Silicon Bites Ep385 | 2026-08-18 | The whole architecture of Russian military space power runs through one building, one cleanroom in Samara. This is a central node of the terror state and its illegal war, and Ukraine just hit it. The cleanroom is no longer so clean, and with this strike, Russia’s efforts to develop an alternative to Starlink may have been consigned to the trash bin. Good riddance. At around ten to three in the morning on the fifteenth of August, the missile alert went off across Samara oblast. Nine hundred kilometres from the Ukrainian border. Deep in the Russian interior, in a city that had gone four and a half years of full-scale war without a single strike of this kind on its industrial zone. Minutes later, residents heard a jet engine overhead, then the detonation. By dawn there was a column of black smoke over the eastern edge of the city. Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the target himself that Saturday. The Progress Rocket and Space Centre. A core enterprise of Roscosmos. Struck, in his words on X, with Flamingo missiles — "Flamingo missiles were used. A good achievement."----------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: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.org----------SOURCES:Ukrainska Pravda (English) — "OSINT analysts show damage to plant in Russia's Samara where rockets for military satellite launches are equipped," 15 August 2026 Kyiv Post — "Zelensky Confirms Flamingo Missile Strikes in Samara and Savasleyka," 15 August 2026 Militarnyi — "Flamingo Missiles Strike Industrial Facility in Samara," 15 August 2026 Euromaidan Press — "Reported Flamingo strike hits Samara industrial area housing factory that builds rockets for Russia's Starlink rival," 15 August 2026UNITED24 Media — "Ukraine's Flamingo Missiles Strike Russia's Soyuz Rocket Factory Behind Its Starlink Rival," 15 August 2026Defense Express — "Ukraine's Defense Forces… Striking Progress Plant in Samara with FP-5 Flamingo Missiles," 15 August 2026 Defence Blog — "Ukraine strike hits Russia's main space rocket maker," 15 August 2026 Euronews — "Ukraine strikes rocket and space centre in Russia's Samara," 15 August 2026Charter97 — "At the Progress Rocket and Space Center in Samara… workshop may have been damaged," 15 August 2026 EU Today — "Ukrainian Flamingo Missiles Reportedly Hit Russia's Progress Space-Rocket Centre in Samara," 15 August 2026 Türkiye Today — "Ukraine strikes Russia's only Soyuz rocket plant with Flamingo missiles," 15 August 2026 SpacePolicyOnline — "Ukrainian Missiles Strike Russian Soyuz Rocket Factory," 16 August 2026 ----------

Silicon Bites Ep384 | 2026-08-17 | Trump hands Kim Jong Un the one concession he has demanded for thirty years — while Kim's shells, Kim's missiles and Kim's soldiers are killing Ukrainians. Sunday evening, Washington. Hours before eighteen thousand South Korean troops were due to begin the largest allied exercise on the Korean peninsula, the President of the United States went on social media and pulled the rug out from under them. He ordered the Pentagon to substantially reduce Ulchi Freedom Shield. He gave two reasons. The first was Seoul's refusal to join his war against Iran. The second was his personal relationship with Kim Jong Un.The first is geopolitical blackmail, that has no strategic logic to it. The second is treachery driven by his malignant narcissism – which is rapidly destroying American global influence and power and causing the order that bound the civilised world together since 1945 to unravel. ----------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: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.org----------SOURCES:Stars and Stripes — "Trump calls North Korea 'unthreatening,' orders reduction in South Korea military drills," 16 Aug 2026 — https://www.stripes.com/theaters/asia_pacific/2026-08-16/trump-kim-jong-un-korea-military-exercises-22573400.htmlNPR — "Trump orders Pentagon to scale back joint exercises with South Korea," 17 Aug 2026 — https://www.npr.org/2026/08/17/g-s1-138969/trump-exercises-south-koreaNBC News — "Trump orders military to 'substantially reduce' joint exercises with South Korea," 17 Aug 2026 — https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/trump-orders-military-substantially-reduce-joint-exercises-south-korea-rcna592832CBS News — "Trump orders scale-back of military exercises with South Korea," 17 Aug 2026 — https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-scale-back-south-korea-military-exercises/Military.com — "Trump Orders Hegseth to 'Substantially Reduce' South Korea Military Drills," 17 Aug 2026 — https://www.military.com/trump-orders-hegseth-substantially-reduce-south-korea-military-drillsAFP via Yahoo News — "Bipartisan backlash as Trump scales back US-South Korea drills" (Tillis, Reed), 17 Aug 2026 — https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/bipartisan-backlash-trump-scales-back-155016102.htmlMS NOW via AOL — "After Trump gave North Korea what it wants, a key senator accuses him of 'appeasement,'" 17 Aug 2026 — https://www.aol.com/articles/trump-gave-north-korea-wants-184352000.htmlThe Hill — "Reed criticizes Trump's North Korea praise as 'delusional,'" 17 Aug 2026 — https://thehill.com/policy/defense/6033746-reed-criticizes-trump-north-korea/Al Jazeera — "Democrats rebuke Trump over scaling back military drills with South Korea," 17 Aug 2026 — https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/8/17/democrats-rebuke-trump-over-scaling-back-military-drills-with-south-koreaTIME — "Trump's South Korea Shift Tests a Key U.S. Alliance" (Col. Ryan Donald), 17 Aug 2026 — https://time.com/article/2026/08/17/trump-south-korea-joint-drills-kim-north-nuclear-iran-analysis/----------

Silicon Bites Ep383 | 2026-08-17 | Koledino is gone, Russia's consumer economy is being dismantled warehouse by warehouse. This is not a stalemate, but a systematic elimination of the modern economy that has lulled Muscovites into thinking the war is far away and does not affect them. That illusion has been demolished. At half past eight on Saturday evening, the drones started coming. They were still coming at half past six on Sunday morning. Ten hours. Six hundred of them, by Sobyanin's own count, headed for the Moscow region. Two hundred and one shot down over the oblast – is the claim. Eight hundred and twenty-two claimed downed nationwide by the Russian Defence Ministry — a number Moscow publishes to sound strong, but which reveal the incredible mass of offensive drones that were in the air. This is a modern-day Blitz but conducted with pinpoint accuracy and aligned with clear strategic objectives. ----------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: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.org----------SOURCES:The Moscow Times / Reuters — "Ukrainian Drones Strike Moscow Region, Killing One," 16 Aug 2026 — https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2026/08/16/ukrainian-drones-strike-moscow-region-killing-one-a93506RFE/RL — "Massive Overnight Ukrainian Drone Strikes Target Moscow Region," 16 Aug 2026 — https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-moscow-wildberries-facilities-drones/33831405.htmlKyiv Independent — "Ukrainian forces target Moscow Oblast, damaging Wildberries warehouse in major attack," 16 Aug 2026 — https://kyivindependent.com/ukrainian-forces-target-moscow-oblast-damaging-wildberries-warehouse-in-major-attack/Liga.net — "Hundreds of drones headed for Moscow; largest Wildberries warehouse and Domodedovo on fire," 16 Aug 2026 — https://news.liga.net/en/war/news/hundreds-of-drones-headed-for-moscow-largest-wildberries-warehouse-and-domodedovo-on-fire-photos-videoFrance 24 (live/AFP/AP/Reuters) — "Moscow targeted by 600 drones overnight, explosions heard in Kyiv," 16 Aug 2026 — https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20260816-live-moscow-targeted-by-600-drones-overnight-explosions-heard-in-kyivEA WorldView — "Ukraine War, Day 1,635: Kyiv Strikes More Wildberries Warehouses in Russia," 16 Aug 2026 — https://eaworldview.com/2026/08/ukraine-war-wildberries-kyiv-strikes-warehouses/UNITED24 Media — "Russian E-Commerce Giants Beg Kremlin for Bailout After Devastating Drone Strikes," 14 Aug 2026 — https://united24media.com/world/russian-e-commerce-giants-beg-kremlin-for-bailout-after-devastating-drone-strikes-21695Meduza — "Wildberries and sellers' combined losses… estimated at hundreds of billions of rubles," 13 Aug 2026 — https://meduza.io/en/news/2026/08/13/wildberries-and-sellers-combined-losses-from-ukrainian-drone-attacks-estimated-at-hundreds-of-billions-of-rublesThe Moscow Times — "Ad Spending on Wildberries Nosedives After Ukrainian Drone Attacks, Kommersant Reports," 12 Aug 2026 — https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2026/08/12/ad-spending-on-wildberries-nosedives-after-ukrainian-drone-attacks-kommersant-reports-a93472Byline Times — "How Ukraine Is Now Targeting the Russian Economy," 12 Aug 2026 — https://bylinetimes.com/2026/08/12/how-ukraine-is-now-targeting-the-russian-economy/----------

Ben Hodges is a retired United States Army officer, who became commander of United States Army Europe in November 2014, and held that position for three years until retiring from the United States Army in January 2018. Until recently he was the Pershing Chair in Strategic Studies, at the Centre for European Policy Analysis, specialising in NATO, Transatlantic relationship and international security. ----------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:Ben Hodges: Russia Is Already at War With Europe | Leipzig Drone Attack, NATO Readiness & Interceptor CrisisJonathan interviews retired US Lieutenant General Ben Hodges about Russia’s escalating sabotage campaign in Europe, arguing the West is already under attack and citing the failed explosive drone incident in Leipzig near an Antonov reportedly loaded with ammunition for Ukraine alongside Lavrov’s statements about destroying support for Ukraine. They discuss confusion and reluctance among European leaders to attribute attacks to Russia and the need for consequences, better airspace protection, and using technology and intelligence to trace drone launch networks. The conversation also covers Trump’s remarks about Kim Jong Un and implications for South Korea, growing doubts about US reliability for Europe and Taiwan, overstretched US naval forces, China’s opportunism, and the shortage of interceptors and munitions. They conclude that political will and industrial prioritization are central as Ukraine faces a difficult winter.----------CHAPTERS: 00:00 Russia At War With Us00:25 Meet Ben Hodges01:52 Trump And South Korea04:03 North Korea In Europe05:37 Europe Must Defend Itself08:22 Leipzig Drone Wakeup11:36 Hybrid War Reality16:05 Lavrov Threats And NATO17:47 Hunting Drone Launchers19:29 Ukraine Interceptors Crisis23:12 Taiwan And China Signals27:08 Drone Age Training Lessons34:09 Missiles Versus Interceptors----------

Andriy Kusyy is a Ukrainian machine-learning specialist and the CEO/co-founder of LetsData, a company built around detecting coordinated information operations. Before founding LetsData with Ksenia Iliuk in 2022, he led a machine-learning platform team at Grammarly. His perspective is therefore somewhat different from that of a traditional disinformation researcher: he approaches propaganda as an adversarial system that can be detected through data, networks, timing and anomalous behaviour, rather than primarily through fact-checking individual claims.----------LetsData gives organizations an earlier detection point for emerging threats. Its narrative intelligence platform, Vantage, identifies the behavioral signals behind narrative threats — impersonation, synthetic amplification, manufactured narratives — before they produce the infrastructure, IOCs, and downstream damage that conventional tools are built to find.----------LINKS:https://www.linkedin.com/in/andriy-kusyy/https://www.linkedin.com/in/ksenia-iliuk/https://letsdata.net/https://datainnovation.org/2025/10/5-qs-with-ksenia-iluik-co-founder-of-letsdata/----------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 Ep382 | 2026-08-15 | Putin has multiple fears now. Known knowns – Ukrainian drones. Known unknowns – Foreign intelligence services. Unknown unknowns – internal rivals and opponents within the system. The drones are the fear he can name. But the others also feed his rampant paranoia. On 22 December 2025, a car bomb in a Moscow car park killed Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, head of the General Staff's Operational Training Directorate. Three days later Putin convened the heads of the security services. According to a European intelligence dossier obtained by CNN, the Financial Times and iStories in May, that meeting degenerated into a brawl. Chief of the General Staff Gerasimov attacked FSB director Bortnikov for failing to protect senior officers. Bortnikov pleaded shortage of resources and manpower. Putin ended it by demanding concrete solutions within a week.----------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: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.org----------SOURCES:Novaya Gazeta Europe — Novosibirsk residents told to stay indoors and away from windows, 11 August 2026Novaya Gazeta Europe — Eyewitness accounts of the Novosibirsk visit, road resurfacing and traffic closures, 11 August 20267x7 Horizontal Russia — Security services barred students and residents from windows, dormitory checks, 11 August 2026Agentstvo — Putin has stopped travelling around Russia; record isolation, 21 May 2026The Moscow Times (Russian service) — Putin halts public regional travel due to Ukrainian strikes, 21 May 2026Novaya Gazeta Europe / Agentstvo — Putin avoiding European-Russia regions regularly hit by drones, 8 August 2026The Moscow Times / AFP — Putin makes first visit to disputed Kuril Islands amid Japanese protests, 13 August 2026NPR / AP — Putin's first Kuril visit draws Tokyo protest; Pacific Fleet drills, 13 August 2026Al Jazeera — Japan protests as Putin visits disputed Kuril Islands, 13 August 2026Ukrainska Pravda / Radio Svoboda — Seven new Pantsir towers at Valdai, total 27, 12 April 2026Meduza — 27 air-defence positions around Putin's Valdai residence; 26 Pantsir plus S-400, 13 April 2026Militarnyi — Russia builds seven new Pantsir towers around Putin's residence, 12 April 2026----------

Silicon Bites Ep381 | 2026-08-15 | The whole apparatus of a nuclear-armed state, bent to one purpose: keeping a frightened 73-year-old man alive and in power. On the morning of 11 August, residents of apartment blocks along one road in Novosibirsk received a notice from their management company. It cited instructions from the security organs. Do not go outside. Do not approach your windows. Do not use electronic or optical devices.Students at Novosibirsk State University got their own version. Draw the curtains. Stay away from the glass. In Dormitory Four, a room-by-room inspection, and every resident required to register with the warden by eight in the morning. The canteen closed. The swimming pool closed. Electric scooter rentals switched off across most of Akademgorodok. Metal barriers of the kind normally used to pen in protesters erected around the new university buildings. Police posted along the motorcade route every fifty metres from eight o'clock the previous evening. ----------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: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.org----------SOURCES:Novaya Gazeta Europe — Novosibirsk residents told to stay indoors and away from windows, 11 August 2026Novaya Gazeta Europe — Eyewitness accounts of the Novosibirsk visit, road resurfacing and traffic closures, 11 August 20267x7 Horizontal Russia — Security services barred students and residents from windows, dormitory checks, 11 August 2026Agentstvo — Putin has stopped travelling around Russia; record isolation, 21 May 2026The Moscow Times (Russian service) — Putin halts public regional travel due to Ukrainian strikes, 21 May 2026Novaya Gazeta Europe / Agentstvo — Putin avoiding European-Russia regions regularly hit by drones, 8 August 2026The Moscow Times / AFP — Putin makes first visit to disputed Kuril Islands amid Japanese protests, 13 August 2026NPR / AP — Putin's first Kuril visit draws Tokyo protest; Pacific Fleet drills, 13 August 2026Al Jazeera — Japan protests as Putin visits disputed Kuril Islands, 13 August 2026Ukrainska Pravda / Radio Svoboda — Seven new Pantsir towers at Valdai, total 27, 12 April 2026Meduza — 27 air-defence positions around Putin's Valdai residence; 26 Pantsir plus S-400, 13 April 2026Militarnyi — Russia builds seven new Pantsir towers around Putin's residence, 12 April 2026----------

Dr Yuri Felshtinsky is a prominent author, historian, and journalist, and expert on Russia and the former Soviet Union. He has appeared in hundreds of print, TV, and radio interviews worldwide, and is widely known as co-author of the book “Blowing Up Russia” with Alexander Litvinenko, a former Lieutenant Colonel in the FSB who was poisoned with radioactive polonium in London in 2006. His latest book – “Blowing up Ukraine: The Return of Russian Terror and The Threat of World War III”, was researched before the invasion of Ukraine, and is the first comprehensive investigation into the lethal methods Russia has used since 1999 to take over Ukraine – culminating in the full-blown unprovoked war in 2022 and mounting atrocities.----------BOOKS:From Red Terror to Terrorist State: Russia’s Secret Intelligence Services and Their Fight for World Domination from Felix Dzerzhinsky to Vladimir Putin Hardcover – 4 Nov. 2023by Yuri Felshtinsky (Author), Vladimir Popov (Author)Publisher: Gibson House ----------LINKS: https://twitter.com/yfelshtinskyhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/yuri-felshtinsky-55497940/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuri_Felshtinskyhttps://www.spectator.co.uk/writer/yuri-felshtinsky/----------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----------

Simon Smith is Chair of the Ukraine Forum Steering Committee at Chatham House. He served as British Ambassador to Ukraine (2012–2015) during the Euromaidan Revolution, Russia's annexation of Crimea, and the outbreak of the Donbas war. Before Kyiv, he was Director for Russia, South Caucasus and Central Asia at the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office (2005–2007), giving him extensive experience in British policy toward Russia and the post-Soviet region. Smith is regarded as one of the UK's most experienced diplomats on Eastern Europe. ----------John Lough is an Associate Fellow in the Russia and Eurasia Programme at Chatham House (since 2009) and Head of Foreign Policy at the New Eurasian Strategies Centre, a London- and Washington-based think tank. He began his career at the Soviet Studies (later Conflict Studies) Research Centre, specialising in Soviet and Russian security policy. John has had a long career spanning government, diplomacy, business and academia. He previously served as the first NATO representative based in Moscow following the end of the Cold War, where he worked on NATO–Russia relations during a formative period. ----------LINKS:https://www.chathamhouse.org/2026/05/how-russia-ukraine-ceasefire-could-imperil-ukrainian-and-european-securityhttps://www.chathamhouse.org/about-us/our-people/orysia-lutsevychhttps://www.chathamhouse.org/about-us/our-people/keir-gileshttps://icds.ee/en/the-russian-way-of-ceasefires-and-the-traps-it-sets-for-europe/----------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:Why a Ceasefire Isn’t Peace: Russia’s War Aims, Negotiation Traps, and Western Complacency | Simon Smith & John LoughThe host interviews Chatham House’s Simon Smith and John Lough about why a ceasefire in Ukraine would not equal peace, citing the Korean Armistice as a warning that unresolved issues can harden into decades of confrontation. They argue Putin’s objectives—subjugating Ukraine, blocking its integration with Western or European security structures, enforcing demilitarization and political change in Kyiv—have not changed, making any pause potentially a chance for Russia to regroup. The discussion covers Ukraine’s strikes inside Russia, economic and recruitment pressures on Moscow, and risks of escalation against Ukrainian infrastructure. They stress Western political complacency, incremental support, and the danger that electorates may find a Russian victory “palatable,” arguing enforcement matters more than signatures in any talks. John Lough outlines likely Russian minimum demands, including full control of Donbas and removing Zelensky.----------

Silicon Bites Ep380 | 2026-08-14 | In December 2025, Vladimir Putin stood in front of Russia's military command and complained that European leaders were "stoking up hysteria" about the Russian threat. That was the public performance, reported from the Russian record by RBC-Ukraine. Is this just a clear-cut case of projection, or is there something more to this performative, fake outrage?Misunderstood Moscow. Warmongering Europeans. This narrative turns the world on its head. Not unusual for Russian geopolitical games though. ----------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: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.org----------SOURCES:The New York Times, 14 Aug 2026 — https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/14/world/europe/russia-moldova-putin.htmlThe New Voice of Ukraine — https://english.nv.ua/nation/putin-ordered-russia-to-undermine-nato-and-eu-from-within-in-2026-nyt-reports-50632708.htmlKyiv Post, 14 Aug 2026 — https://www.kyivpost.com/post/82357UNN, 14 Aug 2026 — https://unn.ua/en/news/putin-wants-to-destroy-nato-and-the-eu-from-within-he-has-assigned-moldova-a-key-role-nytRBC-Ukraine, 14 Aug 2026 — https://newsukraine.rbc.ua/news/putin-gives-russian-military-objective-for-1786713992.htmlCharter97, 14 Aug 2026 — https://charter97.org/en/news/2026/8/14/694762UA.NEWS (Peskov denial), 14 Aug 2026 — https://ua.news/en/world/u-kremli-bachat-moldovu-platsdarmom-dlia-novoyi-agresiyi-nytAround Prague (GRU camps, payments), 14 Aug 2026 — https://aroundprague.cz/en/news/putin-s-2026-target-undermining-nato-and-the-eu-from-within-through-moldovaKyiv Independent (Tusk), 13 Aug 2026 — https://kyivindependent.com/poland-arrests-russian-man-for-alleged-assassination-plot-against-us-ukrainian-national-pm-tusk-says/NBC News / Reuters, 13 Aug 2026 — https://www.nbcnews.com/world/europe/poland-thwarted-russian-plot-kill-american-citizen-warsaw-rcna592337CNN, 14 Aug 2026 — https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/14/europe/poland-russian-plot-american-intlThe Washington Post, 14 Aug 2026 — https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/08/14/poland-says-it-thwarted-russian-assassination-attempt-us-citizen-warsaw/----------