Edition No96 | 14-02-2025 - Last night Russia struck the fourth reactor of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, causing serious damage to the protective shielding. There is an almost zero possibility this was an accident, or not explicitly ordered by Vladimir Putin. It’s a signal. It’s a show of force and contempt for Western ‘peace-making’, or what he sees as weakness and capitulation. ----------We ran two events in Ukraine in the last two weeks. Lviv (part 2) and Kyiv. The event we ran in August 2023 was a huge success, and had a great impact. Now our aim is even more ambitious. Two cities. Two events. Multiple panels consisting of the best experts, and all filmed in high definition for the channel.https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasBut it costs. Last time the overall cost was £3,500 for Live in Lviv, and we covered 80% of this through ticket sales. This time the costs are higher, and there's less opportunity to sell tickets at the available venues and studios, so I'm creating a campaign to raise £5,000 to make this trip a reality. We also have a much more ambitious programme to film interviews around Kyiv and Lviv for the channel. This project will have an impact, so please help if you can. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------There are never any accidents in target or timing when Russia wants to send a signal. Bombing the kid’s cancer hospital in Kyiv was one such moment, and this is another. Russia deliberately chose the day of the Munich Security Conference to send a message.Yesterday, Putin spoke with Trump about a potential ceasefire, and through various mechanisms and actions that are not yet fully exposed, encourage Trump to say a bunch of alarming, misinformed, appeasing and flattering statements – flattering that is for Putin. Hinting that Ukraine is not fully party to negotiations, that it is partially culpable for the war, and that Russia has some rights over stolen lands because it ‘lost people’ there. Make no mistake, this is a PR and psychological victory for Putin. So how does he react? ----------SILICON CURTAIN FILM FUNDRAISERA project to make a documentary film in Ukraine, to raise awareness of Ukraine's struggle and in supporting a team running aid convoys to Ukraine's front-line towns.https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------NEWS SOURCES:https://kyivindependent.com/chornobyl-nuclear-plant-shelter-damaged-in-russian-drone-strike/https://www.lbc.co.uk/world-news/russia-targets-chernobyl-high-explosive-drone-significant-damage/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/ukraine-russia-war-chernobyl-trump-live-news-b2698249.htmlhttps://edition.cnn.com/2025/02/14/europe/russia-ukraine-drones-chernobyl-intl-hnk/index.htmlhttps://www.lbc.co.uk/world-news/ukraine-munich-trump-russia-appeasement/https://kyivindependent.com/zelensky-warns-of-russian-military-buildup-potential-nato-threat-in-2026/https://kyivindependent.com/russia-to-rejoin-global-economy-europes-energy-system-after-russia-ukraine-peace-deal-orban-says/ ----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------