Elvira Bary is an author, researcher, and creator working at the intersection of storytelling, self-discovery, and political insight. She also runs an insightful YouTube channel on Russian politics, history, and culture, where she explores how Russia’s history continues to shape the choices that the country makes today. Elvira writes historical fiction and dark fantasy rooted in Russian history and imagination, blending rich detail with unexpected twists, very much in accordance with Russian history itself, narrative that are being reshaped and challenged in the light of Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine full-scale in 2022.----------LINKS:https://elvirabary.com/about-elvira/ https://www.youtube.com/@elvirabary https://x.com/elvirabary ----------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 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:Elvira Bary on Russia’s “Fungi” Power Structure, War Economy, and Why Her Novel Can’t Be Published in RussiaElvira Bary, an author and researcher focused on Russian politics and culture, discusses her new Russian-language novel about the war and why publishing it in Russia would risk prison for anyone involved. She explains Russian authoritarian power as a “fungi” network sustained by corruption, complicity, and loyalty enforced through shared criminality, illustrating it with an example involving RZD kickbacks. The novel follows a corrupt elite mother who sends her daughter to Harvard, only for the daughter to volunteer for Ukraine, exposing the limits of money and connections and enabling a portrayal of Russian and Ukrainian society and wartime realities. Bary describes widespread fear, repression, and “infantilization” in Russia, argues for bottom-up local identity as a basis for democracy, and says Putin’s system now depends on a war economy that cannot simply stop. ----------
New Zealand