2026-04-07 | UPDATES #166 | Russia goes offline, and Muscovites are not ‘loving it.’ Cheburnet arrives, and Russians discover consequences. On Friday morning, April 3rd, at around ten o'clock Moscow time, Russia stopped working. The money stopped dispensing and flowing. Sberbank — Russia's largest lender — went down. Then VTB. Then T-Bank. Then Alfa-Bank. Then Gazprombank. Then the Central Bank's own Faster Payments System, the interbank rail that processes QR code transfers and phone-number payments. All of it, simultaneously, across Moscow, St Petersburg, Samara, Novosibirsk, the Sverdlovsk region, Chelyabinsk.Card terminals in shops threw errors. ATMs refused to dispense cash. Mobile banking apps wouldn't open. In the Moscow metro, turnstiles stopped accepting bank cards — staff had to wave passengers through for free just to stop crowds forming. Petrol stations demanded cash. A regional zoo in Belgorod put up a sign asking visitors to pay in physical roubles. Traffic jams stretched for kilometres on toll roads because the payment gates wouldn't read cards. Sberbank alone logged more than four thousand complaints in a single hour. This is the sound of a country sliding towards a digital cage. The Kremlin is the one building it, and Russians are only just waking up to the realisation they have no rights, and soon will have no privileges. ----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation----------A REQUEST FOR HELP!I'm heading back to Kyiv next month, 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/extrashttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformationNONE OF THIS CAN HAPPEN WITHOUT YOU!So what's next? We're going to Kyiv in April 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 CURTAINWe 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!----------SOURCES: The Moscow Times — "Mass Outage Hits Sberbank and Other Major Russian Lenders," April 3, Kyiv Independent — "Russia's banks face major service outages amid internet crackdown," April 3, 2026. The Record (Recorded Future News) — "Major outage hits Russian banking apps, metro payments across regions," April 6, 2026. Security Affairs — "Major outage cripples Russian banking apps and metro payments nationwide," April 6, 2026. AInvest — "Russia's VPN Crackdown: A $1B+ Banking Outage and the Cost of Digital Control," April 6, 2026. Reuters via Global Banking and Finance — "Moscow Payment System Problem Disrupts Shoppers, Metro & Retailers," April 3, 2026. The New Voice of Ukraine (NV) — "Russia bank outage halts payments and blocks cash withdrawals across key regions," April 3, 2026. Mediazona (English) — "Russia's internet censorship in 2026: VPN crackdowns, mobile shutdowns, Telegram blocks and the state messenger Max," April 7, 2026. ----------