Episode Details

Silicon Bites Ep419 | 2026-10-11 | Ukraine snaps Putin's Donbas pincer closed — and starts to prove that an army that invests in machines, and can intelligently deploy them, can out-manoeuvre an army that has an advantage in human resources, and spends men like worthless and disposable meat. Last week, at the Valdai Club, Vladimir Putin told the world that Russia now holds 89 per cent of the Donetsk region. The Institute for the Study of War checked. The real figure is no more than 81. And the territorial gains of Russia have gone from incremental, into negative figures. Through September, pro-Kremlin media boasted that Russian troops had seized another 1,301 square kilometres of Ukraine. ISW went through the geolocated footage and the satellite imagery. In September, Russia didn't gain ground. It lost it. A net retreat of roughly 175 square kilometres. ISW's verdict on Putin's battlefield claims: they are "so far removed from reality that they resemble hallucinations."----------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:Euronews / ISW analysis — "Ukraine's Operation Vivaldi foils Russia's plan to encircle the Donbas, ISW analysis shows" (9 Oct 2026): https://www.euronews.com/2026/10/09/ukraines-operation-vivaldi-foils-russias-plan-to-encircle-the-donbas-isw-analysis-showsISW — Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, 7 October 2026: https://understandingwar.org/research/russia-ukraine/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-october-7-2026/The New York Times — "Ukraine Claws Back Land in the Donbas, Thwarting a Russian Push" (7 Oct 2026), via syndication: https://www.inquirer.com/news/nation-world/ukraine-russia-donbas-war-20261007.htmlKyiv Post — summary of NYT reporting on Vivaldi and the fortress belt: https://www.kyivpost.com/post/86375Reuters — "Ukrainian forces advance in key eastern battlefield, senior commander says" (28 Sep 2026), via The Star: https://www.thestar.com.my/news/world/2026/09/28/ukrainian-forces-advance-in-key-eastern-battlefield-senior-commander-saysAtlantic Council — "Ukraine's innovative robot offensive just reversed a year of Russian gains": https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/?p=950285Newsweek — "How Ukraine scored major frontline breakthrough by fooling Russia": https://www.newsweek.com/how-ukraine-scored-major-frontline-breakthrough-by-fooling-russia-12459618Newsweek — "Ukraine faces winter challenge after surprise robot offensive": https://www.newsweek.com/ukraine-faces-winter-challenge-after-surprise-robot-offensive-12521942CNBC reporting (Patrick Bolder, HCSS), via Times Brasil licensed translation (4 Oct 2026): https://timesbrasil.com.br/mundo/ofensiva-surpresa-de-robos-da-ucrania-expoe-vulnerabilidade-da-maquina-de-guerra-de-putin/Euromaidan Press — robots air-dropped 10 km behind Russian lines: https://euromaidanpress.com/?p=425833----------