Edition No241 | 04-09-2025 - This summer Putin expected thunder and damnation, the smiting of Ukrainian forces and major advances on the frontlines in all directions. What he got and mud and blood, twisted armour and incremental gains in some places, and humiliating retreats in others. Ukraine of course has eyes on a maximalist prize, the recovery of all its sovereign land and people, but at a minimum, it can count as a success just holding the invaders at bay for another year, fighting them to a standstill and exacting a huge price in bodies and treasure. For Putin it’s different. Whereas his maximalist aims might be delusional, his minimum success, to satisfy the baying Z-Patriot mob and propagandists, is so much more than his armies managed to achieve. Russia launched big fighting talk and bigger bombardments from Sumy to Pokrovsk, sought kilometres of gains, but ran into a wall of Ukrainian resilience. Modern warfare does not favour manoeuvre, with drones to observe, ambush, drop ordnance and undertake kamikaze strikes. A transparent battlefield where forces are massing means a target rich environment is massing. This is partly why Russia’s summer offensives have failed to meet their strategic objectives; how both sides can still plausibly claim to have momentum dominance; why 2025 is shaping up as stasis on the ground that favours Ukraine, and disfavours Russia. It’s also why Putin needs photo-ops in Alaska and China to appear strong while his army bleeds for inches.----------SOURCES: https://www.kyivpost.com/post/57099https://english.nv.ua/russian-war/assault-battalion-liberates-kindrativka-in-sumy-oblast-50532613.htmlhttps://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/1093919.htmlhttps://united24media.com/latest-news/russia-pulls-elite-forces-from-ukraines-northern-border-to-reinforce-pokrovsk-offensive-11248https://english.nv.ua/nation/russia-ukraine-advance-on-multiple-fronts-isw-50530982.htmlhttps://euromaidanpress.com/2025/07/19/russian-saboteurs-tried-to-sneak-into-donetsks-pokrovsk-ukrainian-troops-erased-them-syrskyi-says/#google_vignettehttps://stratnewsglobal.com/world-news/ukraine-fierce-fighting-around-pokrovsk-says-zelenskyy/https://odessa-journal.com/zelensky-russias-goal-is-to-cross-into-dnipropetrovsk-region-buffer-zone-needed-in-sumy-pokrovskhttps://english.nv.ua/nation/capturing-pokrovsk-is-now-kremlin-s-top-priority-international-affairs-observer-50533469.html----------SILICON CURTAIN FILM FUNDRAISERA 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----------SILICON CURTAIN LIVE EVENTS - FUNDRAISER CAMPAIGN Events in 2025 - Advocacy for a Ukrainian victory with Silicon Curtainhttps://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasOur events of the first half of the year in Lviv, Kyiv and Odesa were a huge success. Now we need to maintain this momentum, and change the tide towards a Ukrainian victory. The Silicon Curtain Roadshow is an ambitious campaign to run a minimum of 12 events in 2025, and potentially many more. Any support you can provide for the fundraising campaign would be gratefully appreciated. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasWe need to scale up our support for Ukraine, and these events are designed to have a major impact. Your support in making it happen is greatly appreciated. All events will be recorded professionally and published for free on the Silicon Curtain channel. Where possible, we will also live-stream events.https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------