Silicon Curtain

Jason Jay Smart is a political adviser who has lived and worked in Ukraine, Moldova, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Latin America. Due to his work with the democratic opposition to Vladimir Putin, Smart was made persona non grata for life by Russia in 2010. Jason is a Special Correspondent at the Kyiv Post. It’s the state of US support for Ukraine that we will discuss today.----------LINKS:https://jasonjaysmart.com/ https://www.kyivpost.com/authors/5 https://americanpoliticalservices.com/https://www.facebook.com/jasonjaysmarthttps://twitter.com/officejjsmart ----------ACTIVE CAMPAIGN: We are raising funds for 5 of 15 Vampire DronesSilicon Curtain for Kupiansk Vampires. Dzyga’s Paw, together with Jonathan Fink, is joining forces to raise $40,000 to provide the Khartiia Brigade with Vampire Drones.https://dzygaspaw.com/silicon-curtain-for-kupiansk-vampiresThese heavy bombers are designed to destroy manpower and equipment, as well as for remote mining. The Vampire UAV, manufactured by Skyfall, has proven itself to be one of the most effective weapons in the Kupiansk direction. Skyfall is one of Ukraine’s largest defense tech companies, producing Vampire bomber drones, various modifications of Shrike FPV drones, P1-SUN, Shahed drone interceptors, communication systems, and components.https://dzygaspaw.com/silicon-curtain-for-kupiansk-vampires----------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----------DESCRIPTION:Putin’s Regime as a Criminal Business: Elite Cracks, Siloviki Power Struggles & May 9 Risks | Jason Jay SmartJonathan speaks with Jason Smart about why the war benefits Putin’s inner circle as an asset-stripping, profit-driven system, arguing the Putin regime functions as a literal criminal organization and that this distorted incentive structure can make escalation—including risking conflict with NATO—seem rational to insiders. They discuss rising billionaire wealth during the war, large-scale state seizures allegedly funneled to Putin allies, and growing signs of elite fragmentation: oligarch factions, nationalist “Z” voices, selective law enforcement, leaks and “hacks,” arrests and firings tied to loyalty concerns, and a tightening security apparatus. The conversation highlights Rosgvardiya and the FSO’s role in regime protection and monitoring, the possibility that intelligence leaks aim to destabilize the system, and speculation around May 9 targets amid Russian air-defense gaps. The episode also promotes a book release and a fundraiser for Ukrainian drones.----------

Silicon Bites Ep332 | 2026-05-05 | Nightmares of the ‘bunker Tsar’. The European intelligence dossier on Putin’s drone paranoia — and why it probably has a kernel of truth. What we are about to discuss is the most explosive single document published about the inner state of the Russian regime in 2026 — and like all explosive documents, it deserves to be handled with care.On Sunday 4 May, the Russian independent investigative outlet Important Stories — known by its Russian name iStories, founded by 2024 European Press Prize winner Roman Anin — published the text of what it described as an intelligence report compiled by an unnamed European Union country's foreign intelligence service. The same dossier was simultaneously distributed to CNN, the Financial Times, the OCCRP investigative consortium, Meduza, and other outlets. The source was, in iStories' words, a government official close to the agency that compiled the report.----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation----------SILICON CURTAIN 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----------SOURCES:iStories / Important Stories — "Vladimir Putin fears an assassination attempt and a coup, tensions among security services are rising, an EU intelligence agency says" (4 May 2026) iStories / Roman Anin — "Russia Has Two Paths Left" (4 May 2026)CNN — "Unsettled Kremlin tightens security around Putin amid assassinations and coup fears, intel report says" (4 May 2026) OCCRP (Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project) — "Security Tightens Around Putin Amid Coup and Assassination Fears, According to European Intel Agency" (4 May 2026) Meduza — "Report: Putin fears assassination attempt by Russia's political elite, tightens security" (4 May 2026)RBC-Ukraine — "Putin fears drone assassination, coup as security tensions rise inside Kremlin" (4 May 2026)Ukrainska Pravda — "Putin begins to fear possible assassination attempt using drones" (4 May 2026) Liga.net — "Putin fears coup and assassination by drones. Important stories revealed by EU intelligence report" (4 May 2026)Michael Bociurkiw / Substack analysis — "Putin Under Fortress: Kremlin Tightens Security Amid Coup Fears and Drone Threat" (4 May 2026) Britbrief — "Putin Fears Coup or Assassination as Shoigu Named Potential Threat" (4 May 2026)The Vermilion — "Fears of attacks and coups d'état, security around Putin strengthened" (4 May 2026) Ground News — "Putin Retreating to Bunkers Amid Coup and Drone Fears, EU Intelligence Reports Claim" (4 May 2026)----------

2026-05-05 | UPDATES #195 | This is the surreal physical reality of Moscow this week. The Kyiv Post and AFP, reporting on 5 May, documented what is happening on the streets of the Russian capital. Mobile internet access began dropping sharply after 7am. Apps, websites, payment systems all failing to load. Even the so-called white-list services — the ones the Kremlin had publicly committed to keeping accessible during shutdowns — were unavailable. SMS messaging stopped working. Across both Moscow and Saint Petersburg, the disruption has now been continuous for days.----------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: CNN — "Analysis: Putin will host a scaled-back parade in Red Square this year, amid mounting pressures and threats" (29 April 2026) Tempo — "Russia Offers Ukraine May 8-9 WWII Anniversary Ceasefire" (4 May 2026)Al Jazeera — "Russia and Ukraine declare competing ceasefires" (4 May 2026)Euronews — "Russia unilaterally declares Victory Day ceasefire while Zelenskyy tables own truce" (4 May 2026) Kyiv Post — "Russia Blacks Out Mobile Internet in Moscow, St. Petersburg Ahead of Victory Day Showcase" (5 May 2026) Al Arabiya / AFP — "Moscow shuts off mobile internet ahead of Victory Day parade" (5 May 2026)Human Rights Watch — "Russia: Internet Shutdowns Escalate" (31 March 2026)NBC News — "Mobile internet blackouts sweep Moscow, leaving residents feeling 'powerless'" (March 2026) Chatham House — "Moscow internet blackouts: the Kremlin tightens its grip on Russia's digital space" (27 March 2026) RBC-Ukraine — "Parade in Moscow to trigger mobile internet shutdown" (4 May 2026)----------

2026-05-05 | UPDATES #194 | Moscow goes dark, Putin begs for calm and for ‘permission’ to run his tin pot victory day parade. Zelenskyy dictates the terms, in one of the greatest political inflections of history. Ukraine now calls the shots about what happens and does not happen in the swamp empire. Putin does not control, the agenda in Moscow, and Red Square, Ukraine does. Putin's panic hits maximum velocity four days before the May 9 parade, as he seeks to trade Ukrainian prisoners for a promise of clear skies to act the cosplay dictator one last time on Red Square. The streets of Moscow on the morning of 5 May 2026. A cashier at a corner café tries to charge a customer through a contactless card terminal. The terminal beeps and refuses. The customer stares at it. The cashier shrugs. The taxi app on the customer's phone shows a grey screen and a spinning circle that will not finish. The Yandex maps will not load. The messenger notifications make their familiar sound — but when the customer taps to read, the messages will not open. A landline phone in the back of the café rings. Pagers, last seen in 1999, are reportedly being procured by some Moscow firms. AFP reporters in Moscow this morning watched as multiple shops were unable to process card payments at all. ATMs are intermittent. The Russian capital — the political and financial heart of the largest country on earth — has been thrown back into a mid-1990s pre-digital state on the orders of its own government. Mobile phone subscribers are being warned that their devices will turn into useless bricks both before and during the Victory Day parade period. ----------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: CNN — "Analysis: Putin will host a scaled-back parade in Red Square this year, amid mounting pressures and threats" (29 April 2026) Tempo — "Russia Offers Ukraine May 8-9 WWII Anniversary Ceasefire" (4 May 2026)Al Jazeera — "Russia and Ukraine declare competing ceasefires" (4 May 2026)Euronews — "Russia unilaterally declares Victory Day ceasefire while Zelenskyy tables own truce" (4 May 2026) Kyiv Post — "Russia Blacks Out Mobile Internet in Moscow, St. Petersburg Ahead of Victory Day Showcase" (5 May 2026) Al Arabiya / AFP — "Moscow shuts off mobile internet ahead of Victory Day parade" (5 May 2026)Human Rights Watch — "Russia: Internet Shutdowns Escalate" (31 March 2026)NBC News — "Mobile internet blackouts sweep Moscow, leaving residents feeling 'powerless'" (March 2026) Chatham House — "Moscow internet blackouts: the Kremlin tightens its grip on Russia's digital space" (27 March 2026) RBC-Ukraine — "Parade in Moscow to trigger mobile internet shutdown" (4 May 2026)----------

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.----------