Silicon Curtain

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----------

Nigel Gould-Davies is a senior fellow for Russia and Eurasia at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in London. Between 2010 and 2013 he held senior government relations roles in the international energy industry. Previously he has also served in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, where his roles included head of the Economic Section in Moscow, ambassador to Belarus, and project director in the Policy Planning Unit. He is author of Tectonic Politics: Global Political Risk in an Age of Transformation (Brookings, 2019).----------LINKS:https://twitter.com/Nigelgd1https://www.linkedin.com/in/nigel-gould-davies-5347b51a?originalSubdomain=ukhttps://www.iiss.org/people/russia-and-eurasia/dr-nigel-gould-davies/https://gsas.harvard.edu/person/nigel-gould-daviesBOOKS:Tectonic Politics: Global Political Risk in an Age of Transformation (2019)https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tectonic-Politics-Insights-Critical-International/dp/0815737130https://www.chathamhouse.org/2019/05/tectonic-politics-global-political-risk-age-transformationARTICLES:https://www.iiss.org/research-paper/2026/05/the-coming-crisis-in-russias-political-economy/https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00396338.2024.2332057https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/12/09/biden-putin-ukraine-appeasement-deterrence-donbass/----------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 Ep349 | 2026-06-10 | A Russian general was deleted, via a car-bomb 400 metres from where another Russian general was eliminated last April. Same suburb. Same pattern. Same message. There is nowhere to hide for Russian war criminals. 9 June 2026 — Damir Davydov, Head of the Missile and Artillery Ammunition Supply Department of the GRAU, Killed by a BMW X3 Bomb in the Aviatorov Microdistrict of Balashikha at 5:30 a.m. — the fourth senior Russian military officer assassinated on Russian soil in eighteen months. ----------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:Meduza — "A year after a Russian general was assassinated in a car bombing outside Moscow, another general is reportedly dead in the same city — in another car bombing" (9 June 2026)UNN (Ukrainian News Network) — "Car explodes in Moscow region – top Russian Ministry of Defense officer killed" (9 June 2026) UA.News — "A topographic officer killed in an explosion in the Moscow region" (9 June 2026) UNITED24 Media — "Car Explodes Near Moscow in Military District Where Russian General May Have Been Killed" (9 June 2026) RBC-Ukraine — "Russian colonel reportedly killed in car blast near Moscow" (9 June 2026) News.az / UA News — "High-ranking Russian military officer killed in Moscow car bombing" (9 June 2026) Nasha Niva — "High-ranking military officer dies in car explosion in Balashikha near Moscow" (9 June 2026) Daily Kos (citizen journalism via Anton Gerashchenko / ASTRA / MAKS 26 Bluesky sourcing) PBS NewsHour / AP — "Car bomb kills Russian general in Moscow" (22 December 2025) Time magazine — "Russian General Killed in Moscow Car Bomb Attack" (December 2025)BBC News — "Russia detains suspect in car bomb attack that killed general" (April 2025) RFE/RL via Global Security archive — "Russian General Killed In Car Bombing Near Moscow" (25 April 2025) Wikipedia — "Yaroslav Moskalik" — Born 22 August 1966, Angren, Uzbek SSR; died 25 April 2025, Balashikha; rank Lieutenant General; Deputy Chief, Main Operational Directorate of General Staff; killed by remotely-detonated IED in parked car around 10:40 local time----------

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) ----------

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----------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: Kyiv Update w/ Konstantin Samoilov: Russia’s Economic Collapse, SPIEF Humiliation & Escalation RisksIn Kyiv for his final recording of the trip, Jonathan speaks with Konstantin Samoilov about intensifying strikes on Ukraine and Ukraine’s growing ability to strike deep into Russia, fueling tension and political uncertainty. Samoilov says Russian agencies are trying to silence him, reducing his output, and argues Moscow is now targeting English-language critics to protect RT’s outward propaganda. They discuss the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum as humiliating theater amid visible refinery fires, claims of a rapidly accelerating Russian economic collapse, and the notable absence of central bank head Elvira Nabiullina as a sign of elite infighting. Samoilov cites fuel rationing, falling tax receipts, deficits, and shrinking options, concluding Putin cannot end the war without risking his own downfall and may escalate beyond Ukraine, while Ukraine’s victory is likely to be driven by internal Russian clan conflict. Jonathan closes by promoting his edited book, The Dark Heart of Russia.----------CHAPTERS: 01:12 Why Konstantin Went Quiet03:46 Russia Targets English Voices06:55 Potemkin Forum Optics10:07 Economy Enters Acute Phase14:42 Putin Speech Empty Theater19:47 Nabiullina Vanishes22:36 Robots and Fake Volga26:02 Can Propaganda Survive Defeat28:03 Visa Narrative Whiplash31:04 Kursk Under Occupation32:30 Nabiullina And Collapse36:21 Why Putin Cannot Stop41:44 Fuel Crisis Hits Home44:54 Escalation Scenarios48:09 Desperation Over Strategy----------