NOTE: This is my last RSBU diary for the next two weeks. I am going on vacation out of the country. Hooray!
If people ask if I’m American, should I tell them I’m Canadian?
I will be back on the 15th and resume RSBU then. While I’m away I will check in on DKos and might even post comments. Why? because I’ve been doing that for 20 years and old habits die hard.
So, y’all play nice. Maybe by the time I get back Russia’s economy will have collapsed, Putin will be in exile in Pyongyang, Ukraine will have captured Belgorod, Iran’s regime will have collapsed and Trump will be in prison.
But probably not.
There was some good energy news from Kyiv, but the big news was the nationwide power outage. The stated reason was some sort of technical problem with a transmission line from Romania and Moldova.
But it seems like a suspicious coincidence coming during the energy ceasefire.
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Chisinau and parts of Moldova lost power after a major voltage drop linked to problems in Ukraine’s energy system, the mayor and energy ministry said. The incident affected the Isaccea Vulcanesti MGRES line on Saturday morning. #Moldova
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— NOELREPORTS (@noelreports.com) January 31, 2026 at 3:45 AM
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So, just as the temperatures start to plummet again, most power was lost in Ukraine.
As Pres Zelenskyy explains, the original fault was in Moldova, but this also caused a failure of the 750 kV line between the Western and Central parts of Ukraine.
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— Tim White (@twmcltd.bsky.social) January 31, 2026 at 5:43 AM
Russia is certainly capable of carrying out online attacks on power systems.
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In Kyiv, water supply was cut off, metro trains and escalators stopped.In Vinnytsia, the main water pumping station shut down, leaving the city without water. In Sumy, water utility facilities lost power and trolleybus service was suspended. In Kharkiv, trams,
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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) January 31, 2026 at 6:12 AM
A Russian official has the cojones to stand at that podium and question the war.
As expected, Grigory Yeremeev, a politician from the Samara region, was issued an administrative protocol for “discrediting the army” after publicly calling for an end to the war.
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🤯 In Samara Duma, a local politician called for an immediate end to the war against Ukraine.
69-year-old Grigory Yeremeyev called on the deputies to “share responsibility with Putin for the failure of the SVO.” He also stated that “the goals of the SVO are, in principle, impossible to achieve.”
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— Savchenko Volodymyr (@savchenkoua.bsky.social) January 31, 2026 at 7:19 AM
A Russian column gets chewed up near Huliaipole.
Russia has attacked another train.
Bavovna
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Ukraine’s Border Guard Service released footage showing a heavy strike drone from the Pomsta brigade destroying Russian military equipment in broad daylight. The unit said the operation disproves claims that Vampire-type heavy drones can only operate at night.
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— NOELREPORTS (@noelreports.com) January 31, 2026 at 3:52 AM
Resistance is futile.
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Ukraine’s SBU Alpha special unit released footage showing the use of FPV drones to strike Russian forces. According to the unit, Alpha drone operators destroyed more than 1,800 Russian occupiers over the course of one week.
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— NOELREPORTS (@noelreports.com) January 31, 2026 at 4:56 AM
Sounds like a good idea.
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❗️The EU is considering a ban on providing maritime services to Russia instead of introducing an "oil price cap," — Bloomberg
European companies could be prohibited from providing services such as insurance and transportation that are necessary for the shipment of Russian oil,
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— 🪖MilitaryNewsUA🇺🇦 (@militarynewsua.bsky.social) January 31, 2026 at 1:19 AM
Russian stuff in space blowing up.
Getting tied to a tree has become the go-to way for Russian commanders to abuse their soldiers who don’t want to be meat in the grinder.
WARNING: Video shows soldier being abused.
An explanation offered for the Russian penguin phenomenon
2/ The specific one seen in recent videos appears to be a poncho being sold for "tactical thermal imaging protection, anti-drone protection". It is just one of many similar garments being sold on Russia's equivalents of Amazon and eBay.
3/ Wildberries and Avito, Russia's Amazon and eBay equivalents, have dozens of listings for such garments. They are typically claimed to be produced in Russia (though more likely imported from China). Some are suspiciously cheap – less than 600 rubles ($8) each.
4/ The prevalence of such garments highlights three things. First, the Russian Ministry of Defence's failure to provide adequate anti-thermal imaging protection to its men is clearly prompting them – and their wives – to buy garments of dubious effectiveness to try to stay alive.
5/ Second, as Russian soldiers and warbloggers have noted, soldiers are having to spend large amounts of their own money on equipment. While their salaries are generous by Russian standards, in reality it almost all gets swallowed up in purchasing personal equipment.
6/ And third, some marketers are clearly making a lot of money selling ineffective equipment to soldiers and their families, which is almost certainly getting men killed. As one buyer complains: "We tested it with a thermal imager and it is visible." /end
Let’s check in on the Russian economy.
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In 2025, Russia increased its gold exports to China, delivering 25.3 tonnes over the year - nine times more than in 2024, according to Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service.
In monetary terms, exports rose to $3.29 billion, compared with just $223 million the previous year.
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— Anton Gerashchenko (@antongerashchenko.bsky.social) January 31, 2026 at 6:08 AM
Trump continues to push Ukraine to give up territory for a peace deal but Zelenskyy reiterates that this is a non-starter. What has been paid for with blood cannot be just given away.
Another 880 Russians plus five tanks.
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⚡️ RUSSIA'S WAR AGAINST UKRAINE — JAN 31, 2026 (1/2)
■ Engagements remain high, but casualties are below average; no confirmed territorial changes
■ Notable armored vehicle losses; snowfall in the north
■ ...
📈 See dashboard for full data:
lookerstudio.google.com/s/swbMTNJixxg
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— Ragnar Bjartur Gudmundsson 🇺🇦 (@ragnarbjartur.bsky.social) January 31, 2026 at 2:10 AM
So far the European response to Russian shadow fleet tankers has been weaker than Keystone Light beer.
Hopefully that is changing.
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The UK has pledged decisive measures against sanctioned Russian oil tankers in the English Channel, BBC reported. At least eight are currently transiting the strait, with four more heading from the North Sea, according to tracking data. #Russia
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— NOELREPORTS (@noelreports.com) January 30, 2026 at 2:42 PM
The Czech Republic used to be a shining example of post-Soviet democracy. Hopefully it will be again.
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🇨🇿🇺🇦 In the Czech Republic, a general was "punished" for wanting to give planes to Ukraine
Defense Minister canceled a visit to the United States by the Chief of the Czech General Staff because the latter supported the transfer of planes to Ukraine.
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— MAKS 25 👀🇺🇦 (@maks23.bsky.social) January 30, 2026 at 1:47 PM
Anything that helps Kherson, as well as other cities, is welcome.
The U.S. government actually does something to support Ukraine.
Good deal. Now send a couple truckloads to Ukraine.
Norway steps up.
I guess they won’t be packing theaters in Kyiv to see the “Melania” movie.
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Two-thirds of Ukrainians now hold negative views of US President Trump, according to a new Rating Group survey
47% expressed "rather negative" attitudes while 25% were "very negative." In late 2024, 54% saw Trump presidency as good for Ukraine
euromaidanpress.com/2026/01/30/7...
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— Euromaidan Press (@euromaidanpress.bsky.social) January 30, 2026 at 9:38 AM
Everything suffers during this war — including plants.
Mental recovery from such abuse will take a very long time.
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"My legs, ribs, arms, face - everything was black and purple, covered in bruises and burns from stun guns. My uniform also was black, it blended with my skin."
Ukrainian Defender Vladyslav Kucherov, 24, spent over three years in Russian captivity. He returned home on April 19, 2025⤵️
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— Anton Gerashchenko (@antongerashchenko.bsky.social) January 30, 2026 at 3:02 PM
During rehabilitation, Vladyslav underwent several surgeries — on his legs & nose. To help stabilize mental health, he also completed a course of antidepressants. According to Vladyslav, it was extremely difficult to speak about captivity at first.
This article explains how Russians talk about the war and the Special Military Operation (SVO) by using memes to avoid angering the authorities. One such way is to use cartoons like SpongeBob SquarePants:
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In Russia, where criticism of the war in Ukraine is effectively outlawed, memes have become a coded way to comment on the full-scale invasion.
The Moscow Times has compiled a guide to some of the most well-known wartime memes in Russia:
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— The Moscow Times (@themoscowtimes.com) January 30, 2026 at 9:53 AM
A subset of “SVO” memes puts popular cartoon characters in wartime scenarios, juxtaposing the innocence of children’s media with grim and violent military tropes.
One meme shows Patrick from “SpongeBob SquarePants” missing his limbs with the caption “The Kyiv regime bombed Patrick,” mocking Russian officials’ insistence on calling Ukraine’s government “the Kyiv regime.”
Another shows Spongebob with a frying pan on his head and the caption: “Epic disaster. The Kyiv regime is shelling the Krusty Krab.”
The show must go on.
And life must go on.
