Silicon Curtain

2026-04-04 | UPDATES #162 | Russia recorded almost no territorial gains in March. With just 23 SQ km approximately taken in March and losses elsewhere offsetting that advance. Russia’s rate of advance has collapsed compared with earlier months. (The Guardian)The fighting has not gone quiet. The war is not over. Moscow has not renounced its maximalist gains, not one bit. The big change is that their advance to achieve those aims has slowed already from a snail’s pace to stall completely. The front is still burning across more than 1,200 kilometres. Russian missiles and drones are still hammering Ukrainian cities in what Zelensky has called an “Easter escalation.” Men are still dying every hour from Pokrovsk to Huliaipole. But something important has shifted. The central fact, the one that cuts through all the noise, is this: after more than two years of grinding, costly, attritional offensives, Russia’s land campaign in Ukraine appears to have stalled. (Reuters) Does it have the techniques and resources to trigger movement again? ----------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!----------SOURCES: Reuters, April 3, 2026 — Zelensky says the frontline situation is the best for Ukraine in 10 months. Reuters, April 3, 2026 — Zelensky denounces an “Easter escalation” as Russia intensifies daytime strikes. Reuters, April 1, 2026 — Russia claims full control of Luhansk; Ukraine disputes it. Associated Press, April 1, 2026 — Kyiv rejects Moscow’s Luhansk claim; AP notes ISW sees Ukrainian tactics disrupting Russian advances. The Guardian / AFP, April 4, 2026 — Russian army records almost no territorial gains in March; January, February and March comparative figures; Starlink/Telegram factor. The Kyiv Independent, April 3–4, 2026 — Zelensky says Russian losses in March topped 35,000; General Staff tally reaches 1,302,370 on April 4. Kyiv Post, April 2, 2026 — Report that Ukrainian forces recaptured more ground in March than they lost; Syrskyi says 480 sq km liberated since late January. Euromaidan Press, April 1–2, 2026 — Russian advance slowing; Kovalenko estimate of 31,960 Russian losses for 155 sq km in March, or 206 troops per sq km. Institute for the Study of War correction, April 3–4, 2026 — March 2026 gains figure corrected to 5.46 sq km after adding Lyptsi-area occupied ground. ----------

2026-04-03 | UPDATES #161 | Today in Russia, the digital money stopped moving. On Friday morning, customers of Sberbank — Russia’s biggest bank — began reporting failures in payments, transfers, app access, QR-code transactions, and even ATM withdrawals. Other major lenders, including VTB and T-Bank, were also hit by outage reports. Shops and petrol stations switched to cash-only. Moscow metro turnstiles opened for free because payment systems failed. Even a zoo in Belgorod told visitors to bring cash. In a metropolitan area of roughly 22 million people, that is not a glitch. That is a stress test of the everyday state.The official line was narrow and evasive. Russia’s National Payment Card System — the NSPK, the backbone behind the fast-payments network — said there had been a “technical failure at one of the banks” and insisted people’s funds were safe. Sberbank later said the problem had been resolved, without saying what caused it. At the time of reporting, there was no public proof of a cyberattack, and no official evidence of a systemic bank run or immediate insolvency event. What we do have is a government and banking system telling Russians, once again, not to panic while the digital plumbing collapses in public.----------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!----------SOURCES: Reuters, April 3 — Moscow shoppers and travellers hit by payment system problem. The Moscow Times, April 3 — Mass outage hits Sberbank and other major Russian lenders. The Kyiv Independent, April 3 — Russia’s banks face major service outages amid internet crackdown. Reuters, March 31 — Russia goes after VPNs as “great crackdown” gathers pace. AP, March 14 / opened result — Moscow struggles with cellphone internet outages. The Guardian, March 31 — Russia slowly trying to splinter its internet from rest of world, analysts say. Chatham House, March 26 — Moscow internet blackouts: the Kremlin tightens its grip on Russia’s digital space. Apple Support, updated April 1 — Billing for Apple subscriptions and digital purchases in Russia. Meduza, April 1 — Russia blocks Apple ID mobile top-ups amid App Store dispute. The Moscow Times, April 1 — Russians lose access to Apple ID mobile payments. ----------

Victor Rud is a board member of the Ukrainian American Bar Association and chairman of its Committee on Foreign Affairs. Rud has more than 35-years of experience as an international attorney. Before Ukrainian independence, he was co-counsel, in the West, for members of the Ukrainian Helsinki Accords Watch Group, and for other dissidents in Ukraine. He was also counsel to the US Public Member to the Helsinki Accords Review Conference in Madrid. He is an honours graduate of Harvard College and Duke Law School. ----------LINKS: https://www.kyivpost.com/authors/242 https://www.linkedin.com/in/victorud/ https://defencereport.com/author/victor-rud/ https://hcnj.clubs.harvard.edu/article.html?aid=315 https://www.publicinternationallawandpolicygroup.org/expert-roundtable-peace-process-ukraine https://uaba.org/page-1825383 ----------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 Ep312 | 2026-04-03 | Ten oil refineries. Twelve S-300 and S-400 air defence systems. Five strategic factories. Fourteen fuel depots. Three warships. Two naval missile systems. And a single microchip plant that has just halted Iskander missile production for six months. Putin is not a Master Strategist, and his war against Ukraine is not going well. That is the March scorecard. And Ukraine's Defence Ministry has now confirmed it: March 2026 was the most damaging single month of strategic strikes against Russia's military-industrial complex since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022. While the Western media was focused on Trump's NATO threats and the Iran war and Orbán's election campaign, Ukraine was quietly, methodically, and with increasing range and precision, dismantling the infrastructure that Russia needs to keep killing Ukrainians. Factory by factory. Refinery by refinery. Air defence system by system.----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation----------SOURCES:Euromaidan Press / Ukraine Defence Ministry — "March from hell: Ukraine hits 10 refineries, 12 air defence systems, 5 Russian factories, halting missile chip supply for 6 months" (April 2, 2026)Euromaidan Press — "Ukraine obliterates main workshop at Bryansk microelectronics plant — Iskander missile assembly will hit critical snag" (March 11, 2026) — Kuzan on Iskander production disruption; 6-month halt; grey-market chip assembly problemUkrainska Pravda — "Ukraine's General Staff releases footage of Storm Shadow strike on Bryansk plant" (March 10, 2026) — "Brains and nervous system of modern weapons"; General Staff statement; Zelenskyy confirmationUkrainska Pravda (OSINT) — "OSINT reveals details of Storm Shadow strike on Kremniy EL plant in Bryansk" (March 11, 2026) — CyberBoroshno route tracking; 16:52 detection; 16:59 first impact; 413th Regiment aerial reconnaissanceUnited24 Media — "Ukraine Destroys Kremniy El Microchip Plant Behind Russian Missiles" (March 2026) — Comparison of Storm Shadow vs previous drone strikes; Iskander and Izdeliye-30 supply halted; products list including Pantsir, S-300, S-400, Topol-M, Bulava, KalibrRBC-Ukraine — "Strike on Bryansk plant could halt Iskander chip supply for six months" (March 2026) — Production halted ~6 months; main building + warehouse fire sizes; Flamingo missiles on Votkinsk plant cross-referenceKyiv Post — "Ukraine Uses Storm Shadow to Blast Russian Microelectronics Plant" (March 10, 2026) — Founded 1958; 1,200+ component types; 90%+ defence ministry output; full weapons systems listWashington Post — "Ukraine strikes Russian electronics plant that builds missile components" (March 12, 2026) — Washington Post confirmation of Kyiv claimsThe Moscow Times — "Ukrainian Missiles Strike Major Microchip Factory in Bryansk" (March 10, 2026) — Seven killed confirmed; Kremlin accused Britain; Bogomaz casualty statement; Bryansk mourning day----------

2026-04-02 | UPDATES #160 | Now, the follow-on to Hedgehog — the story that Euromaidan Press broke on March 31st, 2026, in a piece titled exactly what it says: "Ukraine fired its NATO trainers. The alliance is running out of time to learn why."Ukraine has been scaling back the training of its own forces abroad. Basic training will now run in just three EU countries with support from four NATO states — down from the 18 EU member states that hosted Ukrainian brigade-level training of all types through late 2025. Kyiv clarified it has not cancelled overseas training outright but is "clustering and optimizing".The real story, as Defence News reported on March 27th, is the reversal of direction. For twelve years, the West trained Ukraine. Now Ukraine is training the West. Germany — the first NATO member to formally invite Ukrainian trainers into its own army's schools — has welcomed a cadre of Ukrainian military advisers to teach drone warfare, counter-UAS tactics, and electronic warfare integration. Lieutenant General Christian Freuding, head of the German army, told Reuters: "The Ukrainian military is currently the only one in the world with frontline experience against Russia."----------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!----------

Silicon Bites Ep311 | 2026-04-02 | Who is the real paper tiger? Ukraine schools NATO on drones while Trump torches the alliance. Several stories around NATO’s future have converged this week – but here are two of the most important. Ukraine fired its NATO trainers. A mystified alliance is running out of time to learn why, suggests Hans Petter Midttun in an article published by Euromaidan Press. Ukraine's General Staff has decided to scale back overseas training for its troops and—despite the constant threat of Russian missile and drone strikes — move it to Ukraine. According to Militarnyi, General Staff's Deputy Chief for Doctrine and Training Yevhen Mezhevikin cited logistical concerns and a lack of relevant combat experience among Western instructors. "They are disconnected from our realities, from the current combat operations," he said.----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation----------SOURCES:Euromaidan Press — "Ukraine fired its NATO trainers. The alliance is running out of time to learn why." (March 31, 2026) — Primary analysis by Hans Petter Midttun; Russia's 80,000-strong Unmanned Systems Forces; 8,900 FPV drones per day; 2030 projection of 210,000Euromaidan Press — "'We are f—': 10 Ukrainians with drones wipe out two NATO battalions in war game" (February 13, 2026) — Delta system; 2.2-second detection; Hedgehog 2025 exercise detailsWall Street Journal — "NATO exercise reveals alliance can't survive Ukraine-style drone warfare" — Jillian Kay Melchior (February 12, 2026) — Primary source reporting; firsthand accounts from Hedgehog exercise participantsUnited24 Media — "NATO Drills Reveal Drone Warfare Could Eliminate Two Battalions in a Day" (February 13, 2026) — Delta system; Petraeus LinkedIn comments; Estonian Defence League coordinationUnited24 Media — "How 10 Ukrainian Drone Operators Crushed a NATO Offensive in Estonia" (February 15, 2026) — 412th Nemesis Brigade and 427th Rarog Brigade details; Vector reconnaissance systemDefence News — "Role reversal: Ukraine moves training home and exports the lessons abroad" (March 27, 2026) — Germany as first NATO member to invite Ukrainian trainers; Lt. Gen. Freuding quote; DELTA in REPMUS 2025; down from 18 to 3 EU training nations; Vandier quote on Russia adapting19FortyFive — "A NATO Wargame in Estonia Let Ukrainian Drone Experts Play the Bad Guy and the Results Were Brutal" (February 17, 2026) — Petraeus on lessons only being learned through systemic reform; combined arms contextDroneXL — "NATO's Hedgehog exercise exposed a brutal truth" (February 13, 2026) — Cross-reference on exercise details; US troops absent from Hedgehog 2025----------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----------

Cormac Smith has worked in Public Relations and Corporate Communications for over three decades. In 2016 he traveled to Ukraine to take up a special appointment as the ‘Strategic Communication Advisor’ to Pavlo Klimkin, then the Foreign Minister of Ukraine. He was attached to the British Embassy in Kyiv but was embedded in Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the first foreigner to hold such a position. While in Kyiv, he also advised and provided training for five other government ministries and worked directly with three other cabinet ministers: Health, Education and the Deputy Prime Minister. ----------LINKS:https://defencebrink.uk/https://x.com/CormacS63https://x.com/philipingmbe----------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: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----------

2026-04-01 | UPDATES #159 | Girkin’s letter from prison on the Telegram Kill Switch, Shoigu Slipping, and the Iron Curtain Descending. Based on Igor Girkin's prison letter (March 22, 2026) and other reporting. Igor Girkin (Strelkov) was once untouchable — a former FSB colonel, a war criminal by any honest accounting, the man who by his own admission pulled the trigger that started the Donbas war in 2014, the commander sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment by a Dutch court for his role in shooting down Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 and killing all 298 people aboard. A man who called Putin a "lowlife" and a "cowardly bum" on his Telegram channel — and was arrested the following day. He is now in a penal colony in the Kirov region of Russia. Strelkov — (the Shooter) is currently serving four years in a Russian penal colony on charges of inciting extremism. He is one of the most hawkish, most committed Russian nationalists in the country's entire political ecosystem. He is not a democrat, not a liberal, not a friend of Ukraine in any sense of that word.----------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!----------

Silicon Bites Ep310 | 2026-04-01 | April the 1st I thought. This is a very well-produced joke – so close to our worst fears of the dark dystopian hole down which the U.S. has fallen, and into which it’s dragging the world. But no, this does not appear to be an April Fool’s prank. It appears to be a real political vanity project, promoted by Donald Trump and Eric Trump, attached to a real donation site, tied to a real Miami site already set aside for the future library. But it is also drenched in unreality, because the first public “reveal” was an AI-generated fantasy reel: an uncanny value of dictator chic, drenched in gold, gold everywhere, and on everything. Trump’s name stamped on the skyline, a presidential jet in the lobby, White House replicas inside, and a giant gold statue of Trump raised above the mass of the faithful like some imperial mascot of post-modern, ironic American kitsch. Reuters confirmed parts of the video were generated with Google AI tools, while AP, the Washington Post, Sky, and NPR all independently described the same core imagery and the same link to the official fundraising site.----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation----------SOURCES:Reuters, March 31, 2026 — Trump library renderings, AI-generated video, Trump’s comments on hotel plans.Associated Press, March 30–31, 2026 — airport renaming, library reveal, Miami site details.NPR/KOSU, updated April 1, 2026 — what the project is, Trump’s “I don’t believe in building libraries or museums” quote, NARA context, site transfer, funding questions. Washington Post, March 30, 2026 — scale of the tower, two gold statues, donation site, Eric Trump post.The Guardian, March 31, 2026 — ridicule, authoritarian comparisons, Newsom office reaction, Rutger Bregman comment. Sky News, March 31, 2026 — visual details of the renderings and AI-generated presentation. Reuters, March 31, 2026 — federal judge halts Trump White House ballroom project pending congressional approval. Associated Press, March 31, 2026 — judge says Trump is steward, not owner, in ballroom ruling. ----------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----------

2026-03-31 | UPDATES #158 | The Tsar is on edge, spooked even. Putin's post-Iran paranoia and the traffic cameras that changed everything. Based on Julia Ioffe's Puck News analysis (March 24, 2026) and other reporting. This is an interesting question. What does it take to terrify Vladimir Putin? Fear of death alone seems not to be enough, but fear of losing power, of humiliation is even worse. The man who has spent twenty-six years turning Russia into a personal fortress. The man who operates from three identical, interchangeable offices — at Novo-Ogaryovo, at Valdai, at Sochi — each decorated to the millimetre so that even his closest aides cannot determine which city he's in on any given day. The man who has had his Black Sea palace partially demolished and rebuilt, who has 12 Pantsir-S1 air defence systems stationed around his Valdai compound, who has Kremlin-adjacent Telegram channels claiming his FSB is on permanent alert against biochemical attacks in his bedsheets. What does it take to terrify that man? Stunning recent reporting suggests that a traffic camera in Tehran has particularly triggered him.----------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. 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!----------SOURCES: Julia Ioffe / Puck News — "Putin's Post-Iran Paranoia" (March 24, 2026)https://puck.news/putins-post-iran-paranoia/Puck News teaser / follow-up — "The Russian president has curtailed his schedule, and Moscow has virtually no cell service. The official explanation is about Ukrainian drones, but Putin is clearly spooked." (March 29, 2026)https://puck.news/the-secret-iran-intel-that-terrified-dems/Newsweek — "Putin assassination fears could explain internet shutdown" (March 2026)Euromaidan Press — "Putin watched Khamenei get killed. Then disappeared from public view for nine days. Then shut down Moscow's internet." (March 25, 2026)RBC-Ukraine — "Putin no longer seen at Kremlin following Khamenei's elimination, reports say" (March 2026)United24 Media — "Putin Reportedly Avoids Kremlin After Reports of Iranian Leaders Tracked by Cameras" (March 2026)Times of Israel — "Report: Israel hacked Tehran traffic cameras to track Khamenei ahead of assassination" (March 3, 2026)United24 Media — "Israel and CIA Conduct Precision Strike on Khamenei Using Tehran Surveillance Systems" (March 3, 2026)Kyiv Post — "Putin's Sochi Residence Gets Mega Security Zone Amid Drone Fears" (March 2026)United24 Media — "Russia Drafts Massive Protected Zone Around Putin's Sochi Residence" (March 13, 2026)----------