Silicon Curtain

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).----------

Volodymyr Sheiko is the Director General of the Ukrainian Institute, Ukraine’s national cultural-diplomacy institution operating under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He became the Institute’s first Director General and was re-elected in 2021. Before leading the Institute, he worked for the British Council in Ukraine, where he was involved in arts management, cultural programming, communications, and international cultural cooperation.His work sits at the intersection of Ukrainian cultural diplomacy, literature, translation, decolonisation, memory politics, and resistance to Russian imperial narratives. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion, Sheiko has become one of the clearest voices arguing that culture is not peripheral to Ukraine’s survival. For him, literature, language, translation, archives, museums, festivals, and cultural institutions are part of the same struggle as the military front: the defence of Ukraine’s right to exist as a sovereign civilisation.----------The Ukrainian Institute has a mission to strengthen Ukraine internationally and domestically as a subject using the tools of cultural diplomacy. It promotes better knowledge and understanding of Ukraine internationally, and develops cultural relations between Ukraine and other countries. https://ui.org.ua/en/LINKS:https://pen.org.ua/en/members/volodymyr-sheikohttps://ui.org.ua/en/news-en/volodymyr-sheiko-was-re-elected-general-director-of-the-ukrainian-institute/https://www.britishcouncil.org.ua/en/lp-human-stories-en/volodymyr-sheiko-journeyhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/volodymyr-sheiko-38870a4/https://x.com/UA_Institute----------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 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----------

Silicon Bites Ep352 | 2026-06-16 | This is the doctrine. The doctrine is the Empire of Savages. Savagery in this analytical frame is not the absence of values. Savagery is the active deployment of an alternative value system that treats the protections of international humanitarian law, the heritage of pluralistic civilisation, the existence of the autonomous nation, and the sanctity of religious and cultural sites as enemy property to be destroyed. The Russian state has not failed to understand the laws of war. The Russian state has rejected them — actively, doctrinally, and operationally — in favour of an alternative imperial framework that celebrates the destruction of pluralistic heritage as the restoration of properly-Russian civilisational primacy. It is still a crime. The vertical mindset— the vertikal, the Russian-imperial framework of centralised authoritarian rule under a single sovereign — is the political-structural correlate of this doctrinal framework. In the vertical mindset, values do not exist as independent constraints on power. Values exist only insofar as they serve the sovereign's project. Ukrainian democracy, Ukrainian pluralism, Ukrainian European-civilisational orientation are, in this framework, not alternative legitimate value systems. They are contempt-worthy errors that the sovereign's project is justified in correcting through violence. The Russian state's contempt for Ukraine — visible in every speech, every targeting decision, every cultural-heritage strike — is operationally informed by the perceived inferiority of pluralistic-democratic values of the West and Ukraine compared to the vertical-imperial framework.----------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/extras----------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 ----------