ACTIVE CAMPAIGN:https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/summer-sunshine-trucks-2026-malcolm-nancehttps://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/summer-sunshine-trucks-2026-silicon-curtain----------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: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----------
Livestream with Yuri RashkinLINKS:https://rashkinreport.substack.com/https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/rashkin-report/id1183073638----------ACTIVE CAMPAIGN:https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/50foruahttps://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/summer-sunshine-trucks-2026-silicon-curtain----------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: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 SW26-218 | 2026-06-25 | We Haven't Started Yet. The empty-threat doctrine: Putin reaches for Istanbul 2022, and his ministers promise the "real" war – claiming once more that Russia “has only just started' fighting – a claim that is getting hollower and more absurd by the day — while Moscow's own refinery burns and there is no hidden gear left to find.On the morning of 18 June, the largest drone raid of the entire war hit Moscow. Black smoke over the southern skyline. Soot raining onto the streets. The Kapotnya refinery — the plant that supplies roughly a third of the capital's fuel — on fire for the second time in a week. Vladimir Putin was 700 kilometres away in Kazan, smiling for the cameras at a summit with Southeast Asian leaders. He said nothing about the smoke.----------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: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.org----------SOURCES:----------
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 ----------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----------
Dr. Joshua E. "Bugsy" Segal is Co-Founder and Vice President for Strategy and Innovation at Deft9 Solutions, a Washington-DC-based national security consultancy. He carries a PhD in Russian Studies from George Washington University. His career has run for more than thirty years across military, civilian, and intelligence positions in US national security. He served as a naval officer and retired in 2020 after a closing tour as a lead planner at US Special Operations Command, working on counter-WMD and great-power-competition requirements. Since retirement, Segal has worked as a senior national security consultant focused on information warfare, arms control, and hybrid warfare strategies. ----------LINKS:https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-e-segal-phd-%E2%80%9Cbugsy%E2%80%9D-394752a7/https://www.fpri.org/contributor/joshua-segal/----------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----------
Silicon Bites SW26-217 | 2026-06-24 | Zelensky stops asking Lukashenko to stay out of the war — and starts counting down to the moment Ukraine removes the equipment Russia has placed on their territory to harm Ukraine, for him. He has been warned, but this warning also demonstrates a more muscular and confident approach from Ukraine. They are they only one globally who have shown the will and capacity to constrain and contain Russia and deliver consequences for its aggression.There is a clock counting down in Minsk now. It started on Friday. For four years and four months, the West has treated Alexander Lukashenko as a bystander to this war. A nervous neighbour. A man who lent Putin his territory once, in February 2022, watched the missiles fly out of his own country into Ukrainian apartment blocks, and then phoned Kyiv to apologise and explain it wasn't really his fault. The bystander narrative has been very convenient — for Lukashenko, for Moscow, and for every Western capital that would rather not think about NATO's longest land border with a hostile state, a willing puppet of the Kremlin's ambitions. ----------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: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.org----------SOURCES:Kyiv Independent — "'A week will be enough' — Zelensky issues ultimatum to Lukashenko over drone-guidance equipment" (19 June 2026)UNITED24 Media — "'If He Does Not Do This, We Will': Zelenskyy Issues 7-Day Ultimatum to Lukashenko Over Border Military Tech" (19 June 2026)EUalive (via European Pravda) — "Zelenskyy issues ultimatum to Lukashenko: dismantle Russian drone retranslators or Ukraine will act" (20 June 2026)Yahoo News / Euronews wire — "Zelenskyy issues one-week ultimatum to Lukashenka over drone-guidance equipment" (20 June 2026): Censor.NET — "Zelenskyy issued an ultimatum to Lukashenko regarding relay stations" (19 June 2026)Charter97 — "Zelenskyy Issued An Ultimatum To Lukashenko" (19 June 2026)Kyiv Independent — "Ukraine denies Russian claim that Ukrainian drone struck bus carrying Belarusian children's football team" (17–18 June 2026)Ukrainska Pravda — "Kyiv posts Russian document refuting claim that Ukrainian drone hit bus carrying Belarusian children" (18 June 2026)Euronews — "Bus with Belarus children's football team hit by a drone in Russia, Moscow claims" (17 June 2026)RFE/RL — "Ukraine Denies Russian Claims Of Strike On Bus Carrying Belarusian Children" (17 June 2026)Kyiv Post — "Ukraine Has 500 Targets Ready in Belarus if Lukashenko Joins War" (26 May 2026)----------
H. Perry Boyle Jr. is the CEO and co-founder of MITS Capital LLC — Military Innovation Technology Solutions — and chairman of MITS Industries, the Danish-Ukrainian defence-tech joint venture announced in September 2025. He divides his time between Kyiv and Ketchum, Idaho. Boyle came to Ukrainian defence technology from three decades on Wall Street. He held senior positions at SAC Capital and Point72 — where he served as head of equities and capital development, managing multi-billion-dollar portfolios across global markets. His co-founders are Denys Gurak (COO and CIO, former venture partner at FF Venture Capital) and Anton Melnyk (Founding Partner, Ukraine-based). The MITS Industries board co-chairs are a former NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Defense Investment and a retired US Army Colonel with 26 years in defence and transatlantic security — that combination signals the political-strategic positioning Boyle has built around the firm.----------LINKS:https://www.linkedin.com/in/perryboyle/https://www.cnas.org/people/h-perry-boylehttps://mits.capital/team/----------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----------
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----------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: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 Ep358 | 2026-06-24 | They stole it. They sunbathed on it. They shipped their children to it. Now the petrol's gone — and that, finally, is the thing that is forcing Russians to flee Crimea. Today: ISLAND CRIMEA. Sunday morning, the twenty-first of June. Nine o'clock local time. And across the entire occupied Crimean Peninsula, the petrol pumps stop. Not rationed. Not coupon-only. Stopped. Sergey Aksyonov, the Kremlin's man in Simferopol, posts the order to Telegram: from this hour, fuel goes only to the state. Petrol will be sold solely to the government agencies that keep the peninsula running and secure — and to nobody else. Not to you. Not to your car. Not to the tourist stranded sixty kilometres from a working tank.This is the prize Vladimir Putin seized in 2014 and called forever Russian. The sunlit trophy. The symbol of resurgent empire. And on a summer Sunday it cannot fill a single civilian fuel tank. Tonight: how Ukraine turned a trophy into an island, an asset into a liability — and why people who holidayed on stolen land will be stopped not by conscience, but by queue.----------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: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.org----------SOURCES:AFP / The Moscow Times — Ukrainian Strikes on Russian-Annexed Crimea Kill 4, Pause Fuel Sales (21 Jun 2026)Associated Press / NPR — Ukrainian attacks prompt Russian-held Crimea to halt civilian gasoline sales (21 Jun 2026)Associated Press / CBC News — Russian-held Crimea halts civilian gasoline sales following Ukrainian attacks (21 Jun 2026)Bloomberg — Russia-Occupied Crimea Halts Fuel Sales After Ukrainian Attacks (21 Jun 2026)Euronews — Russian-occupied Crimea suspends petrol sales amid fuel crisis (21 Jun 2026)Reuters / U.S. News — Crimea Suspends Children's Summer Camps as Ukraine Strikes Squeeze Fuel Supplies (22 Jun 2026)Kyiv Independent — Children's camps in Crimea suspend arrivals as security concerns rose after Ukrainian drone strikes (22 Jun 2026)Kyiv Independent — Ukraine destroys key logistics bridge in Crimea, hits over 60 Russian military targets overnight (23 Jun 2026)Kyiv Independent — 'Hell is beginning' — Ukraine could isolate occupied Crimea as drone strikes disrupt logistics, Fedorov says (17 Jun 2026)Ukrainska Pravda (English) — Crimea will become isolated due to Ukrainian drone strikes, Ukraine's defence minister says (17 Jun 2026)----------
Silicon Bites Ep357 | 2026-06-22 | When the island runs dry: how Ukraine turned Putin's crown jewel into his most exposed nerve — an Achilles heel rather than a strategic asset – and why the pumps going dry on Russia Day's weekend is the moment the myth of Putin's invincibility died. At nine o'clock this morning, in occupied Crimea, the petrol stopped. Not only rationed. Not accepting coupon-only. Not capped at twenty litres. Stopped entirely. The panic has truly set in. The Kremlin's man on the peninsula, Sergey Aksyonov, posted to Telegram that from 09:00 on Sunday 21 June, fuel would be sold to nobody — not for cash, not by card, not on a voucher, not to a private citizen, not to a business. Only the state gets to refuel now. This of course puts the military requirements above the population. Absolutely standard for Russia. ----------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: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.org----------SOURCES:Euronews — Russian-occupied Crimea suspends petrol sales amid fuel crisis (21 June 2026)The Moscow Times — Ukrainian Strikes on Russian-Annexed Crimea Kill 4, Pause Fuel Sales (21 June 2026)Bloomberg — Russia-Occupied Crimea Halts Fuel Sales After Ukrainian Attacks (21 June 2026)WRAL / AP — Ukrainian attacks prompt Russian-held Crimea to halt civilian gasoline sales (21 June 2026)The New Voice of Ukraine — Fuel sales halted in occupied Crimea as fire burns at Kerch fuel terminal (21 June 2026)The New Voice of Ukraine — Explosions reported across occupied Crimea amid large drone attack (21 June 2026)Ukrainska Pravda — Explosions reported in occupied Crimea, fires break out in Kerch (21 June 2026)LIGA.net — Video of the attacks on the Port of Kerch on June 21, 2026 (21 June 2026)Kyiv Independent — Oil terminal, port infrastructure reportedly set ablaze on both sides of Kerch Strait (21 June 2026)Kyiv Independent — Ukrainian drones strike Russian oil, gas sites in Crimea and Siberia (20 June 2026)Kyiv Independent — 'Hell is beginning' — Ukraine could isolate occupied Crimea, Fedorov says (17 June 2026)Ukrainska Pravda — Crimea will become isolated due to Ukrainian drone strikes, Ukraine's defence minister says (17 June 2026)----------
Paris-Kiev, c'est trois heures d'avion.Et sur ce même continent, il y a une guerre.Hadrien Canter l'a compris à 18 ans quand ses amis, rencontrés sur les bancs d'un lycée ukrainien, sont partis sur la ligne de front pour la guerre du Donbass en 2015.Mais rien ne le destinait à la défense.Avocat au barreau de Paris, il avait le profil d'un diplomate, pas celui d'un industriel de l'armement.Et puis en 2023, dans un hôtel soviétique de Zaporijjia, sous les attaques aériennes, il voit un soldat ukrainien scruter des écrans de drones pour repérer l'ennemi.Il se dit qu'une IA pourrait faire ce travail.L'idée d'Alta Ares naît de cette nuit-là, avec un premier logiciel, Gamma, qui analyse les flux vidéo en temps réel pour détecter automatiquement des objets et faire des corrections de tirs d'artillerie.Deux ans et demi plus tard, la société compte près de 70 personnes avec des bureaux en Ukraine, en France et aux États-Unis et remporte un prix de l'OTAN pour sa solution d'interception capable d'abattre les drones Shahed russes.Aujourd'hui, ils viennent de lever 50 millions d'euros pour industrialiser et produire leurs systèmes de défense à grande échelle.Parce qu'Alta Ares ne fait que du défensif : protéger un espace aérien, sauver des maisons et ne jamais frapper en premier. Là où d'autres cherchent à détruire celui qui attaque, eux se contentent de l'arrêter.Une frontière que beaucoup trouvent floue mais qu'Hadrien tient pour très claire : “On abat la flèche, pas l'archer.”Dans cet épisode, il raconte une guerre que l'Europe a longtemps regardée de loin, et un monde où l'usage de la force ne s'embarrasse plus de grand-chose.Hadrien nous explique :Pourquoi les cycles d'innovation militaire se comptent maintenant en semaines (voire en jours), et pourquoi une arme conçue il y a six mois est déjà dépasséeComment l'IA, loin de déshumaniser la guerre, remet l'humain au centre des décisionsLe rôle de la France dans l'indépendance de l'EuropePourquoi perdre l'industrie automobile européenne revient à perdre la prochaine guerreCe que devient la ligne de front quand elle se vide d'hommes et se remplit de robotsUne plongée rare dans la guerre contemporaine avec quelqu'un qui la vit de l'intérieur.Vous pouvez contacter Hadrien sur Linkedin.TIMELINE:00:00:00 - La guerre que l'Europe entière a choisi d'ignorer00:12:21 - La Russie qu'on ne montre jamais00:24:12 - La thèse d'Hadrien sur la vraie cause de la guerre en Ukraine00:31:36 - La faille de notre défense aérienne00:41:34 - Pourquoi une arme conçue il y a six mois est déjà obsolète00:50:38 - L'Europe peut-elle se défendre sans les Américains ?01:00:11 - Offense ou défense : une frontière de plus en plus floue01:09:42 - Est-ce qu'il faut automatiser la décision de tuer ?01:15:38 - Mettre à jour des armes de guerre comme des iPhones01:28:04 - Si l'Europe perd l'industrie automobile, elle perd la prochaine guerre01:39:04 - L'arme que seuls la France et les États-Unis maîtrisent01:52:53 - « Le plus difficile, c'est demain »01:59:09 - La ligne de front n'a plus rien d'humain02:10:55 - « Les drones ont remplacé l'artillerie »02:17:40 - Le drone à fibre optique que rien ne peut arrêter02:25:42 - Créer le Linux des drones intercepteursLes anciens épisodes de GDIY mentionnés : #534 - Sixte de Vauplane - Animaj - Le studio d'animation qui fait trembler Hollywood#515 - Pierre de Villiers - Ancien Chef d'État-major des Armées - "Nous ne sommes pas prêts pour la guerre"#420 - Stanislas Niox-Chateau - Doctolib : derrière la plus grosse marque de la French tech#388 - Benoit Lemaignan - Verkor - "Pour avoir de l'impact climatique il faut aller vite et fort"#56 - Maxime Topolov - ADYAX - 13M€ de CA dans le luxe, les pieds dans les CrocsNous avons parlé de :EN DIRECT, guerre en Ukraine : une dizaine de morts dans des frappes « massives » à Kiev, Kharkiv et Dnipro, la cathédrale de la Dormition touchée dans la nuitAlta Ares, le parcours singulier d'une start-up française de drones militairesMissiles Shahed 136Propulsion à propergol solideThalesMH17 abattu en Ukraine : la Russie responsable, selon l'agence de l'ONU pour l'aviationMatthieu Stefani : l'entrepreneur a qui se confient les personnalités - #QuelleEpoque 31/01/2026Signature du traité d'amitié franco-polonais à NancyAlta Ares, startup en première ligne en Ukraine, lève 50 millions d'eurosLes recommandations de lecture :L'Axe du loup, de Sylvain TessonLe mage du Kremlin, de Giuliano da EmpoliLimonov, de Emmanuel CarrèreMémoires d'Hadrien, de Marguerite YourcenarLe Pingouin, de Andreï KourkovUn grand MERCI à nos sponsors : Squarespace : https://squarespace.com/doitQonto: https://qonto.com/r/2i7tk9 Brevo: brevo.com/doit eToro: https://bit.ly/3GTSh0k Payfit: payfit.com Club Med : clubmed.frCuure : https://cuure.com/product-onely (code DOIT)Vous pouvez retrouver la liste de tout le matériel utilisé pour enregistrer nos épisodes sur cette page.Vous souhaitez sponsoriser Génération Do It Yourself ou nous proposer un partenariat ?Contactez mon label Orso Media via ce formulaire.Hébergé par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.
Silicon Bites Ep356 | 2026-06-20 | On 12 June 2026, Vyacheslav Markhayev — Communist Party of the Russian Federation, sitting State Duma deputy, former Buryat OMON riot-police commander, former colonel of the Russian Interior Ministry — published a Telegram statement that, by the standards of the Russian state in 2026, should have produced an immediate Article 280.3 dissemination-of-false-information prosecution. Cross-confirmed across Meduza (12 June 2026), The Moscow Times (12 June 2026), Kyiv Post (12 June 2026), Novaya Gazeta Europe (12 June 2026), the statement read in part — and we paraphrase to preserve the substance:----------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: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.org----------SOURCES:Michael Naki — long-form video analysis of 18 June 2026Meduza English — "Communist Party lawmaker warns Russia is 'on the brink of a social explosion' and demands a 'clear plan' to end the war" (12 June 2026) The Moscow Times — Markhayev statement coverage (12 June 2026).Kyiv Post — "Russian Lawmaker Warns of 'Social Explosion' Amid War Losses, Demands 'Public Plan' to End War" (12 June 2026).Eurasia Review — "Russia 'On Brink Of Social Explosion' Because Of Kremlin Policies Over The Last 25 Years – OpEd" (14 June 2026) Novaya Gazeta Europe — Markhayev statement and Russian-language criticism coverage (12 June 2026).The Moscow Times via Charter97 and Dagens.com — VTsIOM stopped publishing the open Putin trust rating after it fell to 29.5% in early April 2026; methodology change to door-to-door canvassing in mid-May 2026; closed-rating still at ~73% (8 June 2026).Mezha (Bukvy) — "VTsIOM halted open Putin approval rating after it fell below 30%" — methodology comparison between open recall and direct trust polling.Kyiv Independent — "Russian pollster stops publishing Putin's 'open trust' figures as ratings slide" (8 June 2026).Kyiv Independent — "Leaked Kremlin reports predict rising dissatisfaction with Putin, Zelensky claims" (14 June 2026)Kyiv Post — "Leaked Forecasts: Putin Faces Soaring Disapproval Ahead of Fall Elections" (14 June 2026)Janis Kluge via Yahoo / Daily Mail — Q1 2026 military spending analysis: 5.9 trillion rubles = 46% of federal budget = 30% YoY increase; military = two-thirds of revenues; oil/gas revenues -45% YoY; classified-spending category +40% to 40% of all expenditure; 12% of GDP per quarter on war.----------
David Satter is a journalist and historian with unique insights into how the deformation and repression of the past, is having terrible consequences for present day Russia. David has written extensively about Russia and the Soviet Union, especially the decline and fall of the USSR and rise of post-Soviet Russia. David Satter became the first American journalist to be expelled from Russia since the Cold War in December 2013. This was perhaps not a surprising move, given that his books have covered topics such as the FSB's role in the apartment bombings that brought Putin to power. From 1976 to 1982 David was the Moscow correspondent of the Financial Times, and then became a special correspondent on Soviet affairs for The Wall Street Journal. He is currently a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and a fellow of the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. ----------BOOKS:He is author of several books that are essential reading to help understand the origins of the current crisis, including the brilliantly named books: - It Was a Long Time Ago, and It Never Happened Anyway- Darkness at Dawn: The Rise of the Russian Criminal State- The Less You Know, The Better You Sleep----------LINKS:https://davidsatter.com/https://twitter.com/davidsatter?lang=enhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Satterhttps://www.hudson.org/experts/362-david-satterhttps://www.fpri.org/contributor/david-satter/https://www.foreignaffairs.com/authors/david-satter----------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----------
Silicon Bites Ep355 | 2026-06-19 | A communist deputy from Buryatia has just told Putin the country is on the brink of a social explosion. How did it come to this, when Kyiv was supposed to fall in 3 days? No sirens, no shelters, no truth: why the Russian state no longer protects its own people, why the Z-bloggers are being forced to cover it up.On the morning of Thursday 18 June 2026, approximately 200 Ukrainian drones entered Russian airspace heading for Moscow. The Russian capital has the most concentrated, most layered, most expensive air-defence architecture in the world — A-135M, S-400, S-300PM2, Pantsir-S1, Tor-M2, with Pantsirs mounted on the roofs of the Foreign and Defence Ministry buildings in the city centre. Three to four concentric defensive rings around Moscow itself.----------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: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.org----------SOURCES:----------
Silicon Bites Ep354 | 2026-06-18 | Moscow Burns While Ukraine Seizes the Initiative. The Russian State Tries to Censor the Reality on Its Own Streets. Moscow under fire – the attack on the Pechersk Lavra now has a response. Ukraine has reversed Russian momentum on the battlefield through drone-innovation scale, and Zelenskyy says publicly that Ukraine is seizing the initiative. The numbers are unambiguous. The images are specular. Moscow is burning. Everyone can see it, hear it. The evidence of failed air defence, failing security, and the impotence of their demi-god Tsar is not obvious for all to see. Finally, a black rains gonna fall on Moscow. ----------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: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.org----------SOURCES:Council on Foreign Relations — "How Ukraine's Drone Innovation Reversed Russia's Momentum" by Michael C. Horowitz and Erin D. Dumbacher (12 June 2026) RBC-Ukraine — daily war updates including Russia's losses as of 16 June (+1,230 troops, +2,000 drones), Sea Trident underwater drone unveiling, long-range AI interceptor drone NYT coverage, assault-rifle-equipped security drone, Zelenskyy "seizing initiative" remarks.Kyiv Independent — Gukovo oil depot fire (18 June 2026)Critical Threats (ISW) / Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment (February 2026)Euromaidan Press — Russian state TV coverage of "largest Moscow attack of the war under a minute" (18 June 2026 reporting).Institute for the Study of War (ISW) via RBC-Ukraine summary — "Russia fakes Kostiantynivka capture as reality tells a different story" (16 June 2026); "Putin had two goals in attack on Kyiv's historic monastery" (16 June 2026).----------
Silicon Bites Ep354 | 2026-06-18 | Where is Nabiullina? — Russia's central banker vanishes, triggering rumours and uncertainty. Two weeks of unexplained absence, surrounding a figure that has done more than anyone else to keep Putin war economy going, through 4+ years of full-scale war in Europe. She supposedly didn't attend SPIEF, and an important rate cut has been signalled without her presence. Nabiullina was the most strategically consequential enabler of Putin's war, and she has not been seen in public since 28 May. So, the rumours go, she reached a red line in service of Putin's regime, beyond which she was not prepared to go. And no, that red line did not involve the industrial slaughter of Ukrainians. The limit for her was apparently a proposed closing of the Russian border under the auspices of martial law. Could this be a sign that Putin is about to crank his senseless war into a new phase – full mobilisation of the Russian herd population? A final effort to shovel everyone into the meat grinder? ----------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: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.org----------SOURCES:Reuters via WTAQ / KELO / Global Banking and Finance — "Putin signals key rate cuts as his central banker is on sick leave" (10 June 2026) Meduza English — "Russia's Central Bank chief disappears from public view as resignation rumors swirl; one report links her future to fears of border closures and martial law" (11 June 2026) Meduza English — "Russian Central Bank chief Elvira Nabiullina misses Putin's interest rate meeting — and hasn't been seen in public for a week" (10 June 2026)English Pravda — "Russian Central Bank Chief Disappears from Public Eye, Sparks Conspiracy Theories" (11 June 2026) NV / The New Voice of Ukraine — "Russian central bank head Nabiullina vanishes from public life" (11 June 2026) Nasha Niva English — "In Russia, Nabiullina and Mishustin are expected to be dismissed, and a transition to a 'mobilization economy' is anticipated" (11 June 2026) Dagens.com — "Putin's top banker has disappeared — she hasn't been seen for over a week" (11 June 2026) Reuters Exclusive via Yahoo News — "Putin's central banker Nabiullina will serve until 2027 despite attacks, sources say" (November 2025)The Moscow Times via Mozhem Obyasnit + Vyorstka — "Russia Readies Border Closures for Military-Aged Men – Reports" (26 September 2022) ----------
Silicon Bites Ep352 | 2026-06-16 | Fifteen kilometres from the Kremlin: thirty-six hours after the Pechersk Lavra burned, Ukraine hits the heart of Moscow's fuel economy, striking a vast oil refinery that services the imperial capital. Breaking: 16 June 2026 — coordinated Ukrainian strike on Moscow oil refinery in the Kapotnya district damages the ELOU avt-6 primary distillation unit; 500-kilometre range; all four major Moscow airports forced to suspend operations; about 60 drones intercepted in what TASS calls one of the largest barrages on the capital all year; Zelensky confirms the strike on his way to the G7; the response to the Lavra strike was always going to come — and the timing is perfect. Ukraine comes to the international summit with a full deck of cards. ----------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: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.org----------SOURCES:RBC-Ukraine — "Drones strike Moscow's largest oil refinery" (16 June 2026) UNITED24 Media — "Ukrainian Drones Hit Moscow Oil Refinery Supplying 40% of Capital Region's Fuel" (16 June 2026) Bloomberg — "Ukraine Strikes Moscow Oil Refinery in Latest Drone Attack on Russia" (16 June 2026) Kyiv Post — "Moscow Refinery, Krasnodar Oil Depot Burning in Massive Ukrainian Drone Raid" (16 June 2026) ABC News — "Moscow mayor says dozens of Ukrainian drones downed in attack on Russian capital" (16 June 2026) Euronews — "Moscow oil refinery ablaze after retaliatory Ukrainian drone strike" (16 June 2026)Interfax Ukraine — "Defense forces strike Moscow oil refinery and design bureau in Tula" (16 June 2026) UNN (Ukrainian News Network) — "General Staff confirmed the strike on the Moscow Oil Refinery and more" (16 June 2026) Mezha (Bukvy) — "Ukrainian special forces struck Moscow refinery, causing major fire" (16 June 2026) MSN / Daily Mail wire — "Ukrainian drone attacks spark fires at Moscow refinery and Krasnodar region fuel depot" (16 June 2026) RBC-Ukraine — "Moscow oil refinery burns after Ukrainian drone strike - Details emerge" (16 June 2026)----------
Today I'm speaking with Operator Starsky, a former Ukrainian National Guardian, blogger, and inspiration for everyone who is following the war, and supporting a Ukrainian victory. He has created one of the most popular and original YouTube channels dedicated to the international community. I'm not sure you need an introduction – I'm sure most people watching this channel will have seen your videos! ----------LINKS:https://www.youtube.com/@PropagandaStudyInstitutehttp://psi-eu.org/https://www.youtube.com/@StarskyUA----------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----------CHAPTERS: ----------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.org----------
2026-06-15 | UPDATES #215 | EMPIRE OF SAVAGES: The Pechersk Lavra Burns, Five Kharkiv Rescuers Die in a Double-Tap, the Largest Ukrainian Costume Collection in History Is Incinerated — and the West Watches Russia Cross the Final Threshold of Cultural Erasure in a Single Night. Who dares still invoke Great Russia culture, when it's whole economy, industry, working population and military is single-mindedly focused on one thing – the attempted erasure of Ukraine and its culture. ----------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.----------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 — "Kyiv's historic Pechersk Lavra burns as large-scale Russian strikes kill 5, injure 29 in capital" (15 June 2026) Türkiye Today — "Russian attack sets fire to Ukraine's holiest UNESCO-listed site, Kyiv Pechersk Lavra" (15 June 2026) NPR / Associated Press — "Russian attack sets fire to religious site in Kyiv, kills 5 in Kharkiv" (15 June 2026) NBC News — "Russian attacks fuel blaze at Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, Ukraine monastery" (15 June 2026) UNITED24 Media — "Massive Russian Strike on Kyiv At Least Kills Five, Injures Dozens, Ignites Fire at Historic Pechersk Lavra Monastery" (15 June 2026) UNITED24 Media — "Five Ukrainian First Responders Killed in Russian Double-Tap Strike on Kharkiv" (15 June 2026) CNN — "Ukraine's historic Kyiv Pechersk Lavra monastery set on fire following major Russian attack" (15 June 2026) Al Jazeera — "Russian attacks in Ukraine kill nine, damage historic Kyiv cathedral" (15 June 2026)AP via WSB Radio — "Russian attack sets fire to centuries-old religious site in Kyiv and kills rescuers in Kharkiv" (15 June 2026) Ukrainska Pravda English — "Large fire at Kyiv Pechersk Lavra extinguished, Mystetskyi Arsenal still burning" (15 June 2026)Ukrainska Pravda English — "Fire breaks out at Mystetskyi Arsenal art museum following Russian attack" (15 June 2026) NV / The New Voice of Ukraine — "Mass Russian drone strike damages National Mystetskyi Arsenal complex in Kyiv" (15 June 2026) Kyiv Post — "681 Aerial Weapons: Russia Hits Kyiv, Leaving 4 Dead, Kills 5 Rescuers in Kharkiv Double Strike" (15 June 2026) Interfax Ukraine — "Zelenskyy: Targeted Russia attack on Lavra and Mystetskyi Arsenal area confirmed" (15 June 2026) UNN (Ukrainian News Network) — "Fire extinguished on the roof of a church in the Lavra after a Russian attack; aviation deployed" (15 June 2026)Yahoo News / Ukrinform archive — "Kyiv's Caves Monastery damaged in Russian attack" (January 2024 historical context) EU Today — "Russia's Strike on Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra Turns Ukraine's Air War Into Europe's Heritage Test" (15 June 2026) ----------
Anna Danylchuk has been creating a war diary since the early days of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia in 2022. Anna Danylchuk aims to tell the truth about Ukraine and Russia's war and cut through the noise and propaganda. Anna is passionate about the beauty and independence of her country, and communicates this powerfully in her videos, in a clear and honest way.----------LINKS: @AnnafromUkraine https://www.buymeacoffee.com/annafromukraineMy interview with Anna in Lviv - hosted on her excellent channel- https://youtu.be/daHcnsNQ1S0?si=yHbZ2kJZ3CTVRd8Z----------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: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/----------DESCRIPTION:Anna from Ukraine on Russia's Cultural Terror, NATO Threats, and Kyiv's Strategy to Defeat the KremlinJonathan interviews Anna from Ukraine about her recent conversation with Peter Pomerantsev at the Lviv Media Forum and why Ukraine has become uniquely prepared to take meaningful action against Russia. Anna argues Ukraine's resolve comes from living the reality of full-scale war, losing the ability to plan, and focusing on immediate, practical defense and offense. They discuss Russia's escalating terror strikes on Ukrainian cultural heritage sites including Kyiv Pechersk Lavra and Kharkiv Museum of Art, the symbolism of cultural erasure, and skepticism that the White House will respond adequately. Anna warns intelligence services' reports of potential Russian attacks on NATO states are serious and describes hybrid tactics like drones and missiles against infrastructure to test alliance cohesion. She outlines Ukraine's strategy: deprive Russia of resources by striking logistics, fuel, arsenals, and fleets until Russia cannot continue the war.----------CHAPTERS:00:42 Lviv Forum Insights03:25 Ukraine's Will to Fight06:26 NATO Next Target09:52 Appeasement Failures11:45 Cultural Terror Signal16:01 Why West Won't Respond18:40 Ukraine Strikes Back22:00 Trump World Enablers28:49 How Russia Stops31:08 Strategy to Drain Resources----------
2026-06-14 | UPDATES #214 | The Institute for the Study of War has formalised the analytical framework that explains why the campaign is achieving its current operational tempo. ISW's June 2026 analysis, as cited by the AP wire reporting: the long-range strike campaign is therefore reducing Russia's production capacity, while the midrange strike campaign is hurting Russia's ability to transport the gasoline Russia is still able to produce.This is what that doctrine means operationally. Long-range strikes — like the 1,500-kilometre reach to Salavat in Bashkortostan, the 1,700-km reach demonstrated against southern Russian targets, the Kotovo and Saratov-region pumping nodes — destroy production capacity. The refinery cannot be quickly rebuilt. The AVT units take months to replace. The destroyed production is gone from the market for the duration of the rebuild.----------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.----------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:Associated Press via US News & World Report — "Ukraine Hits Fuel Supplies to Crimea, Sparking a Fuel Crisis on the Russian-Held Peninsula" (11 June 2026) Washington Times via AP — "Ukraine strikes fuel supplies to Crimea, sparking a fuel crisis on the Russian-held peninsula" (12 June 2026) The Moscow Times — "Annexed Crimea's Largest Gas Station Chain Suspends Fuel Vouchers as Shortage Worsens" (1 June 2026) AP via AOL — "Parts of Russia run dry as Ukraine's drone strikes hit oil refineries" — Far East and Crimea most affected; A-95 ~50% above January levels on St Petersburg Mercantile Exchange; Primorye 78 rubles/liter; online resellers 220 rubles/liter; Kuril Islands A-92 halt; Crimea coupon-only sales; gas-station rationing landscapeKyiv Post — "Ukraine Marks Russia Day With Massive Drone Raid on Key Oil Refineries in Tatarstan and Samara" (12 June 2026)Kyiv Post — "Deep Pipeline Strike: Ukraine's Drone Campaign Cripples Vital Volgograd Oil Hub" (13 June 2026)Ukrinform — "War | Daily situation report" (13 June 2026) Kyiv Independent — "Ukraine strikes Russia's oil depot, radar station, other military targets, General Staff confirms" (10 June 2026)BBC Verify / BBC Russian — "Surge in Ukrainian attacks on oil refineries sparks Russian fuel shortages" (2025-2026) Kyiv Independent — "Key Russian oil pipeline node hit in massive Ukrainian drone barrage" (May 2026) Reuters / Yahoo via AOL — "Russia's Saratov oil refinery erupts in flames as Ukraine drone attacks intensify" (May 2026)----------
Dr Alex Fergusson is a UK-based composites and unmanned-systems specialist, Ukraine supporter, and prominent NAFO figure. He is best known in the Ukraine-support community as “Nother Alex Fergusson Fella” and describes himself online as a NAFO SquaDrone Leader and Fella, an “ardent supporter” of Ukraine, and a mechanics-of-composite-materials / nanocomposites specialist. Professionally, Fergusson's background is in advanced composite materials, aerospace structures, and drone/UAS design. He is a PhD-level lecturer at Imperial College London, founder of FAC Technology, with publications in composites and material characterisation.Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Fergusson has become an outspoken advocate for Ukrainian victory, with a particular focus on the fast-evolving role of FPV drones, autonomous systems, electronic warfare resilience, composite airframes, and UK–Ukrainian defence-tech cooperation. In LinkedIn posts, he has discussed FAC Technology's “Ghosts of The Few” and “Ghost Squadron Leader” UAS concepts, including Ukrainian-made versions, larger FPV drones, EW-hardened communications, and work with Ukrainian partners such as Drone Space / Dronarnia.----------LINKS: https://x.com/nother_fella2https://www.instagram.com/alexanderfergussonhttps://www.researchgate.net/profile/Alexander-Fergussonhttps://www.linkedin.com/posts/alexander-fergusson-9b95021_kseniia-kalmus-alex-fergusson-drone-event-activity-7261031593681567744-4fZ5https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J31yASWIQvo&vl=en "Ukraine's fastest-evolving weapon: drones explained ..."https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3K9me18dVo "Kseniia Kalmus & Alex Fergusson Drone Event"----------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----------
2026-06-13 | UPDATES #213 | How Putin's regime ends: the Abramovich Kyiv mission, the Beria precedent and why a chasm is opening between Putin, reality and his elites. 10 June 2026 — the most strategically consequential diplomatic event of the spring of 2026 was held in a Kyiv residence on 21 may, was disclosed by Putin himself at SPIEF on 5 June, and has now re-written the Russian elite's decisional arithmetic. But we must ask, is Abramovich negotiating on behalf of Putin, or the elites that may increasingly be diverging from him, in terms of their perceived interests. ----------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.----------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: Financial Times (via Ukrainska Pravda English) — "Zelenskyy proposed meeting to Putin via Abramovich – Financial Times" (7 June 2026) Kyiv Independent — "Zelensky asked Russian oligarch Abramovich to send message to Putin on peace talks" (8 June 2026) Kyiv Post — "Zelensky Confirms Abramovich Came to Kyiv in May, Carried Messages to Putin Including Ceasefire Offer" (8 June 2026) Kyiv Post — "Abramovich Delivered Putin Message on Possible Talks Framework to Kyiv, Zelensky Says" (9 June 2026) Censor.NET — "Zelenskyy confirmed Abramovich's visit in May" (8 June 2026) Michael Naki (YouTube) — "ПУТИН ВЫБЕСИЛ СВОЮ ЭЛИТУ. Абрамович — лишь начало" / "Putin Has Enraged His Elite. Abramovich Is Just the Beginning" (early June 2026)Financial Times (background reporting, 2022; recapitulated in current FT coverage) Time magazine archive — "Russia: At the Kremlin Corral" (reproducing 1953-period coverage) Babel — "71 years ago, the bloody Soviet KGB leader Lavrentiy Beria lost his chance to lead the USSR" (June 2025) History Today — "Lavrenti Beria Executed" — Beria's improbable post-Stalin push for liberalization "that went further than colleagues were ready for"; Presidium hastily convened 26 June 1953; Khrushchev "blistering attack" with British intelligence accusations; "lethal plot was hatched against him"Soviet History MSU archive — "Succession to Stalin" — "Alarmed at Beria's growing prominence and control of the police, Khrushchev conspired with Malenkov and several other presidium members to arrange for Beria's arrest at the hands of the military"; 26 June 1953 plot execution; secret trial and 24 December 1953 execution----------
2026-06-11 | UPDATES #212 | PILLAR OF FIRE IN DAGESTAN: A Russian Trunk Gas Pipeline Just Burned in Kizilyurt — and It Wasn't Just Any Pipeline. It Was the Spine of the Russia-Iran Energy Axis. 9–10 June 2026 — Three Explosions on the 1,200-m Mozdok-Kazimagomed Trunk Line, Pillar of Fire Visible for Kilometres, 140 Civilians Evacuated, the Kremlin Calls It a "Technical Failure," and the Strategic Implications Reach All the Way to Tehran.----------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.----------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: RBC-Ukraine — "Dagestan gas pipeline fire - Major pipeline ignites" (9 June 2026)UNN (Ukrainian News Network) / Ukraine Today — "A powerful explosion occurred on a main gas pipeline in Dagestan, a pillar of fire rose into the sky" (9 June 2026) Mezha / Ukrinform — "Disinformation center releases footage of gas pipeline fire in Dagestan" (9 June 2026, 22:33)Ukrinform — "Explosion reported on gas pipeline in Dagestan" (10 June 2026)Caucasian Knot (Kavkazskiy Uzel English) — "The cause of the fire on the Mozdok-Kazimagomed gas pipeline has been revealed" (10 June 2026) Wikipedia — "Mozdok–Makhachkala–Kazi Magomed pipeline" — 680 km natural gas pipeline; from Mozdok in North Ossetia through Chechnya and Dagestan to Kazi Magomed in Azerbaijan; commissioned 1983; operated by SOCAR and Gazprom; maximum discharge 13 billion cubic meters per year; Azerbaijani section known as Kazi Magomed–Novo Filya or Baku–Novo Filya; Novo Filya gas-metering utility at Russian side of Azerbaijan-Russia border; 2010 reverse-flow Azerbaijani gas to Russia agreement; 1970s Iranian gas supply to southern Caucasus Soviet republics historical contextSputnik News / Global Security archive — "300 Million Cubic Meters a Day? Russia-Iran Pipeline Promises Major Energy Boost" (January 2025)Press TV / Global Security archive — "Iran, Russia agree to transfer gas via Azerbaijan: Minister" (26 April 2025)Andrew Korybko / Substack — "Russia Might Soon Redirect Its Gas Pipeline Plans From China To Iran & India" (early 2026)Silicon Curtain editorial archive — Davydov Balashikha Car Bomb June 2026 Script (9 June 2026)Wikipedia — "2023 Makhachkala gas station explosion" (14 August 2023, historical context)----------
Marathon fundraisers for: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.----------Easter Pysanky Trucks 2026https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/easter-pysanky-trucks-2026Silicon Curtain for Kupiansk Vampireshttps://dzygaspaw.com/silicon-curtain-for-kupiansk-vampires?project=Jonathan%20Fink%20for%20Kupiansk%20Vampires----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/iwihttps://www.patreon.com/iwi----------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/----------PLATFORMS:Twitter: https://twitter.com/iwiInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/iwi/Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/iwiPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/iwiBuy me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/iwi----------
C dans l'air du 12 juin 2026 - Iran : un accord cette fois-ci ?Un revirement de situation. Hier vers 19 heures, Donald Trump a surpris en renonçant à des frappes contre l'Iran qu'il avait pourtant publiquement envisagées. Cette volte-face intervient après plusieurs jours d'escalade marqués par une rupture manifeste du cessez-le-feu et une montée continue des tensions régionales. Dans ses déclarations précédentes, Trump avait évoqué la possibilité de viser le terminal pétrolier stratégique de l'île de Kharg, point névralgique des exportations iraniennes. Parallèlement, la pression s'intensifie autour du détroit d'Ormuz, couloir maritime vital pour le commerce énergétique mondial. Téhéran maintient pour l'heure son refus de signer un accord dans les conditions actuelles. L'hypothèse d'une signature en Europe circule néanmoins, ce qui écarterait un temps la piste pakistanaise mentionnée en coulisses. Alors que les États-Unis tentent d'ajuster leur position, les relations entre Donald Trump et Benyamin Netanyahou semblent traverser une zone de turbulences. Le Premier ministre israélien poursuit les opérations militaires, notamment au sud-Liban, suscitant de vives réactions internationales. À cela s'ajoute une polémique diplomatique impliquant une journaliste française expulsée. Alice Froussard, qui couvre depuis plusieurs années le conflit israélo-palestinien pour Radio France et RFI a été interdit d'entrée et refoulé du territoire israélien. Cet épisode illustre le climat tendu autour de la couverture médiatique du conflit et alimente les frictions entre alliés. Sur le plan militaire, la prolifération des drones iraniens de type Shahed impose une adaptation rapide des forces engagées. Ces appareils, peu coûteux et difficiles à intercepter, sont devenus des outils centraux de la stratégie asymétrique iranienne. Leur neutralisation mobilise fortement les capacités aériennes et de défense sol-air. Des pilotes de Rafale ainsi que des équipages d'hélicoptères ont été sollicités ces derniers mois pour des missions d'interception et de surveillance accrues. Comment expliquer ce revirement de situation de la part de Donald Trump ? Où en sont les relations diplomatiques entre Israël et les Etats-Unis ? Comment lutter contre les drones iraniens de type Shahed ? Nos experts :- Lucas MENGET - Grand reporter, spécialiste des relations internationales - James ANDRÉ - Grand reporter « France 24 » - Maya KHADRA - Enseignante et éditorialiste internationale « La revue politique et parlementaire » - Dominique TRINQUAND - Ancien chef de la mission militaire française auprès de l'ONU et auteur du livre « D'un monde à l'autre »PRESENTATION : Caroline Roux - Aurélie Casse - REDIFFUSION : du lundi au vendredi vers 23h40.PRODUCTION DES PODCASTS: Jean-Christophe ThiéfineRÉALISATION : Nicolas Ferraro, Bruno Piney, Franck Broqua, Alexandre Langeard, Corentin Son, Benoît LemoinePRODUCTION : France Télévisions / Maximal ProductionsRetrouvez C DANS L'AIR sur internet & les réseaux :INTERNET : francetv.frFACEBOOK : https://www.facebook.com/Cdanslairf5TWITTER : https://twitter.com/cdanslairINSTAGRAM :https://www.instagram.com/cdanslair/
Illya Sekirin is a Ukrainian-born, naturalised Canadian volunteer, drone-warfare practitioner and author of Rise of the Machines: Drone Warfare in the Russia–Ukraine War – Tactics, Operations, Strategy. He volunteered to fight for Ukraine in March 2022, trained as a drone operator, served on the front line, worked as a translator and researcher for the Ukrainian General Staff, and later became an unofficial adviser to members of Ukraine's Stavka, the high-command body chaired by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Helion/Casemate also states that Sekirin authored a paper that helped inform Zelenskyy's decision to create Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces as a separate branch. ----------LINKS:https://www.helion.co.uk/people/illya-sekirin.phphttps://soldier.army.mod.uk/issues/jan-26/update/ukraine-drone-pilotBOOK:Rise of the Machines: Drone Warfare in the Russia-Ukraine War – Tactics, Operations, StrategyPublication: 2026https://www.helion.co.uk/military-history-books/rise-of-the-machines-drone-warfare-in-the-russia-ukraine-war---tactics-operations-strategy.phphttps://www.amazon.com/Rise-Machines-Russia-Ukraine-Operations-Strategy/dp/1804519707----------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----------
2026-06-10 | UPDATES #211 | The question every serious Western analyst should now be asking is not whether the Kerch Bridge will eventually be brought down, but when. And the analytical answer to that question runs through five operational variables.Variable one: Western long-range strike enablers. The Hudson Institute analysis from October 2023 — Bryan Clark and Can Kasapoglu — laid out the case directly: Ukraine needs Storm Shadow and SCALP-EG cruise missiles fired from F-16 fighters with German Taurus KEPD-350 missiles as an alternative payload. The F-16s have been operationally deployed by Ukraine since mid-2024. The Taurus transfer has remained politically blocked by successive German governments. But the matrix of available capabilities has not gone backwards. Ukraine has the F-16s, has access to Storm Shadow and SCALP-EG, has the targeting expertise, and has been progressively improving its ability to deploy these weapons against Russian air-defence umbrellas. The political constraint — Western governments insisting that long-range Western missiles not be used against the Kerch Bridge or other targets inside Crimea proper — has been one of the most damaging restrictions of the war. Lifting that constraint is the single fastest path to the bridge dropping.----------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.----------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: Institute for the Study of War — "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, May 22, 2026" (22 May 2026)UA.News — "Ukrainian strikes on Russian logistics are disrupting supplies to the front lines" (22-23 May 2026) Kyiv Post — "Russia Warns Ukraine Can Strike Key Crimea Supply Route 200 km Behind Front" (early May 2026) Euromaidan Press — "Ukraine wrapped the occupied south in three layers of drones. Russian trucks are burning" (24 May 2026)Defence Matters — "Ukraine's Medium-Range Drone Strikes Put Pressure on Russia's Land Corridor to Crimea" (early May 2026)6. Tochnyi (via Euromaidan Press) — Analytical monthly tracking; Strikes doubled February to March 2026; munitions storage / artillery usage correlation; fuel-targeting / mechanised operations correlationOko Gora (Ukrainian OSINT project) — Geolocated mapping of approximately 50 documented Ukrainian drone strikes on M-14 and H-20 highway logistics over the preceding two months (March-May 2026) — Project name translates as "Mountain Eye"; verification through photographic evidence and Russian milblogger documentationThe War Zone (TWZ) — "Ukraine Strikes At The Heart Of Russia's Highly Defended Kerch Bridge" (3 June 2025)Kyiv Independent — "Ukraine's SBU strikes Crimean Bridge in underwater attack" (3 June 2025) ----------
Trump has vowed Iran will “pay the price” after it launched multiple strikes on US bases throughout the Middle East. The latest escalation came up after the US bombed Iran in response to a Shahed drone downing an American Apache helicopter in the Gulf of Oman. The crew were rescued by an unmanned boat - a US first. Venetia Rainey speaks to former US Deputy Secretary of Defence Kathleen Hicks about what this week's events tell us about the growing role of autonomous systems in the military. Plus, what is the Pentagon's plan to combat the drone threat posed by enemies from Iran to China - and is it moving fast enough? Hicks and Aaron Sherman from the Atlantic Council talk about the Replicator project they launched in 2023 in the Department of Defence and why it's more vital than ever. HighlightsTrump vows Iran will ‘pay the price' for firing at US bases From Iran to China: inside the Pentagon's drone revolutionCONTRIBUTORS:Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiaraineyKathleen Hicks, former US Deputy Secretary of Defence Aaron Sherman, non-resident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic CouncilCONTENT REFERENCED:How a cutting-edge AI drone boat saved defenceless US Apache pilotshttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2026/06/09/apache-pilots-rescued-ai-drone-boatMove Fast and Scale: A Brief Insiders' History of the Replicator Initiativehttps://www.belfercenter.org/research-analysis/move-fast-and-scale-brief-insiders-history-replicator-initiativeProducer: Peter ShevlinExecutive Producers: Venetia Rainey & Louisa Wells► Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor► EMAIL US: Contact the team on battlelines@telegraph.co.uk ► GET THE LATEST HEADLINES: Find all our latest Iran coverage here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/iran-war/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Bryan Pickens is a former U.S. Army special operations soldier, security contractor, tactical advisor, and Ukraine war veteran. He has served in elite U.S. units, including as a Green Beret in U.S. Army Special Forces and as a Ranger with 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment. He is currently associated with Valoryx Group LLC and is publicly described as a tactical advisor, drone-operations and training specialist, security consultant, and Russian-language proficient former special operator.After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Pickens fought alongside Ukrainian special operations forces and became one of the Western veterans arguing that Ukraine's battlefield experience has outpaced much of NATO's current understanding of modern war. In comments cited by Forbes, he said that even with “16 combat deployments,” he had to relearn how to fight in Ukraine, adding that Ukrainian counterparts were teaching him. His recent public commentary focuses heavily on drone warfare, counter-drone defence, electronic warfare, mid-range strike capability, and the urgent need for Western militaries to learn directly from Ukrainian operators. He has warned that cheap drone swarms cannot be sustainably countered with multi-million-dollar interceptors, and has argued that Ukraine can help professionalize Western warfighters in interception, surveillance, strike integration, and counter-electronic warfare. Pickens has also written and co-authored for The Cipher Brief, including on what Washington should learn from Ukraine's battlefield, and has appeared on veteran/security podcasts discussing his U.S. special operations background, Ukraine experience, and tactical lessons from the war.----------LINKS:https://www.thecipherbrief.com/experts/bryan-pickenshttps://www.forbes.com/sites/davidkirichenko/2026/05/15/the-pentagon-is-learning-drone-warfare-from-ukraine/https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidkirichenko/2026/05/03/japans-terra-drone-bets-on-ukraines-cheap-way-to-stop-shaheds/https://www.thecipherbrief.com/the-future-of-war-is-now-what-washington-needs-to-hear-from-the-battlefield----------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----------
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----------DESCRIPTION:Ben Hodges on Drone War Acceleration, Crimea's Vulnerability, and How Ukraine Can WinFrom Kyiv, Jonathan interviews retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges amid intensifying Russian strikes, discussing how drone warfare is accelerating faster than Western adaptation and why NATO still struggles to stop drone incursions into its own airspace. Hodges argues Russia's brutal bombing aims to terrorize Ukrainians and pressure Europe but won't be decisive, while Ukraine's long-range precision strikes on oil, gas, shipyards, and logistics can create faster strategic effects by degrading Russia's war economy and public will. They describe Russia's vast territory as a vulnerability, cite a Ukrainian precision strike on Saint Petersburg, and argue Crimea is decisive terrain that Ukraine can recover by isolating it, degrading the Kerch Bridge's utility, and making occupation untenable. They criticize Western self-deterrence and nuclear fear, challenge myths of infinite Russian manpower, stress learning from Ukraine's battlefield innovations, and a fundraiser for vampire drones and Jonathan's upcoming book, The Dark Heart of Russia.----------CHAPTERS:02:23 Drone War Catch Up04:57 Why Strikes Intensify09:53 Ukraine Hits Deep Russia11:58 Vampire Drones Appeal13:29 Crimea Under Siege18:23 West Strategy and Nukes22:48 Oil Strikes and Will26:26 Russia Manpower Myths30:04 NATO Learns From Ukraine34:55 Real Time Training Pipeline39:44 Crimea Victory Wrap Up----------
How did heavily sanctioned Iran create a drone so cheap, deadly and effective that everyone from Russia to the US has copied it?From the Gulf being inundated with attacks by Iranian Shaheds to Ukraine finding innovative new ways to counter the Russian version, Tehran has mass-produced a strategic weapon that has challenged traditional Western air-defence thinking. To look at how Iran did it, what makes the Shahed so brutal and how to counter it, guest host from the Ukraine: the Latest team Sophie O'Sullivan speaks to Mykola Bielieskov, research fellow at the Kyiv-based National Institute for Strategic Studies, and Peter Lee, co-Director of the Centre for Defence, Risk and Resilience at Britain's University of Portsmouth.Plus, Sophie covers the latest major updates from the region, including Hezbollah's rejection of the Israel-Lebanon deal as “Satan's dream” and news of a secret deployment of elite Israeli military units to Azerbaijan. HighlightsIran's cheap but deadly drones have reshaped warfare. Can the US catch up?Why everyone from Russia to the US are copying the ShahedCONTRIBUTORS:Sophie O'Sullivan, guest host and producer Ukraine: the LatestMykola Bielieskov, research fellow at National Institute for Strategic Studies @MBielieskovPeter Lee, professor at the University of PortsmouthProducer: Phil AtkinsExecutive Producers: Venetia Rainey & Louisa Wells► Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor► EMAIL US: Contact the team on battlelines@telegraph.co.uk ► GET THE LATEST HEADLINES: Find all our latest Iran coverage here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/iran-war/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
//The Wire//1800Z June 3, 2026// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: TARGETING EFFORTS INCREASE THROUGHOUT MIDDLE EAST AS U.S. TARGETS QESHM ISLAND, AND IRANIAN MISSILES AND DRONES STRIKE BAHRAIN AND KUWAIT. HOSTAGE SITUATION CONCLUDES AT BANK IN CALIFORNIA. TWO NIH EMPLOYEES ARRESTED AFTER ATTEMPTING TO SMUGGLE MONKEYPOX INTO THE USA.// -----BEGIN TEARLINE------International Events-Middle East: Overnight the war continued to expand with multiple strikes reported throughout the region. Following the now-daily American airstrikes on Qeshm Island, the Iranians retaliated by launching multiple ballistic missiles targeting locations in Kuwait and Bahrain. CENTCOM claimed that none of the missiles impacted their targets, however Kuwait International Airport was directly hit by at least one large munition (possibly a Shahed-type drone). The main terminal was heavily damaged, and a total of 63x individuals were wounded during this attack. Additionally, locals in residential areas to the north claim that Camp Buehring was also hit by a ballistic missile, though satellite imagery is still pending to confirm this.Separately, multiple munition impacts were reported in Bahrain though the details of these strikes remain less certain than in Kuwait. Some reports claim that Sakhir Air Base was hit, however this is not confirmed at this time.-HomeFront-California: Yesterday a hostage situation was reported in Bakersfield after a man entered Chase Bank on 17th Street with what he claimed was an explosive device. The man claimed to have wired an explosive vest with a deadman switch, and took a total of 5x hostages inside the bank. The individual has been identified as Anthony Scott Searle-Sharris, who conducted this incident for personal reasons, claiming that he was wrongfully convicted of previous crimes (crimes against children). The hostage situation continued throughout the night, before the suspect was neutralized this morning by an FBI sniper team. All hostages have been recovered in good health.Michigan: Two researchers for the National Institute of Health (NIH) were arrested in Detroit, after attempting to smuggle monkeypox into the United States. Vincent Munster (from the Netherlands) and Claude Kwe (from Cameroon) were arrested after a search of their belongings at customs revealed chilled storage for 113 vials which contained Monkeypox along with other pathogens.-----END TEARLINE-----Analyst Comments: As a reminder, the information lockdown is palpable throughout the Middle East, so details are hard to verify. What is absolutely undeniable at this point, is that authorities throughout the region, to include CENTCOM, are posting very misleading "fact checks" which are carefully worded by attorneys to leave out critical details. In some cases, outright lies are being told to conceal the success of Iranian strikes. This has been the case since the start of the war, and it's extremely common for various entities to lie during a time of war, which is sometimes necessary to ensure mission success. If CENTCOM wants to conceal the success of strikes for operational security purposes that's their business, but we can't pretend that this is not happening.As luck would have it, the Sentinel 2 open-source imagery satellite passed over Camp Ali Al Salem a few hours after the missile attacks. Comparing the imagery taken today, with yesterday's pass, a discernable impact can be noted at one of the aircraft hangers on the airfield. As always, the Iranians already know about the success of their own strikes as the Iranians secretly purchased the Chinese TEE-01B satellite, which grants them their own imagery for Battle Damage Assessments (in addition to the wealth of intelligence support being provided by Russia and China). As a result, concealing the details of American bases getting hit is hiding the truth from exactly one audience...the American taxpayer.Around the region, the locals within GCC states are first hand observers to the strikes, even though most Arab nations are arresting their own citizens for posting videos of failed interceptions in order to keep the illusion going that air defenses are working. One such individual was arrested last night in Kuwait after posting a viral video while driving on the highway. While it is speculative, it's possible that the reason this individual was arrested is because it was easy to identify him due to the motor vehicle accident that also occurred at the same time and thus made the video go viral, but also because his video appears to show failed interceptions...several of the Patriot missiles fired at the incoming Iranian missiles appear to have missed and exhibited the telltale self-destruct phase of their flight path. It's a classic Middle Eastern shakey-cam situation, but the Kuwaitis are very motivated to conceal the true effects of Iranian targeting efforts and the impact craters observed throughout the country this morning add credence to the failed interceptions.This challenging information environment would be very wise to remember as the "good news" posts of impending peace saturate social media and mainstream media constantly at this point. The truth of the situation on the ground indicates that strikes on Iranian targets (specifically at Bandar Abbas and Qeshm Island) are now daily occurrences, and the slow ramp-up to the collapse of the ceasefire has already been underway for several days.Analyst: S2A1 Research: https://publish.obsidian.md/s2underground Disclaimer: No LLMs were used in the writing of this report. //END REPORT//
2026-06-01 | UPDATES #210 | Is the Kerch Bridge about to fall? The siege of Crimea deepens — and why the bridge is the final edge of the geometry of defeat for Putin. Russian propagandists sense that something is coming, and they can't stop asking – when will the bridge come down? ----------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.----------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: Institute for the Study of War — "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, May 22, 2026" (22 May 2026)UA.News — "Ukrainian strikes on Russian logistics are disrupting supplies to the front lines" (22-23 May 2026) Kyiv Post — "Russia Warns Ukraine Can Strike Key Crimea Supply Route 200 km Behind Front" (early May 2026) Euromaidan Press — "Ukraine wrapped the occupied south in three layers of drones. Russian trucks are burning" (24 May 2026)Defence Matters — "Ukraine's Medium-Range Drone Strikes Put Pressure on Russia's Land Corridor to Crimea" (early May 2026)6. Tochnyi (via Euromaidan Press) — Analytical monthly tracking; Strikes doubled February to March 2026; munitions storage / artillery usage correlation; fuel-targeting / mechanised operations correlationOko Gora (Ukrainian OSINT project) — Geolocated mapping of approximately 50 documented Ukrainian drone strikes on M-14 and H-20 highway logistics over the preceding two months (March-May 2026) — Project name translates as "Mountain Eye"; verification through photographic evidence and Russian milblogger documentationThe War Zone (TWZ) — "Ukraine Strikes At The Heart Of Russia's Highly Defended Kerch Bridge" (3 June 2025)Kyiv Independent — "Ukraine's SBU strikes Crimean Bridge in underwater attack" (3 June 2025) Defence Blog — "Ukraine's Navy strikes two Russian patrol boats guarding the Kerch Bridge" (30 April 2026) Ukrainska Pravda — "Ukrainian forces damage Russian boats guarding Kerch Bridge" (30 April 2026) Militarnyi — "Magura naval drones were involved in the attack on the Crimean bridge" (June 2025)----------
Andrea Chalupa is a Brooklyn-based journalist, author, and filmmaker with an unwavering belief in the power of unreasonable women. As the host and producer of the acclaimed podcast Gaslit Nation—a Webby Award Honoree—Andrea is a powerful advocate for civic action, confronting authoritarianism, corruption, and injustice head-on. She is a frequent speaker on resisting extremism and safeguarding democracy, and her books, films, podcasts, and insights have been featured on MSNBC, The New York Times, PBS, The Washington Post, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and elsewhere.----------LINKS:https://www.andreachalupa.com/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandra_Chalupahttps://www.instagram.com/andreachalupa/https://www.linkedin.com/in/achalupa/https://x.com/AndreaChalupahttps://www.imdb.com/title/tt6828390/----------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----------
2026-05-31 | UPDATES #209 | A Russian drone hits a Romanian apartment block 72 hours after trump pulled us forces from NATO — what are the chances this was an accident, when it aligns in so many requests with the doctrine and psychology of Russian military practice as seen during this war. Mainstream media and analysts will wait for conclusive evidence – which may never be forthcoming, as Russia may be aiming for plausible deniability around its drone provocation. But I argue that we do not have the luxury to dismiss the idea this was an intentional strike. If we do, and fail to ask the right questions, and to make the right response, then Russia will chalk it up to a strategic win, a successful hybrid and kinetic operation, and will ratchet up to the next level. ----------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.----------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 / US News — "Romania Says Russian Drone Hit Block of Flats in Galati Injuring Two" (29 May 2026) CNN — "NATO members condemn Russia after drone slams into Romania apartment building, wounding two" (29 May 2026)NBC News — "Drone hits Romania apartment block during Russian attack on neighboring Ukraine" (29 May 2026)CNBC — "Russian drone hits apartment block in NATO state Romania" (29 May 2026) UNITED24 Media — "Russian Drone Hits Apartment Building in NATO Member Romania During Strike Near Ukrainian Border" (29 May 2026) The Journal (Ireland) — "EU and Nato condemn 'reckless' Russia after drone hits apartment block in Romania" (29 May 2026) News On Air (India) — "NATO Jets Scrambled as Russian Drone Makes Deepest Incursion Into Romanian Airspace" (25 November 2025)News On Air (India) — "NATO Heightens Security After Russian Drone Breaches Romanian Airspace Amid Ukraine Strikes" (14 September 2025) NBC News — "Putin is testing NATO's defenses. How will it respond?" (September 2025)----------
Day 1,544.Today, after Ukraine unleashes a sweeping wave of retaliatory strikes in response to last week's Russian attacks – shutting down Moscow airports, damaging naval assets, and sending huge fireballs into the sky above Russian oil infrastructure – the Kremlin signals it may once again be open to peace talks, potentially even reopening channels with the European Union. We ask whether Moscow may also need urgent talks with Beijing after one of its Shahed drones reportedly struck a Chinese cargo ship just days before Vladimir Putin's meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. We also hear from Berlin on how Europe is accelerating efforts to rearm in the face of growing Russian aggression and deepening American disengagement. And later, we speak to an adviser to the Ukrainian government about Kyiv's mounting military recruitment crisis after intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov warned that voluntary enlistment alone can no longer meet the army's needs.Contributors:Dominic Nicholls (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @DomNicholls on X.James Rothwell (Berlin Correspondent). @JamesERothwell on X.With thanks to Olesia Horiainova of the Ukrainian Security and Cooperation Center.NOW IN FULL VIDEO WITH MAPS & BATTLEFIELD FOOTAGE:Every episode is now available on our YouTube channel shortly after the release of the audio version. You will find it here: https://www.youtube.com/@UkraineTheLatest CONTENT REFERENCED:Europe's sleeping giant rearms (James Rothwell & Joe Barnes in The Telegraph):https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/05/11/europes-sleeping-giant-rearms-germany-weapons-war-russia/ Putin gifted upper hand as Trump triggers European missile crisis (James Rothwell & Joe Barnes in The Telegraph):https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/05/18/europes-deep-strike-dilemma-and-how-it-untangles-itself/ Ukraine launches biggest attack on Moscow in a year (The Telegraph):https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/05/17/ukraine-launches-biggest-attack-on-moscow-in-a-year/ Ukrainian drones destroy £30m Russian plane at airbase (The Telegraph):https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/05/16/ukrainian-drones-destroy-russian-aircraft-airbase/ EMAIL US:Contact the team on ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk . We continue to read every message, and seek to respond to as many on air and in our newsletter as possible.HIGHLIGHTS:Russia ‘attacks Chinese ship' in Black SeaUkraine hits Moscow in biggest strike of 2026 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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