Silicon Curtain

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is not just about territory and resources, though they play a part. It’s also a struggle to control historical memory. Russia seeks to simplify history writing, teaching, and mythology down to a few selective narratives that support its current political structure and imperial revanchism. Ukrainian history is complex, messy and offers an alternative take on Russian and...

Putin expected Ukraine to roll over in days when he launched the full-scale war in February 2022. But this was a tragic misreading of the Ukraine people, because they were prepared to fight for their independence and liberty. The ‘Russian World’ concept did not have the attractions that Putin and his acolytes seemed to believe. Instead of a small victorious war, Russia has become entangled in a qu...

Today I’m speaking with Anders Åslund, and it’s something of a milestone for the channel. I interviewed Anders over 7 months ago, and he was the first guest on the Podcast. Having now done more than 60 interviews with Western, Ukrainian, and Russian experts, I’m delighted to welcome him back to the channel to explore what has happened since then, and what Putin’s endgame might be. ---------- GUEST...

Putin was moulded in the KGB, weaned on espionage, counterintelligence, Active Measures, insurgency, and counter insurgency. It is no wonder that his world view oozes paranoia, and that he has no belief in democracy as a system, or the idea of organic, bottom-up revolutions. The war in Ukraine has shone a harsh light on an area of research that is undergoing a renaissance: counterinsurgency strate...

Never has it been more important to get accurate and unbiased information. Especially in time of war, and when information has been weaponised by Russian propaganda, amplified through Social Media platforms. Today I am discussing the issues of reporting news in wartime with Alina Poliakova. Alina Poliakova is Managing Editor of the English version of Ukrainska Pravda. Ukrainska Pravda is a Ukraini...

The last 6 months or so has seen a vicious war of attrition unfold in towns like Ugledar, Soledar and Bakhmut. But this should not be interpreted as a stalemate, as those struggles seems to have degraded the quantity of functional Russian equipment and depleted their fighting manpower. Will the much-vaunted spring offensive and defeat of its forces in 2023 finally bring an end to Russia’s genocida...

Perhaps the most perverse Russian invasion narrative, is that Ukraine is not old, and is not distinct from Russia in any case. But Ukraine is not just a footnote to Russian imperial history. As a nation, it is old, different, and diverse. Just as it went unrecognised by Russia, it has not been understood or recognised by the outside world either, for a variety of reasons. 100 years ago, nobody car...

Even for avid supporters of Ukraine, like me, Ukrainian literature remains and undiscovered country. Today I’m speaking with Maria Shuvalova who can guide on a journey of discovery, to engage with Ukrainian culture and identity. Ukrainian literature has a strong tradition of folk tales and oral poetry, and it has been influenced by the country's complex political and cultural history, includin...

NATO members and other western countries have stepped up the supply of weapons to Ukraine. The UK pledged 14 Challenger 2 tanks, the US 31 Abrams tanks, and Germany dispatched 14 Leopard 2 tanks, with more to follow. Other countries are sending anti-tank and anti-air systems, artillery pieces, drones, armoured vehicles, and tanks. Modern, sophisticated weapons are key to the success of Ukraine’s s...

There are many strong voices supporting Ukraine, and many Ukrainians that are active in supporting and promoting it’s cause throughout the west. Few are more vocal and effective than Yana Rudenko, and few followed with more enthusiasm and affection. She has a strong voice on platforms like LinkedIn, and despite repeatedly being banned, she bounces back, to fight the good fight. ~~~~~ LINKS: https:...

Until February 2022, the war in Ukraine could be dismissed by some as a “quarrel in a faraway country, between people of whom we know nothing”, especially if they had been influenced by aggressive Russian propaganda and the techniques of hybrid information warfare. But in 2022 the war became full scale, and the propagandistic subterfuge was far less effective. The hot war may be in full swing, but...

Before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, before the invasion of Crimea in 2014, before the Bolotnaya protests of 2012, Russia was living through so-called ‘vegetarian’ times. But the regime has turned distinctly carnivorous in 2023, and that process ratcheted up by degrees after massive protests gripped the streets in 2012. Independent news organisations like TV Rain, Echo Moscow, Meduza...

Edition No7 | 17-03-2023 Opposition Divisions - the Challenges Facing Alexei Navalny and the Russian Opposition ~~~~~ FEATURED ARTICLES: https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2023/02/20/navalny-sets-out-15-point-plan-for-russias-postwar-development-a80276 Navalny Sets Out 15-Point Plan for Russia's Postwar Development Updated: Feb. 20, 2023 ~~~~~ NEWS LINKS: The Moscow Times From Gershkovich to Gadzh...

Russian Disinformation is relentless. Like floodwaters it envelops all low-lying and unprotected things and when it recedes, leaves them coated with a filthy, foul-smelling taint. We are all of us vulnerable. Russian disinformation continues to be a threat to Ukrainian sovereignty and unity, though is perhaps not as effective as it was in the years 2014-2022. Nonetheless new narratives are created...

There’s no such thing as a former KGB man, writes Mark Hollingsworth. Is the FSB an intelligence agency gone out of control, accountable to no one but itself and intent on subverting Western political institutions? The scale of Russian disinformation warfare and Active Measures is huge even when compared to their activities at the height of the Cold War. In 1985, 1,300 KGB officers were stationed...

You may not be interested in Russia. But Russia is interested in you. Writes Kier Giles in his book: Russia's War on Everybody. Russia's full-scale attack on Ukraine in 2022 is a challenge to the West also, and has prompted a range of responses, but also hesitancy, anxiety, and caution. From the expansion of NATO to military investment planning, supply of equipment and training of Ukraine...

Rather than seeing the conflict in Russia in terms of big geopolitical concepts, like ‘multi-polar world’, it can also be seen at a much more basic level – democracy against autocracy. The area of research of my guest today will help to shed like on how a democracy reacts and evolves in reaction to a military attack, but also an informational assault over more than 8 years and becomes more resilie...

Putin, in his senseless war of aggression in Ukraine has resurrected death and destruction on a scale not seen since WWII, bringing misery and violence to the heart of Europe in the 20th Century. What myths and delusions led us to this point – and how can it be stopped? Today I am exploring these questions with Professor Dina Khapaeva. Dina Khapaeva is a Professor at the School of Modern Languages...

Cornered like a rat, Vladimir Putin is more dangerous than ever. We want his regime to be unstable, fragile, and collapsing – but 14 months of war have shown it is remarkably resilient. We wanted the Russian people to rise up against tyranny, but more than a million fled the country instead. Analysts, politicians, and the media have been wrong about so much when it comes to Russia. What are we sti...

“War is when two states are at war” – “We do not have a war, we have a circus. With clowns in uniform and without. They don't even know how to fight, and they can't decide to declare war on the enemy.” So said Girkin, (or Igor Ivanovich Strelkov to give his full name), a Russian army veteran and former FSB officer who played a key role in the annexation of Crimea by Russia, and later the w...

Putin expected Ukraine to roll over in days when he launched the full-scale war in February 2022. But this was a tragic misreading of the Ukraine people and their relationship with their leaders and system of government – which they were prepared to fight for and lay down their lives for. Instead of a small victorious war, Putin has become entangles in a quagmire that has now claimed more Russian...

Russia has been attacking Ukraine overtly since 2014, but even before that has sought to influence politics in Ukraine through propaganda and Information warfare, corrupt agents, and assets. But this war turned into a full-scale invasion in February 2022. Of course, Western technology and weaponry has played an important role in helping Ukrainians to resist, but also home-grown technology, techniq...

Those who ascribe to the Great Powers view of history, may interpret the Russia Ukraine war as a clash of political cultures, part of a wider geo-political game; they may go so far as to suggest that such a civilisational conflict was inevitable. But this interpretation ignores the agency of individuals, groups, and nations in making decisions and in some way absolves them of guilt for the crimes...

Dr Sean McFate is a strategist and expert on international relations. He is a Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council, and a professor at: Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service, Syracuse University's Maxwell School, and the National Defence University’s College of International Security Affairs. His career began as a paratrooper and officer in the US Army’s 82nd Airborne Divisi...

GUEST: Robin Horsfall, soldier, writer, campaigner and keynote speaker. ---------- Russia's much vaunted 'new offensive', started without huge fanfare, and seems to have petered out with little tangible success, but an unimaginable scale of losses. This is nowhere more apparent than in the attritional 'meat grinder' confrontations around Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Vhuledar. To win o...