Episode Details

Silicon Bites SW26-226 | 2026-10-09 | HELL IN SOCHI. The sea is safe and clean insists the Kremlin. As the horizon burns with a menacing glow and a monstrous cloud of black smoke. Putin's Riviera burns – and the Kremlin's answer is to swear the sea is clean, despite the evidence that everyone can see for themselves. Sochi. The jewel of Putin's Russia. An Olympic city. Summer court of the Kremlin. The place where the regime goes to pretend the war is somewhere else, and happening to somebody else. On Tuesday evening, 6 October, the war exploded into view. Unavoidable and blazing. ----------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:Reuters (via Internazionale), "Russia says tanker crew rescued in Black Sea after attack set ship ablaze", 6 Oct 2026 Guardian staff and agencies (via AOL), "Naval drone hits oil tanker off Russian resort city Sochi, triggering massive blaze", 8 Oct 2026 RFE/RL, "Oil Tanker Hit By Naval Drones Near Sochi, Sparking Massive Fire On Black Sea", 7 Oct 2026Kyiv Post (Stefan Korshak), "Shadow Tanker Hit by Ukrainian Drones Threatens Spill Off Russia's Black Sea Coast", 8 Oct 2026 Meduza, "Greenpeace reports 25-square-kilometer oil slick in Black Sea after drone attack on tanker off Russia's Sochi coast", 8 Oct 2026The Maritime Executive, "Greenpeace Warns of Environmental Fallout From Tanker Attack in Black Sea", 7 Oct 2026 The Maritime Executive, "Tanker Catches Fire, Spills Oil off Russian Resort Town of Sochi", 6 Oct 2026 The Insider, Aframax Rio tracking history (Russian), 6 Oct 2026UNITED24 Media, "Flames Rise From Tanker Off Sochi After Possible Sea Drone Impact, Video", 6 Oct 2026 Kyiv Independent, "Shadow fleet tanker reportedly ablaze near Russian port city Sochi", 6 Oct 2026 TSN.ua, cargo and destination (citing Mash, ASTRA), 6 Oct 2026 www1.ru (Sochi local media), Sirius beach closure and Plishkin advisory, 6 Oct 2026 ----------