John Sweeney is a British investigative journalist and writer. He worked for The Observer newspaper, and the BBC's Panorama and Newsnight series. Sweeney ceased working for the BBC in October 2019, and is now reporting on the war in Ukraine, as well as creating a Daily war diary. Which I strongly advise you to watch if you’ve not seen it. He’s also been working on a film, documenting the most brutal parts of the conflict – ‘The Eastern Front’, which is released in June this year. ---------- SILICON CURTAIN FILM FUNDRAISER A 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 frontline towns. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras https://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain/collections ---------- LINKS: https://www.johnsweeney.co.uk/ https://twitter.com/johnsweeneyroar https://inews.co.uk/opinion/john-sweeney-vladimir-putin-chance-1972364 https://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/books/1736357/john-sweeney-ukraine-war-vladimir-putin https://pressgazette.co.uk/comment-analysis/john-sweeney-ukraine-front-line/ ----- BOOKS: Murder in the Gulag: The Life and Death of Alexei Navalny (2024) Killer in the Kremlin (2023) Putin's Prisoner: My Time as a Prisoner of War in Ukraine Taking on Putin with John Sweeney The Useful Idiot The Church of Fear: Inside the Weird World of Scientology Hunting Ghislaine ---------- SUPPORT THE CHANNEL: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain https://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain ---------- TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND: Save Ukraine https://www.saveukraineua.org/ Superhumans - Hospital for war traumas https://superhumans.com/en/ UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukraine https://unbroken.org.ua/ Come Back Alive https://savelife.in.ua/en/ Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchen https://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraine UNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyy https://u24.gov.ua/ Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation https://prytulafoundation.org NGO “Herojam Slava” https://heroiamslava.org/ kharpp - Reconstruction project supporting communities in Kharkiv and Przemyśl https://kharpp.com/ NOR DOG Animal Rescue https://www.nor-dog.org/home/ ---------- PLATFORMS: Twitter: https://twitter.com/CurtainSilicon Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/siliconcurtain/ Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4thRZj6NO7y93zG11JMtqm Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/finkjonathan/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain ---------- Welcome to the Silicon Curtain podcast. Please like and subscribe if you like the content we produce. It will really help to increase the popularity of our content in YouTube’s algorithm. Our material is now being made available on popular podcasting platforms as well, such as Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Join Jonathan MS Pierce, a fundraising warrior for Ukraine, and Philip Itner, an advocate for vital support, as they discuss their inspiring campaign to raise money for trucks to aid frontline troops. They delve into how these vehicles can save lives and impact the war effort. The guests highlight the resilience of Ukraine amidst conflict, the disturbing realities faced by children in war, and the complexities of international support. Tune in for a heartfelt call to action and the importance of community in making a difference.

Alex Cornell du Houx, a former Marine and Maine legislator, teams up with Ievgeniia Kopytsia, an energy law scholar from Ukraine, to discuss energy resilience amid the ongoing conflict. They delve into the strategic weaponization of energy by Russia, revealing how attacks on infrastructure threaten Ukraine’s survival. The conversation emphasizes the need for a comprehensive energy security plan that pivots to renewables, and highlights veterans' roles in Ukraine’s reconstruction efforts, advocating for green jobs and energy independence.

Shota Dighmelashvili is editor-in-chief at Forbes Georgia, a policy entrepreneur and a dedicated civil society leader. His work has earned global acknowledgement, including features in renowned international outlets. ---------- LINKS: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shotad/ https://x.com/shotadig https://www.facebook.com/shotad/ https://oc-media.org/tag/shota-dighmelashvili/ https://civil.ge/archives/tag/shota-dighmelashvili ---------- SUPPORT THE CHANNEL: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain https://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain ---------- TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND: Save Ukraine https://www.saveukraineua.org/ Superhumans - Hospital for war traumas https://superhumans.com/en/ UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukraine https://unbroken.org.ua/ Come Back Alive https://savelife.in.ua/en/ Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchen https://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraine UNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyy https://u24.gov.ua/ Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation https://prytulafoundation.org NGO “Herojam Slava” https://heroiamslava.org/ kharpp - Reconstruction project supporting communities in Kharkiv and Przemyśl https://kharpp.com/ NOR DOG Animal Rescue https://www.nor-dog.org/home/ ---------- PLATFORMS: Twitter: https://twitter.com/CurtainSilicon Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/siliconcurtain/ Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4thRZj6NO7y93zG11JMtqm Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/finkjonathan/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain ---------- Welcome to the Silicon Curtain podcast. Please like and subscribe if you like the content we produce. It will really help to increase the popularity of our content in YouTube’s algorithm. Our material is now being made available on popular podcasting platforms as well, such as Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Iryna Baturevych is a co-founder of the Chytomo media project (NGO), the Ukrainian independent media covering publishing and contemporary literary and cultural processes in Ukraine. Together with the Chytomo team, she organized the Ukrainian Chytomo Award for the Outstanding Achievements in Publishing. The publishing markets observer. In 2022, she co-founded the Ukrainian Club of Montreal. Iryna is a deputy director and a head of the analytical department of the Ukrainian Book Institute, guest teacher of the Kyiv National Taras Shevchenko University. Iryna presented the Ukrainian publishing market in more than 15 international events including the biggest book fairs and forums: Frankfurt Book Fair (Germany), Bologna Book Fair (Italy), Salon du livre (Canada), etc. Iryna has 15 years of experience in publishing and media, articles were published in the Ukrainian media (Chytomo.com, Day Newspaper, Ukrainska Pravda), and professional media abroad (e.g. PW, Publishing Perspectives, Boersenblatt). __ How Chytomo media was created: “I’ve always been driven by a desire to engage in tasks that propel me forward. Back in 2009, I was writing my university master’s thesis. I used this as an opportunity to create something practical and impactful. And I knew that Oksana (Oksana Khmelyovska, Chytomo co-founder, editor-in-chief) shared this vision and was the ideal partner to help me bring it to life. Besides, we recognised that the key to our growth lay not only in analyzing the process, but in engaging directly with industry experts — publishers, managers, writers, and designers. How? Given our journalistic background, we decided to start Chytomo — an online magazine about publishing, literature, and design. For the past 14 years, we have been leading this project, and I am pleased to see that Chytomo has now become an influential platform for aspiring publishing professionals in Ukraine, a tool for fostering a culture of reading, and a media outlet that introduces Ukrainian publishing and literature to a global audience.” __ LINKS: https://chytomo.com/en/authors/iryna-baturevych-2/ https://culturalhub.org/publication_author/iryna-baturevych/ https://ukraineworld.org/en/podcasts/ep-325 https://publishingperspectives.com/tag/iryna-baturevych/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/iryna-baturevych-520a0b23/ ---------- PUBLICATIONS: Wettbewerb auf Spitzenniveau https://www.boersenblatt.net/news/wettbewerb-auf-spitzenniveau-327671 (DE) https://www.giornaledellalibreria.it/scritti-da/iryna-baturevych-1917.html (IT) https://life.pravda.com.ua/authors/656ef0f89a2df/ (UA) Interviews: UkraineWorld Ukrainian non-fiction books: what is available in English? – with Iryna Baturevych Publishing Perspectives: Ukraine’s Iryna Baturevych: ‘Solidarity Is Our Superpower’ La Press Un essor inattendu pour le marché du livre en Ukraine Le Devoir En Ukraine, poésie de guerre et livres bombardés ---------- SUPPORT THE CHANNEL: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain https://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain ---------- TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND: Save Ukraine https://www.saveukraineua.org/ Superhumans - Hospital for war traumas https://superhumans.com/en/ UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukraine https://unbroken.org.ua/ Come Back Alive https://savelife.in.ua/en/ Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchen https://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraine UNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyy https://u24.gov.ua/ Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation https://prytulafoundation.org NGO “Herojam Slava” https://heroiamslava.org/ kharpp - Reconstruction project supporting communities in Kharkiv and Przemyśl https://kharpp.com/ NOR DOG Animal Rescue https://www.nor-dog.org/home/ ----------

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. ---------- SILICON CURTAIN FILM FUNDRAISER A 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 frontline towns. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras ---------- LINKS: https://www.youtube.com/@UC9HHZMXng9reLBQmNc1Y8iA ---------- INSIDE 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.com Get your access to daily news updates at patreon.com/INSIDERUSSIA @INSIDERUSSIA https://www.patreon.com/insiderussia ---------- OTHER VIDEOS WITH KONSTANTIN ON SILICON CURTAIN: https://youtu.be/kvpa8MS8Mmw (20-Nov-24) https://youtu.be/S15izhFsEF8 (20-Nov-24) https://youtu.be/zAaBRnpQ_Xg (22-Oct-24) https://youtu.be/WUUz11jZ-nY (17-Sep-27) https://youtu.be/2Pz9wGeCzXc (13-Aug-24) https://youtu.be/xV_cXBA12tw (22-Jul-24) https://youtu.be/lnIgKQRHM8o (15-Jun-24) https://youtu.be/XX3zU5QNvCw (22-May-24) https://youtu.be/qXcfjra6KGI (16-Apr-24) https://youtu.be/FTuvRZQMCN8 (04-Mar-24) https://youtu.be/URzXdRO02ps (29-Jan-24) ---------- SUPPORT THE CHANNEL: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain https://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain ---------- TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND: Save Ukraine https://www.saveukraineua.org/ Superhumans - Hospital for war traumas https://superhumans.com/en/ UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukraine https://unbroken.org.ua/ Come Back Alive https://savelife.in.ua/en/ Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchen https://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraine UNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyy https://u24.gov.ua/ Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation https://prytulafoundation.org NGO “Herojam Slava” https://heroiamslava.org/ kharpp - Reconstruction project supporting communities in Kharkiv and Przemyśl https://kharpp.com/ NOR DOG Animal Rescue https://www.nor-dog.org/home/ ---------- PLATFORMS: Twitter: https://twitter.com/CurtainSilicon Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/siliconcurtain/ Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4thRZj6NO7y93zG11JMtqm Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/finkjonathan/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain ---------- Welcome to the Silicon Curtain podcast. Please like and subscribe if you like the content we produce. It will really help to increase the popularity of our content in YouTube’s algorithm. Our material is now being made available on popular podcasting platforms as well, such as Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

A complex array of tactics are employed by the Russian government to manipulate public sentiment in connection with Russia's war in Ukraine, and to stifle any internal dissent. Studying the "politics of pacification" can help us understand how authoritarian regimes maintain control over society through a mixture of incentives and fear. As dissent increases, then repression needs to find new and more effective ways to maintain the authoritarian status quo and semblance of normality. But there are implications also for state capture, because these techniques can be learned, shared and imposed on other societies; their adaptations can be used as a toolkit for state capture and authoritarian control. ---------- Olga Vlasova is a Visiting Scholar at King’s Russia Institute, where she conducts research on Russian politics, and has a background in both practical politics and political science. Olga conducts research into the "politics of fear and calming" in Russia. Olga’s dedication to democracy and public service is evident in her active involvement in Russian politics, when that was more openly possible. She has also been a candidate in parliamentary elections, an authorized representative in presidential elections, and has played a significant role in the campaigns of centrist party in the Duma YABLOKO. Olga's research also focuses on propaganda and media, societal support for violence, digital authoritarianism, educational policies, and political education in contemporary European states. ---------- LINKS: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ovlas/ https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/olga-vlasova https://nationalinterest.org/profile/olga-vlasova https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/aug/15/thursday-briefing-ukraine-incursion-russian-views-of-war ---------- SUPPORT THE CHANNEL: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain https://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain ---------- TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND: Save Ukraine https://www.saveukraineua.org/ Superhumans - Hospital for war traumas https://superhumans.com/en/ UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukraine https://unbroken.org.ua/ Come Back Alive https://savelife.in.ua/en/ Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchen https://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraine UNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyy https://u24.gov.ua/ Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation https://prytulafoundation.org NGO “Herojam Slava” https://heroiamslava.org/ kharpp - Reconstruction project supporting communities in Kharkiv and Przemyśl https://kharpp.com/ NOR DOG Animal Rescue https://www.nor-dog.org/home/ ---------- PLATFORMS: Twitter: https://twitter.com/CurtainSilicon Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/siliconcurtain/ Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4thRZj6NO7y93zG11JMtqm Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/finkjonathan/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain ---------- Welcome to the Silicon Curtain podcast. Please like and subscribe if you like the content we produce. It will really help to increase the popularity of our content in YouTube’s algorithm. Our material is now being made available on popular podcasting platforms as well, such as Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

It’s been claimed that on Election Day in the US 280,000 X users closed their accounts. At the same time, Bluesky saw a massive spike in new users, up from 13 million in October, surpassing 21 by November. Rose Wang, whom I’m honoured to speaking with today, is quoted as saying that the company's 20-person team has been in "firefighting mode" as this spectacular growth has far surpassed their projections and has caused some technical stress. Bluesky is touted as a far more decentralised and democratic digital experience, that aims to avoid issues that have dogged all other social platform as they scaled and commercialised their business models. Let’s find out how Rose and her team intent to achieve this. ---------- Rose Wang is Chief Operating Officer of Bluesky Social, a microblogging social media service. It was spun out from Twitter, after its acquisition by Elon Musk. Although similar to Twitter in look and feel, Bluesky Social has ambitions to expand and innovate its platform significantly. Rose was also CEO and Co-founder of Chirps, a snack product made from insect protein, with the progressive ambition to reduce land and water usage, and greenhouse gas emissions. ---------- LINKS: https://x.com/iamrosewang https://x.com/bluesky https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosewang20/ ---------- SUPPORT THE CHANNEL: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain https://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain ---------- TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND: Save Ukraine https://www.saveukraineua.org/ Superhumans - Hospital for war traumas https://superhumans.com/en/ UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukraine https://unbroken.org.ua/ Come Back Alive https://savelife.in.ua/en/ Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchen https://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraine UNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyy https://u24.gov.ua/ Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation https://prytulafoundation.org NGO “Herojam Slava” https://heroiamslava.org/ kharpp - Reconstruction project supporting communities in Kharkiv and Przemyśl https://kharpp.com/ NOR DOG Animal Rescue https://www.nor-dog.org/home/ ---------- PLATFORMS: Twitter: https://twitter.com/CurtainSilicon Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/siliconcurtain/ Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4thRZj6NO7y93zG11JMtqm Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/finkjonathan/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain ---------- Welcome to the Silicon Curtain podcast. Please like and subscribe if you like the content we produce. It will really help to increase the popularity of our content in YouTube’s algorithm. Our material is now being made available on popular podcasting platforms as well, such as Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Mariam Kintsurashvili is a Strategic Communications expert, countering hybrid warfare. ---------- LINKS: https://x.com/kintsurashvili7 https://www.linkedin.com/in/kintsurashvili/ https://demsecinstitute.org/?page_id=371 ---------- SUPPORT THE CHANNEL: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain https://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain ---------- TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND: Save Ukraine https://www.saveukraineua.org/ Superhumans - Hospital for war traumas https://superhumans.com/en/ UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukraine https://unbroken.org.ua/ Come Back Alive https://savelife.in.ua/en/ Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchen https://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraine UNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyy https://u24.gov.ua/ Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation https://prytulafoundation.org NGO “Herojam Slava” https://heroiamslava.org/ kharpp - Reconstruction project supporting communities in Kharkiv and Przemyśl https://kharpp.com/ NOR DOG Animal Rescue https://www.nor-dog.org/home/ ---------- PLATFORMS: Twitter: https://twitter.com/CurtainSilicon Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/siliconcurtain/ Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4thRZj6NO7y93zG11JMtqm Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/finkjonathan/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain ---------- Welcome to the Silicon Curtain podcast. Please like and subscribe if you like the content we produce. It will really help to increase the popularity of our content in YouTube’s algorithm. Our material is now being made available on popular podcasting platforms as well, such as Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Edition No68 | 08-12-2024 - Assad is falling – in fact the total capitulation of his regime may be confirmed by the time this episode comes out. The mainstream media are paying attention and giving these events prominence fitting with their historical importance. The rapid collapse of the Assad clan’s 50-year reign of tyranny is a major blow to Russia and Iran in the region and will send out shockwaves to autocratic regimes around the world. Colour revolutions are back. It’s doubtful Putin will see these as organic manifestations of people power, or reactions to the brutal repressions of dictators. For him, autocracy is the natural order of the world, so he is likely to see plots and conspiracies by his enemies behind the unfolding events. The walls are closing in on Putin, as one-by-one his schemes to project Russian power, control and influence fail. ---------- SILICON CURTAIN FILM FUNDRAISER A 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 frontline towns. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras ---------- Hezbollah and Hamas are decimated, and their power much reduced. The Islamic Republic of Iran is greatly weakened and humiliated. The attempt at state capture in Romania through one of the Kremlin’s puppet populist politicians has failed decisively. The reaction of the Romains security services, and electoral commission provides a template for how sovereign democracies should fight back hard against Kremlin influence and operations. The decades-long attempt at state capture in Georgia is faltering, fast descending into brutal repression and violence. The mask of Kremlin intentions has been ripped off. The hybrid approach is no longer effective, and they are resorting to brutish violence in their desperation. Lenin's quote comes to mind, there are decades when nothing happens and then weeks when decades happen. ---------- NEWS SOURCES: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/12/08/assad-suspected-fleeing-russia-flight-disappears-off-radar/ https://phillipspobrien.substack.com/p/weekend-update-110-ukraine-and-the https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/syria-war-live-updates-syrian-rebels-advance-on-damascus-homs-hezbollah-withdraws-forces-president-bashar-al-assad-7198116 timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/mohammed-al-jolani-the-rebel-leader-who-toppled-assads-rule-in-syria/articleshow/116099586.cms ---------- SUPPORT THE CHANNEL: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain https://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain ---------- TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND: Save Ukraine https://www.saveukraineua.org/ Superhumans - Hospital for war traumas https://superhumans.com/en/ UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukraine https://unbroken.org.ua/ Come Back Alive https://savelife.in.ua/en/ Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchen https://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraine UNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyy https://u24.gov.ua/ Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation https://prytulafoundation.org NGO “Herojam Slava” https://heroiamslava.org/ kharpp - Reconstruction project supporting communities in Kharkiv and Przemysl https://kharpp.com/ NOR DOG Animal Rescue https://www.nor-dog.org/home/ ----------