2026-01-20 | UPDATES #109 | The Kremlin’s Coming Economic Squeeze and potential mobilisation prompts whispers of discontent from Russian Oligarchs. In Putin’s Russia, oligarchs don’t speak their minds, and certainty cannot critique power, or the decision that are made by the Tsar. They make noises that approximate dissent, coded signals with critical subtext. But if you read between the lines, the message is always the same: this war is eating the system alive – consuming the country’s economic potential and resources — but nobody is allowed to say that out loud. Today’s signal flare comes from a familiar messenger: Oleg Deripaska.----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------SOURCES: Reuters (Aug 9, 2024): Deripaska called war “mad,” urged ceasefire without preconditions Guardian (Feb 27, 2022): Deripaska Telegram post “Peace is very important…” Fortune (Mar 28, 2022): Deripaska Telegram post “hellish ideological mobilization,” war may last years TASS (Jan 2026): Deripaska “settlement cheaper than war” framing Meduza (Jan 9, 2025): elite disappointment war didn’t end; economic tensions Kyiv Independent summary (Jan 10, 2025) NEST Centre analysis (Dec 2025): elite winners/losers, limited leverage ----------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----------

Elizabeth Bullock had a career in technology start-ups, including tools for defence intelligence. She has the unique distinction of spending 3 years full time in frontline areas of Ukraine, running an independent British Expeditionary Aid & Rescue operation. It is designed to be a quick-response unit, executing strategic operations to solve acute civic crises. Her intimate experience of the war spans the eastern Donbas (Lysychansk, Bakhmut), the southern front (Kherson, Mykolaiv), the northeast (Kharkiv, Izyum) and the north (Bucha, Hostomel). Her work has gained international coverage by BBC News, The New York Times, Le Monde, Sky News and The Washington Post. She returned to the UK and founded Prammavox Ltd. ----------LINKS:https://www.linkedin.com/in/e-bullock/https://www.prammavox.com/https://mast-security.com/team/elizabeth-bullock/----------PLEASE HELP US GROW IN 2026! THANK YOU! This channel happens because of your support - The interviews, the news episodes and live events. And especially the trips to Ukraine that enable me to make videos on the ground, and connections that lead to better and more insightful conversations. We are looking to scale up operations next year, as Putin's aggression is not going away, and authoritarians align to attack democracies and rule-of-law worldwide. We want to take on a Social Media Manager to amplify the impact of the channel, and grow it faster. This role will be recruited in Ukraine, to help the wartime economy.https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrashttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformationhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------Silicon Curtain is a part of the Christmas Tree Trucks 2025 campaign - an ambitious fundraiser led by a group of our wonderful team of information warriors raising 110,000 EUR for the Ukrainian army. https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/christmas-tree-trucks-2025-silicon-curtainThe Goal of the Campaign for the Silicon Curtain community:- 1 armoured battle-ready pickupWe are sourcing all vehicles around 2010-2017 or newer, mainly Toyota Hilux or Mitsubishi L200, with low mileage and fully serviced. These are some of the greatest and the most reliable pickups possible to be on the frontline in Ukraine. Who will receive the vehicles?https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/christmas-tree-trucks-2025-silicon-curtain----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------

2026-01-19 | UPDATES #108 | Nothing makes sense. And everything is clear. Trump says he “needs” Greenland to deter Russia… while starving Ukraine of support and now inviting Putin, Orbán, and Lukashenko onto something called the “Board of Peace.” A “peace board” with a $1 billion cover charge.He’s invited Putin, a man who has started more wars than any other leader alive today and been responsible for more deaths that most tyrants of the last 100 years. A man who has demonstrably not made peace in 2025, despite being presented with many opportunities through draft proposals and ceasefire requests. If this was not real and serious, one could pass it off as the greatest piece of trolling ever carried out in history. But Trump means it. This is indeed a lucrative club, and by design, perhaps the fees will only appeal to autocrats, kleptocrats and oligarchs. Democracies, not so much. If you ever needed a single headline for the collapse of the rules-based order into a demented billionaire’s vanity project, is it this.----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------SOURCES: Reuters (Jan 19, 2026) — Trump’s Norway message, Greenland “Complete and Total Control,” tariff linkage, Danish FM quote, Greenland PM quote. Reuters (Jan 19, 2026) — Kremlin says Putin invited to Trump’s “Board of Peace.”The Guardian (Jan 19, 2026) — Board of Peace reporting incl. invitation claims, $1bn-permanent-seat framing. Washington Post (Jan 17–19, 2026) — Board of Peace structure/appointments; reporting on pay-for-seat concept. Bloomberg (Jan 17–18, 2026) — $1bn contribution reporting around Board of Peace permanence.ITV News (Jan 19, 2026) — Additional excerpting of the Norway letter text. The Independent (Jan 19, 2026) — Published full letter text and extended excerpts. Sky News (Jan 19, 2026) — “gift for Putin” analysis framing around the Board of Peace. ----------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----------

2026-01-19 | UPDATES #107 | Doing the Devil’s Work: Stephen Miller and America’s “Law of the Jungle” Agenda. The 21st century has somehow become entangled with the 20th – an echo of fascistic philosophy, predatory empires and a breakdown in global security and trust, that led to the horrors of the second world war. We can witness the 21st century descending into behaviours that almost destroyed civilisation a century ago, and language that echoes that of the side that lost. Stephen Miller is the starkest example of this, but not the only one. Take his appearance on prime-time TV for instance, a senior White House aide arguing, that a country doesn’t deserve its territory unless it can physically hold it. Not by treaty. Not by law. Not by self-determination. By brute force. By “territorial control.” Survival of the fittest and nastiest. The target isn’t some distant adversary. It’s Denmark. A NATO ally. Over Greenland. This is not a gaffe. It’s a doctrine. And the face of it right now is Stephen Miller, and quite possibly the architect, from the American side. On Friday night, Stephen Miller went on Fox News and offered what can only be described as a pseudo-legal justification for acquisition-by-bullying. He dismissed Denmark like it was tenant in default, that must be evicted, not as an ally. ----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------SOURCES: Reuters (Jan 18, 2026): Dutch FM calls Greenland tariff threat “blackmail” AP (Jan 17, 2026): Trump tariff announcement timeline and “Complete and Total purchase” language The Guardian (Jan 17, 2026): tariff escalation reporting The Guardian (Jan 17, 2026): Keir Starmer statement “completely wrong” Le Monde (Jan 18, 2026): Miller’s “tiny country” framing and “polar competition” rationale The Daily Beast (Jan 17-18, 2026): Miller’s Hannity remarks and “territorial control” formulationCNN transcript (Jan 5, 2026): “governed by strength… force… power” quoteAP (Jan 2026): “In his own words” roundup of Miller’s statements and worldview framing The Atlantic (Jan 2026): reporting on Miller’s operational control and immigration enforcement targets UN legal materials on Article 2(4) and use-of-force principles Helsinki Final Act / territorial integrity principle (CSCE)----------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----------

2026-01-18 | UPDATES #106 | Popcorn in the Kremlin, as the world wonders whether Trump will order his troops to invade Greenland, a fellow NATO member on the one hand, or invade the U.S. instead – Minneapolis. Is the military to be deployed to support ICE thugs in a crisis manufactured by Trump. Two battalions. On alert and could potentially move within hours. From the 11th Airborne Division — the “Arctic Angels” — based in Alaska, built for extreme cold, rapid force projection and now reportedly queued up for Minnesota. It is winter, but this does seem like overkill. Joking, not joking. This is insanity. A quick question: are they preparing to “restore order” in Minneapolis or just warming up the engines for an Arctic strong-arm play in Greenland? Either scenario is as mad as the other – but what’s madder, is how many people are still lining up to ‘sane wash’ Trump’s weaponised lunacy, or even to support it. The unit trained for the Arctic is being readied for a domestic flashpoint at the exact moment Washington is torching alliance norms over an Arctic territory that belongs to a NATO ally. And Moscow has a front-row seat, watching the geopolitical show unfold with relish.----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------SOURCES: Associated Press — Pentagon orders ~1,500 soldiers on standby for possible Minnesota deployment (Jan 18, 2026). Wall Street Journal — Pentagon places 1,500 soldiers on alert for possible Minnesota deployment (Jan 18, 2026). Washington Post — Pentagon readies 1,500 soldiers to possibly deploy to Minnesota (Jan 18, 2026).CNN transcript (State of the Union) — Mayor Jacob Frey interview on troop alert & intimidation claim (Jan 18, 2026). Fox News — Sean Parnell statement quoted (“Department of War…”) (Jan 18, 2026). Reuters — EU warns of “dangerous downward spiral”; Kaja Kallas warns divisions benefit Russia/China (Jan 17, 2026). Reuters — Spain’s PM Sánchez: Greenland invasion would make Putin “the happiest man on earth” (Jan 18, 2026). AP — European leaders warn of spiral after Trump’s Greenland tariff threats (Jan 18, 2026). Financial Times — Macron urges EU response; anti-coercion instrument discussion (Jan 18, 2026).Kyiv Independent — Russia welcomes Greenland tariffs as NATO “collapse”; Dmitriev “transatlantic alliance is over” (Jan 18, 2026). Anadolu Agency — Dmitriev mocks Europe (“1% per soldier”; “daddy”) (Jan 18, 2026). Reuters (background) — Russia calls NATO Greenland threat narrative a “myth” (Jan 15, 2026).----------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----------

2026-01-18 | UPDATES #105 | The Purge Turns Inward: The Kremlin Starts Eating Its “Patriots.” What’s driving it? Fear of rivals and conspiracies? Punishment for incompetence? Or just plain paranoia? The people who cheerlead for a regime typically get rewarded, until that regime metastasizes and gets consumed by grievance, revenge narratives and paranoia. In Putin’s Russia, they get recycled almost as efficiently as Ukrainians are recycling the Russian army into compost and scrap metal. Arrests, seizure of properties, reputational ruin and stripped of their power and status. If you lose proximity to power in Russia, you lose everything. How many of the Russian elite are being ostracized, incarcerated, or found dead under mysterious circumstances. ----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------SOURCES: Meduza (Jan 16, 2026) — Anton Panov death / alleged intelligence links Cyprus Mail (Jan 16, 2026) — embassy access denied; investigative linksRBC (Jan 15, 2026) — Alexey Sklyar found dead RIA Novosti (Jan 15, 2026) — “Preliminary, he took his own life” Kommersant (Jan 15, 2026) — Sklyar details Reuters (May 22, 2024) — pro-war blogger backlash over Popov arrest (Telegram quotes) Reuters (May 23, 2024; Jul 26, 2024; Oct 7, 2024) — Defense Ministry corruption crackdown; factional “clans”; FSB role The Guardian (Nov 6, 2025) — repression turns inward on pro-war figures Carnegie Endowment (Dec 22, 2025) — why the Kremlin punishes pro-war bloggers Novaya Gazeta Europe (Sep 25, 2025) — Roman Alyokhin “foreign agent” case UNITED24 Media (Nov 18, 2025) — “destroyed legally” framing (via The Economist summary)Reuters (Sep 1, 2022) — list of Russian businessmen deaths in unexplained circumstancesMeduza (Jul 7, 2025) — review of sudden executive deaths since 2022 Britannica — Great Purge Britannica — Night of the Long Knives USHMM Holocaust Encyclopedia — Röhm Purge / legalization-after-the-fact (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum)----------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----------

2026-01-17 | UPDATES #104 | Let’s start with a quote from Yaroslav Trofimov, Chief Foreign-Affairs Correspondent of The Wall Street Journal. “We are now at a stage when Trump calls NATO nations putting troops on the territory of a NATO ally a threat to world peace. Actually, he calls Denmark putting troops on Denmark’s own sovereign soil a threat to world peace:“Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, The United Kingdom, The Netherlands, and Finland have journeyed to Greenland, for purposes unknown. This is a very dangerous situation for the Safety, Security, and Survival of our Planet. These Countries, who are playing this very dangerous game, have put a level of risk in play that is not tenable or sustainable.”----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------SOURCES: Reuters (Jan 17, 2026): Trump vows tariffs on eight European nations over Greenland AP (Jan 17, 2026): Trump says 8 European countries face 10% tariff for opposing US control of Greenland Reuters (Jan 17, 2026): Macron says Trump tariff threat over Greenland unacceptable The Guardian (Jan 17, 2026): Starmer and UK politicians condemn Trump’s Greenland tariff threat Reuters (Jan 15, 2026): NATO scramble for Arctic security ideas “and survival” amid Greenland push (Rynning, Rutte, Pothier quotes)Reuters (Jan 17, 2026): USTR Greer urges Europe to “silo” Greenland tariffs from trade deal Washington Post (Jan 17, 2026): U.S. lawmakers contradict Trump on Greenland; Murkowski “ally, not asset” Financial Times (Jan 17, 2026): Anders Fogh Rasmussen attacks Trump’s “gangster” talk; calls it “weapon of mass distraction” Reuters/Ipsos (Jan 16, 2026): U.S. public opinion on Greenland acquisition and force Reuters (Jan 16, 2026): Zelenskyy warns on air-defence missile shortages; delegation heading to U.S. Reuters (Apr 2025): Why Russia was excluded from certain tariff lists (sanctions rationale)----------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----------

Livestream with Yuri Rashkinhttps://www.youtube.com/@rashkinreportperspectives/streams ----------Silicon Curtain is a part of the Christmas Tree Trucks 2025 campaign - an ambitious fundraiser led by a group of our wonderful team of information warriors raising 110,000 EUR for the Ukrainian army. https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/christmas-tree-trucks-2025-silicon-curtainThe Goal of the Campaign for the Silicon Curtain community:- 1 armoured battle-ready pickupWe are sourcing all vehicles around 2010-2017 or newer, mainly Toyota Hilux or Mitsubishi L200, with low mileage and fully serviced. These are some of the greatest and the most reliable pickups possible to be on the frontline in Ukraine. Who will receive the vehicles?https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/christmas-tree-trucks-2025-silicon-curtain- The 38th Marine Brigade, who alone held Krynki for 124 days, receiving the Military Cross of Honour.- The 1027th Anti-aircraft and artillery regiment. Honoured by NATO as Defender of the Year 2024 and recipient of the Military Cross of Honour.- 104th Separate Brigade, Infantry, who alone held Kherson for 100 days, establishing conditions for the liberation of the city.- 93rd Brigade "Kholodnyi Yar", Black Raven Unmanned Systems Battalion ----------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----------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----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------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 Przemyslhttps://kharpp.com/NOR DOG Animal Rescuehttps://www.nor-dog.org/home/-----------