Edition No80 | 13-01-2025 - We cannot say when the Russian economy will ‘collapse’, or even if it’s cave in single a dramatic moment. But what’s not under doubt is that pressure on Putin’s economy is building – it was even terms a ‘house of cards’ in a recent article in the Financial Times. All this pressure makes Putin’s war economy less sustainable, his regime more brittle, and the outcome of events far less certain or indeed predictable. And if you’re a tyrant, then things you cannot control, unpredictability in fact, is the last thing you want to see in your realm. ---------- At relatively short notice, we're organising two events in Ukraine in the last week of January. Lviv (part 2) and Kyiv. The event we ran in August 2023 was a huge success, and had a great impact. Now our aim is even more ambitious. Two cities. Two events. Multiple panels consisting of the best experts, and all filmed in high definition for the channel. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras But it costs. Last time the overall cost was £3,500 for Live in Lviv, and we covered 80% of this through ticket sales. This time the costs are higher, and there's less opportunity to sell tickets at the available venues and studios, so I'm creating a campaign to raise £5,000 to make this trip a reality. We also have a much more ambitious programme to film interviews around Kyiv and Lviv for the channel. This project will have an impact, so please help if you can. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras ---------- 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 front-line towns. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras ---------- NEWS SOURCES: https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/01/09/russias-economic-gamble-the-hidden-costs-of-war-driven-growth-a87548 https://navigatingrussia.substack.com/ https://www.ft.com/content/61adaed4-ac9a-4891-afb6-b3ad648c58ad https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-economy-ukraine-war-recession-outlook-inflation-sanctions-banks-rates-2025-1 https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/01/09/russias-economic-gamble-the-hidden-costs-of-war-driven-growth-a87548 ---------- 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/ ----------