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In this episode of Dictators v Democrats: Why We Fight we’re speaking with Jonathan Fink. He was a digital marketing strategist, then Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine changed everything.
Now, he’s the creator of Silicon Curtain, a YouTube channel and podcast that battles Russian disinformation with facts, context, and strategic narrative warfare.
Be sure to check out his work through the link above!
In this episode, we dive deep into:
- The mechanics of modern propaganda and why fact-checking often fails
- Why many Russian dissidents still cling to imperial mindsets
- The failure of the Russian opposition to offer a democratic vision
- The difference between truth and narrative and which one wins
- What a post-imperial Russia might look like
- How democracies can build resilience against authoritarian influence
🔑 Key Takeaways
- "I used to sell people stuff they didn’t need. Now I’m trying to deprogram them." Jonathan’s background in SEO and behavioural psychology helps him explain why Russian propaganda works.
- Propaganda isn’t about truth. It’s about identity, emotion, and action. And in that arena, Russia is winning.
- The Russian opposition isn’t the solution. Many dissidents the West celebrates are still imperialists. Fink argues we must stop giving them platforms unless they confront the empire they once served.
- You can’t remove Putin without removing the system. Russian authoritarianism is born from centuries of imperial ideology.
- Ukraine’s lesson for the world: Revolution is necessary. Democracy isn’t efficient but it’s the best we have.
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