Description: As Russian strikes knock out power and winter temperatures bite, Kyiv’s civilians are enduring blackouts, freezing apartments, and nightly air raids. Candles replace lights. Phones replace heat. And yet, daily life continues. In this daily brief, I walk through what the blackout actually looks like on the ground, how civilians are adapting to survive the cold, and why Russia’s attempt to weaponize winter is backfiring—strategically, politically, and morally. We’ll also cover key battlefield updates and recent Russian losses shaping the wider war. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction: The Humanitarian Toll in Ukraine 00:46 Russian Strategic Miscalculation and the Blitz Spirit 01:14 Ukrainian Military Successes: Luhansk and Beyond 01:46 Civilian Impacts: The Worst Blackout in Ukraine 02:29 Widespread Blackouts Across Ukraine and Moldova 02:59 Life Under Fire: A Kyiv Resident’s Perspective 04:19 Surviving the Cold: Ingenious Methods for Warmth 05:01 Personal Account: The Struggle for Survival in Kyiv 06:06 Russia’s Strategy: Using Cold as a Weapon 06:50 Resilience and Solidarity: The Spirit of Ukraine 07:27 Battlefront Updates: Recent Russian Losses 08:18 Combat Operations: Kupyansk and Hulyaipole Directions 08:52 Brutality and Morale: Incidents Within the Russian Ranks 09:16 The Rise of All-Women Drone Brigades 09:44 Urban Warfare: The Situation in Kostiantynivka 10:07 Drone Warfare: High-Precision Strikes 10:53 Modern Warfare: Ground Robotic Systems on the Battlefield Facts over noise. Context over headlines. Truth over talking points. #Ukraine #Kyiv #Blackout #RussiaUkraineWar #WarNews #UkraineWar #gerdes ***** To support me as as I provide Ukraine war context: ***** Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ProfessorGerdesExplains Buy Me A Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/professorgerdes Paypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/professorgerdes YouTube Channel Membership: https://www.youtube.com/@Professor-Gerdes/membership 🇺🇸 Contact the White House to express your support for Ukraine https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/ *****IF YOU WISH TO PROVIDE DIRECT AID TO UKRAINE: ***** 🇺🇦 I have partnered with Greg Terry for all donations to Ukraine. He has raised and delivered more than a quarter of a million dollars of aid to date. To directly support this effort of delivering necessary provisions to the front lines, click on these links (and then watch him give your donations to soldiers on the front lines on his channel): https://www.youtube.com/@GregTerryExperience Amazon Shopping List USA/North America (Shop and send to UKRAINE AID c/o Bethel Life's Gift Registry Address) https://a.co/iodWsUK Amazon Shopping List for EU/UK https://www.amazon.de/hz/wishlist/ls/... Direct Link for Financial Giving via our 501(c)(3) Tax-Deductible in the USA https://www.gregterry.org/donate.html Link for Greg's 501(c)(3) EIN Information https://www.gregterry.org/donate.html 🇺🇸 Alternatively, you may choose to donate to Samaritan’s Purse: https://www.samaritanspurse.org/our-ministry/ukraine-response/?utm_source=FY22UkraineResponseVanityURL&utm_medium=direct&utm_campaign=m_YUKR-22L3&utm_content=Ukraine-Response-Redirect%20%20 🇺🇦 If you wish to support the Ukrainian Army, give directly to United 24. Follow this link: https://u24.gov.ua/ ***BUY SOMETHING TO SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR UKRAINE *** 🇺🇦 If you purchase from Saint Javelin with my link below, a cut of the proceeds will go directly to humanitarian aid for soldiers (bandages, tourniquets, etc.). I don't get the revenue. It goes to buy medical supplies from UnitewithUkraine.com. Use this link: https://www.saintjavelin.com/en-us?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=Gerdes 🇺🇸 This is the absolute CHEAPEST THING YOU CAN DO to support Ukraine (This is NOT MY SITE) https://amzn.to/4aPtwQr - Just support the war effort somehow. 🇺🇦 I wrote a book about Ukraine's president Zelenskyy which I have updated for the first 4-5 months of the war in Ukraine: It is free if you have Amazon Kindle Unlimited or $9.99 otherwise: https://amzn.to/3Q2wnyE 🇺🇦 If you cannot give or buy, you can like, share, and pray for the people of Ukraine. 🇺🇸 Please leave comments and tell me how I can help you gain more perspective. You can contact me @Dr_Gerdes on Twitter or email professorgerdesyt@gmail.com #UKRAINE #UKRAINERUSSIAWAR #UKRAINEWAR

An energy ceasefire is being discussed at the highest levels—but the details matter more than the headlines. In this video, I break down when the truce was supposed to begin, what U.S., Russian, and Ukrainian officials are actually saying, and why enforcement—not announcements—is the real test. We’ll examine incentives on both sides, reactions inside Russia, and warning signs that suggest preparations may already be underway for renewed strikes. This isn’t about optimism or pessimism—it’s about reading the signals correctly. Chapters 0:00 – Is the energy ceasefire real or made up? 0:30 – Energy truce was supposed to begin on Jan 26 1:10 – Trump: “Local energy truce is in place” 2:10 – What Russia and Ukraine get out of an energy truce 2:50 – Trump personally asked Putin not to fire on Kyiv 3:30 – Zelenskyy: “The real test is in the coming days” 4:00 – Peskov: Putin agreed to a one-week ceasefire 5:10 – Ceasefire only until February 1st 6:10 – Russian mil-bloggers react to the ceasefire 7:30 – Five Russian generals met with Witkoff in Abu Dhabi 8:30 – Russia is preparing a new massive strike 9:30 – The streets of Kyiv #Ukraine #Russia #EnergyCeasefire #UkraineWar #BreakingNews #OSINT #Geopolitics Facts over noise. Context over headlines. Truth over talking points. ***** To support me as as I provide Ukraine war context: ***** Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ProfessorGerdesExplains Buy Me A Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/professorgerdes Paypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/professorgerdes YouTube Channel Membership: https://www.youtube.com/@Professor-Gerdes/membership 🇺🇸 Contact the White House to express your support for Ukraine https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/ *****IF YOU WISH TO PROVIDE DIRECT AID TO UKRAINE: ***** 🇺🇦 I have partnered with Greg Terry for all donations to Ukraine. He has raised and delivered more than a quarter of a million dollars of aid to date. To directly support this effort of delivering necessary provisions to the front lines, click on these links (and then watch him give your donations to soldiers on the front lines on his channel): https://www.youtube.com/@GregTerryExperience Amazon Shopping List USA/North America (Shop and send to UKRAINE AID c/o Bethel Life's Gift Registry Address) https://a.co/iodWsUK Amazon Shopping List for EU/UK https://www.amazon.de/hz/wishlist/ls/... Direct Link for Financial Giving via our 501(c)(3) Tax-Deductible in the USA https://www.gregterry.org/donate.html Link for Greg's 501(c)(3) EIN Information https://www.gregterry.org/donate.html 🇺🇸 Alternatively, you may choose to donate to Samaritan’s Purse: https://www.samaritanspurse.org/our-ministry/ukraine-response/?utm_source=FY22UkraineResponseVanityURL&utm_medium=direct&utm_campaign=m_YUKR-22L3&utm_content=Ukraine-Response-Redirect%20%20 🇺🇦 If you wish to support the Ukrainian Army, give directly to United 24. Follow this link: https://u24.gov.ua/ ***BUY SOMETHING TO SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR UKRAINE *** 🇺🇦 If you purchase from Saint Javelin with my link below, a cut of the proceeds will go directly to humanitarian aid for soldiers (bandages, tourniquets, etc.). I don't get the revenue. It goes to buy medical supplies from UnitewithUkraine.com. Use this link: https://www.saintjavelin.com/en-us?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=Gerdes 🇺🇸 This is the absolute CHEAPEST THING YOU CAN DO to support Ukraine (This is NOT MY SITE) https://amzn.to/4aPtwQr - Just support the war effort somehow. 🇺🇦 I wrote a book about Ukraine's president Zelenskyy which I have updated for the first 4-5 months of the war in Ukraine: It is free if you have Amazon Kindle Unlimited or $9.99 otherwise: https://amzn.to/3Q2wnyE 🇺🇦 If you cannot give or buy, you can like, share, and pray for the people of Ukraine. 🇺🇸 Please leave comments and tell me how I can help you gain more perspective. You can contact me @Dr_Gerdes on Twitter or email professorgerdesyt@gmail.com #UKRAINE #UKRAINERUSSIAWAR #UKRAINEWAR

Today’s Russian casualty figures rank third-highest so far this year, making this an outlier day that demands explanation. In this video, I walk through the key events driving such a sharp spike: overnight drone and missile activity, strikes on civilian infrastructure, unusually heavy battlefield losses, and growing signs of strain inside Russia’s force structure. We’ll also examine emerging Ukrainian capabilities—especially in drones and air defense—and why days like this tend to compound Russia’s problems rather than remain isolated incidents. Chapters 0:00 – High Russian Casualties and January Statistics 0:39 – Overnight Drone Strikes and Iskander Missile Strike 1:19 – Attacks on Civilian Infrastructure 2:20 – Introduction of the Fury Interceptor Drone 3:12 – Civilians Seeking Shelter in the Metro 3:42 – Detailed Battlefield Losses 4:33 – Intensified Efforts in Pokrovsk and Huliapole 5:52 – Status of Kupiansk and Recent Engagements 6:35 – Drone Strikes and Air Attacks 7:19 – Russia Reassigning Personnel to Infantry 7:56 – Russian Charges Against Truck Drivers 8:25 – Closing Thoughts and Future Innovations #Ukraine #Russia #UkraineWar #WarUpdate #OSINT #MilitaryAnalysis #BreakingNews Facts over noise. Context over headlines. Truth over talking points. ***** To support me as as I provide Ukraine war context: ***** Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ProfessorGerdesExplains Buy Me A Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/professorgerdes Paypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/professorgerdes YouTube Channel Membership: https://www.youtube.com/@Professor-Gerdes/membership 🇺🇸 Contact the White House to express your support for Ukraine https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/ *****IF YOU WISH TO PROVIDE DIRECT AID TO UKRAINE: ***** 🇺🇦 I have partnered with Greg Terry for all donations to Ukraine. He has raised and delivered more than a quarter of a million dollars of aid to date. To directly support this effort of delivering necessary provisions to the front lines, click on these links (and then watch him give your donations to soldiers on the front lines on his channel): https://www.youtube.com/@GregTerryExperience Amazon Shopping List USA/North America (Shop and send to UKRAINE AID c/o Bethel Life's Gift Registry Address) https://a.co/iodWsUK Amazon Shopping List for EU/UK https://www.amazon.de/hz/wishlist/ls/... Direct Link for Financial Giving via our 501(c)(3) Tax-Deductible in the USA https://www.gregterry.org/donate.html Link for Greg's 501(c)(3) EIN Information https://www.gregterry.org/donate.html 🇺🇸 Alternatively, you may choose to donate to Samaritan’s Purse: https://www.samaritanspurse.org/our-ministry/ukraine-response/?utm_source=FY22UkraineResponseVanityURL&utm_medium=direct&utm_campaign=m_YUKR-22L3&utm_content=Ukraine-Response-Redirect%20%20 🇺🇦 If you wish to support the Ukrainian Army, give directly to United 24. Follow this link: https://u24.gov.ua/ ***BUY SOMETHING TO SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR UKRAINE *** 🇺🇦 If you purchase from Saint Javelin with my link below, a cut of the proceeds will go directly to humanitarian aid for soldiers (bandages, tourniquets, etc.). I don't get the revenue. It goes to buy medical supplies from UnitewithUkraine.com. Use this link: https://www.saintjavelin.com/en-us?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=Gerdes 🇺🇸 This is the absolute CHEAPEST THING YOU CAN DO to support Ukraine (This is NOT MY SITE) https://amzn.to/4aPtwQr - Just support the war effort somehow. 🇺🇦 I wrote a book about Ukraine's president Zelenskyy which I have updated for the first 4-5 months of the war in Ukraine: It is free if you have Amazon Kindle Unlimited or $9.99 otherwise: https://amzn.to/3Q2wnyE 🇺🇦 If you cannot give or buy, you can like, share, and pray for the people of Ukraine. 🇺🇸 Please leave comments and tell me how I can help you gain more perspective. You can contact me @Dr_Gerdes on Twitter or email professorgerdesyt@gmail.com #UKRAINE #UKRAINERUSSIAWAR #UKRAINEWAR