Silicon Curtain

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

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

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

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

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