Vladyslav Golovin is a Ukrainian journalist with experience in media since 1995, worked at ICTV, the newspaper Delo, the media outlet Livy Bereg, and as editor and deputy editor-in-chief of Forbes Ukraine (2020-2021). ---------- BOOKS: Armed People of Ukraine: Stories We Will Tell Our Grandchildren A book exploring the importance of remembering Ukraine's defenders and the personal stories of the book’s heroes by Vladyslav Golovin ---------- LINKS: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vladyslav-golovin-8809524b/ https://bookforum.ua/en/events/1104 ---------- SUPPORT THE CHANNEL: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain https://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain https://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation ---------- TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND: Car4Ukraine https://car4ukraine.com/en-US/campaigns Dzyga's Paw https://dzygaspaw.com/projects 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/ ---------- PLATFORMS: Substack: https://substack.com/@siliconcurtain Twitter: https://twitter.com/CurtainSilicon Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/finkjonathan/ Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4thRZj6NO7y93zG11JMtqm ----------

Silicon Bites Ep300 | 2026-03-11 | Oilpocalypse? Iran’s Hormuz shock meets Russia’s budget hole. How Iran’s war just threw Putin a lifeline. A few weeks ago, the mood in Moscow was not triumphalist. It was anxious. Because before the Iran war detonated global oil markets, Russia’s own Central Bank had already started telegraphing a much uglier reality: weaker oil, weaker exports, more budget strain, and a narrowing room for manoeuvre on rates and inflation. In February, the Bank of Russia cut its key rate to 15.5%, while official and semi-official reporting around that decision pointed to a much weaker outlook for Urals crude, with the bank’s baseline effectively built around $45 oil in 2026. Public reporting at the time said Urals had fallen as low as $41 a barrel, well below the assumptions used in the Russian budget. Oilpocalypse? Or Oil Resurrection? A few weeks ago, Russia had a problem. Its war economy is powered by not so much by cash flow from making and selling products, but from hydrocarbons flow. And oil-and-gas revenues still matter enormously to the federal budget. Reuters reported last week that oil and gas revenues account for roughly a quarter to a third of Russian budget income, and that falling oil prices were already being flagged as a key fiscal risk even before the Middle East crisis went fully incandescent. Reuters also noted that Moscow’s budget assumptions were under pressure from both lower oil prices and a stronger rouble, which means fewer roubles earned per export dollar. ---------- SUPPORT THE CHANNEL: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain https://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain https://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation ---------- SOURCES: Reuters, “US weighs easing Russian oil sanctions to cool global price surge, sources say” — March 9, 2026. Reuters, “Trump says US is waiving certain oil-related sanctions to ensure supply” — March 9, 2026. Reuters, “Trump weighs easing Russia sanctions, other measures to cool oil prices” — March 9, 2026. Reuters, “US energy chief defends waiver on Russian oil sanctions, blames fear for higher gas prices” — March 8, 2026. Reuters, “EU urges US to strictly enforce G7 price cap on Russian oil” — March 10, 2026. Reuters, “Russia is the only winner of Middle East war, EU’s Costa says” — March 10, 2026. Reuters, “Putin says energy crisis has arrived but Russia is ready to work with Europe” — March 9, 2026. Reuters, “Russian oil prices soar though tanker costs eat into gains” — March 10, 2026. Reuters, “Russia gets export boost from Iran war as price of oil to India surges” — March 6, 2026. Reuters, “Iran-fuelled oil price rally not enough to balance Russia’s budget” — March 3, 2026. Reuters, “Oil jumps to 2022 high on Iran war, falls after close as Russia sanctions in doubt” — March 8, 2026. Reuters, “Aramco sees ‘catastrophic consequences’ for oil markets if Hormuz strait remains blocked” — March 10, 2026. ---------- SILICON CURTAIN LIVE EVENTS - FUNDRAISER CAMPAIGN Events in 2025 - Advocacy for a Ukrainian victory with Silicon Curtain https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras Our 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 We 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 ----------

Olena Halushka is a is a board member of the Ukrainian NGO “Anti-corruption Action Centre”, and co-founder of the International Centre for Ukrainian Victory. She has also worked as a chief of international advocacy at the post-Maidan coalition of 80 CSOs “Reanimation Package of Reforms”. Olena is a contributor to the Atlantic Council, Kyiv Independent. She has also written op-eds for the Washington Post, the Foreign Policy, and the EU Observer – but it’s a major article she wrote for the UK’s Guardian newspaper that we’ll be discussing today. ---------- LINKS: https://twitter.com/OlenaHalushka https://twitter.com/AntAC_ua https://twitter.com/ICUVua https://www.linkedin.com/in/olena-halushka-b7342259/?originalSubdomain=ua https://ukrainianvictory.org/experts/olena-halushka/ https://www.fpri.org/contributor/olena-halushka/ https://cepa.org/author/olena-halushka/ https://archive.kyivpost.com/author/olena-halushka https://foreignpolicy.com/author/olena-halushka/ ---------- SUPPORT THE CHANNEL: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain https://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain https://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation ---------- TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND: Car4Ukraine https://car4ukraine.com/en-US/campaigns Dzyga's Paw https://dzygaspaw.com/projects 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/ ---------- PLATFORMS: Substack: https://substack.com/@siliconcurtain Twitter: https://twitter.com/CurtainSilicon Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/finkjonathan/ Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4thRZj6NO7y93zG11JMtqm ----------

Livestream with Jonathan MS Pearce. Fundraising for equipment through Dzyga's Paw, and trucks for Car4Ukraine, and to support Silicon Curtain trips to Ukraine, to record interviews on the ground. Donate to help out: https://dzygaspaw.com/projects https://car4ukraine.com/en-US/campaigns ---------- SUPPORT THE CHANNEL: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain https://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain https://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation ---------- A REQUEST FOR HELP! I'm heading back to Kyiv this week, 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/extras https://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain https://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation NONE OF THIS CAN HAPPEN WITHOUT YOU! So what's next? We're going to Kyiv in January 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 CURTAIN We 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! ---------- 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/ -----------

Jason Jay Smart is a political adviser who has lived and worked in Ukraine, Moldova, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Latin America. Due to his work with the democratic opposition to Vladimir Putin, Smart was made persona non grata for life by Russia in 2010. Jason is a Special Correspondent at the Kyiv Post. It’s the state of US support for Ukraine that we will discuss today. ---------- LINKS: https://jasonjaysmart.com/ https://www.kyivpost.com/authors/5 https://americanpoliticalservices.com/ https://www.facebook.com/jasonjaysmart https://twitter.com/officejjsmart ---------- SUPPORT THE CHANNEL: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain https://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain https://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation ---------- David DeBatto is host of the ‘No Delusion Zone’ podcast @NoDelusionZone is a retired U.S. Army Counterintelligence Special Agent, a geopolitical analyst, writer, and podcaster. David is an Iraq war veteran who served as Team Leader of a Tactical Human Intelligence Team (THT) in operations within Iraq and is also a former police officer. David is considered too conservative for the progressive left and too independent minded for the radical right and seeks to challenge political dogma and the naked self-interest of politicians. ---------- LINKS: @NoDelusionZone https://www.protectingtherepublic.com/podcast https://x.com/ddebatto https://www.kyivpost.com/authors/743 ---------- SILICON CURTAIN LIVE EVENTS - FUNDRAISER CAMPAIGN Events in 2025 - Advocacy for a Ukrainian victory with Silicon Curtain https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras Our 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 ---------- 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/ ----------

Silicon Bites Ep299 | 2026-03-08 | Why does everything Trump does seem to benefit Russia in the end? And disadvantage Ukraine, its European allies, and ultimately Americans as well? The Trump administration has just issued a 30-day waiver to keep Russian oil flowing — specifically to India — because the Middle East war has smashed supply routes and sent prices spiking. This was the least surprising outcome of unleashing such a war – so why was the strategic and material planning not done to mitigate this inevitable outcome? In fact why was such a military adventure even contemplated, when the outcome was more likely to be detrimental to American interests? ---------- SUPPORT THE CHANNEL: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain https://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain https://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation ---------- SOURCES: https://ofac.treasury.gov/recent-actions/20260305_33 https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/us-could-lift-sanctions-more-russian-oil-says-bessent-2026-03-06/ https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/us-opposes-iaea-board-resolution-condemning-attacks-ukraines-power-grid-2026-03-05/ https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/05/us-waiver-india-russian-oil/ https://www.euronews.com/business/2026/03/06/us-offers-india-30-day-waiver-to-buy-stranded-russian-oil-amid-iran-war-shocks https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/03/06/russia-iran-intelligence-us-targets/ https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/06/ukraine-zelenskyy-iran-war-help-us-israel-fight-drones https://www.justice.gov/storage/report.pdf https://www.intelligence.senate.gov/sites/default/files/documents/report_volume5.pdf https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/indias-reliance-stops-importing-russian-crude-refinery-operations-2025-11-20/ https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20251013IPR30895/imports-of-russian-gas-and-oil-to-the-eu-meps-back-ban ---------- SILICON CURTAIN LIVE EVENTS - FUNDRAISER CAMPAIGN Events in 2025 - Advocacy for a Ukrainian victory with Silicon Curtain https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras Our 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 We 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 ----------