Vladimir Zhirinovsky is was the Clown Prince of Russian politics
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Regnum] The name of Vladimir Zhirinovsky, founder of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR), was discovered in files released by the US Department of Justice on the infamous financier Jeffrey Epstein. The politician's name is mentioned in the context of the Russian presidential election.
Zhirinovsky appears in the documents five times, but only in two publications—in Foreign Affairs (2011) and The Economist (2012). The authors characterize Zhirinovsky as a flamboyant and outrageous leader. Gennady Zyuganov's name also appears.
The reasons why these materials were included in the PDF files released by the US Department of Justice were not disclosed.
[France24] Ukraine reported mass power outages across its power grid on Saturday due to a "technical malfunction" affecting international power lines. The power cuts come as Ukraine faces a particularly harsh winter and increased Russian attacks on energy infrastructure that have caused major disruption to heat, electricity and water provision in recent weeks.
Ukraine's power grid experienced mass outages on Saturday after a "technical malfunction" caused electrical lines between Moldova, Romania and Ukraine to fail, Ukraine's energy minister said.
The malfunction "caused a simultaneous shutdown of the 400 kilovolt line between the power grids of Romania and Moldova and the 750 kilovolt line between western and central Ukraine", Denys Shmygal said on Telegram.
Problems in Ukraine's power grid also led to the emergency shutdown of Moldova's energy system on Saturday, Moldova's energy ministry said.
The latest outages come amid recent Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure that have caused major disruptions to heat, electricity and water provision as the country faces a particularly harsh winter.
Read morePower cuts and freezing temperatures test Kyiv's resilience after Russian attacks
Due to the power shortages on Saturday, Kyiv's metro system temporarily closed, the operator said.
The Kyiv metro is a vital transport artery for the capital and rarely pauses operations, even during intense Russian bombardment.
Around 800,000 passengers use the system daily, according to data published last year. Many of them rely on it to commute to work.
Residents also use its 52 stations as bomb shelters during Russian attacks.
"Due to a power outage from external power supply centres, train service and escalator operation have been temporarily suspended in the metro," Kyiv Metro said in a post on Facebook.
The system will serve as a shelter until power resumes, Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said in a post on Telegram.
Russia has hit Ukrainian energy infrastructure throughout its nearly four-year invasion, but Kyiv says this winter has been the toughest yet, as attacks cut power and heating to millions during sub-zero temperatures.
The Kremlin said Friday said that President Vladimir Putin had agreed to stop striking Kyiv for a week until Sunday following a request from US counterpart Donald Trump.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Korrespondent] 22.32 Ukraine and NATO have agreed on key cooperation priorities: strengthening air defense, developing Patriot, F-16 and HIMARS, as well as joint work on technological superiority. This was reported by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
20.23 The current head of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis, plans to visit Kyiv and Moscow. This is stated in a message on the website of the Swiss Foreign Ministry.
19.52 The meeting between US President Donald Trump's team and Kremlin envoy Vladimir Putin's envoy Kirill Dmitriev was productive and constructive. This is evidenced by a message from US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff on the social network X.
In his opinion, Russia "is really working to ensure peace in Ukraine."
18.46 Today, 135 combat clashes took place at the front, the Ukrainian military repelled most of the enemy's attacks. The most tense line of defense remains in the Yuzhno-Slobozhansk and Pokrovsk directions. This is evidenced by the evening report of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
18.27 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that it is impossible to resolve territorial issues without meeting with the Kremlin's boss, Vladimir Putin. This is evidenced by his interview with Cesky Rozhlas.
16.59 Russia has faced serious financial difficulties in financing the war against Ukraine. Against the backdrop of negotiations, this narrows the Kremlin's ability to drag out the war without economic consequences. Bloomberg news agency reports this, citing its sources.
15.31 Ukrzaliznytsia recorded the activity of Russian UAVs near the infrastructure between Zaporizhia and Dnipro. In view of this, transfers in both directions will be carried out by buses. UZ reported this on Facebook.
12.04 A Russian drone attacked a utility vehicle near the city of Sloviansk in Donetsk region. This was reported by the Donetsk OVA and Public Donbas. One person was killed and two others were injured.
10.26 On Friday and Saturday night, Ukrainian military personnel struck a number of military facilities of the Russian occupiers. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The largest number of strikes were carried out on the TOT of the Zaporizhzhia region. There, a UAV control point, a Russian brigade compound, and a concentration of enemy manpower in three areas were attacked.
09.42 On Saturday morning, a car was blown up by a landmine in Kherson. A family of four was injured, the Kherson OVA reported. The victims were diagnosed with contusions, explosive and closed craniocerebral injuries. The ambulance crew provided them with assistance on the spot.
09.23 Over the past 24 hours, 204 combat clashes between the Ukrainian army and Russian invaders were recorded at the front. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported this in an operational summary.
The defense forces struck four UAV control points and two areas where Russian invaders were concentrated.
08.40 On Saturday night, Russian aggressors launched 85 strike drones of various types over Ukraine. Air defense and electronic warfare units intercepted/suppressed most of them, the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported.
08.21 In the Rivne region, a local resident was sentenced to five years in prison for desecrating the graves of fallen Heroes. This was reported by the Sarny District Prosecutor's Office. In the city of Sarny, a man stole shell casings from the Alley of Heroes and from the grave of a fallen soldier in the cemetery and sold them.
07.35 Over the past 24 hours, the Russian occupation army has lost 880 servicemen killed and wounded on the front in Ukraine. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported this in an operational briefing this morning. The Ukrainian military has destroyed almost 800 units of Russian equipment, including five tanks, air defense systems and MLRS.
06.07 The situation in the village of Kupyansk-Vuzlovy in the Kharkiv region, which the Russians declared captured on January 27, remains under full control of the Defense Forces of Ukraine, reports the Ukrainian resource DeepState. At the same time, the question of the situation in the village of Petropavlivka, located east of Kupyansk, remains open.
03.05 The German Chancellor expressed skepticism about the possible participation of European peacekeepers in Ukraine after the war. According to Friedrich Merz, such an initiative is not a top priority for Europe at this stage. He emphasized the importance of focusing efforts on current challenges, in particular, strengthening defense capabilities and increasing the competitiveness of European industry.
02.03 The authorities of the Kharkiv region made a decision to immediately evacuate families with children from seven villages of the Starosaltivska community. It is noted that the evacuation concerns the villages of Berezniki, Vyshneve, Hontarivka, Metalivka, Radkove, Zarichne and Shyroke, located approximately 50 kilometers from Kharkiv. There are currently about 25 children in this area. According to the head of the OVA, Oleg Synegubov, the decision is preventive in nature.
01.34 The preparatory team of the future Special Tribunal to investigate the crime of Russian aggression against Ukraine will work in Strasbourg and the Netherlands. This was announced by Mark Ellis, an expert in international criminal law and executive director of the International Bar Association (IBA). Regarding the participation of the preparatory team in the selection of judges and the prosecutor of the tribunal, Ellis noted that this issue will be resolved at the next stage.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Korrespondent] Over the past day, there has been an escalation at the front.
More than a third of all collisions occurred in the Hulyaipil, Pokrov and Lyman directions.
Since the beginning of the day, 303 combat clashes have been recorded on the front. The greatest tension was observed in the Pokrovsky, Hulyaipil, and Kostyantynivka directions. This is evidenced by the evening report of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from Saturday, January 31.
According to operational information, the enemy carried out 38 air strikes, dropped 119 guided bombs. In addition, it used 2,510 kamikaze drones and carried out 2,437 attacks on settlements and positions of our troops.
According to the General Staff, the situation remains difficult on various fronts:
- In the North Slobozhansk and Kursk directions, one enemy attack was repelled, who also carried out more than 70 attacks, including the use of rocket artillery.
- In the South Slobozhansk direction, the enemy attacked the positions of Ukrainian troops in several areas. The Ukrainian Armed Forces repelled 19 attacks, but fighting continues.
- In the Kupyansk direction, we managed to stop 12 enemy attacks in different directions.
- On the Lyman Front, the heroic actions of the Ukrainian military helped repel almost two dozen enemy attacks.
- In other areas, such as Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, and Pokrovsky, intense fighting continues, where Ukrainian defenders are facing significant enemy forces.
The Pokrovsky direction was particularly hot, with 68 attacks. In this area, Ukrainian fighters inflicted serious losses on the enemy - they eliminated more than a hundred occupiers, destroyed numerous vehicles, drones, and tanks.
Enemy airstrikes continue in other areas, including Orikhiv and Hulyaipil, where intense clashes are ongoing in some areas.
No enemy offensive actions were recorded in the Dnieper direction.
We remind you that over the past 24 hours, 204 combat clashes between the Ukrainian army and the Russian invaders were recorded at the front.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[NewsFront] 21:50 Enemy FPV drone attacke da passenger car crashed in the city of Vasilyevka. A man born in 1993 was injured.
The man was seriously injured and died in hospital.
21:33 In the period from 17:00 Moscow time to 20:00 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty destroyed 41 Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles:
13 – over the territory of the Bryansk region,
Nine – over the territory of the Kursk region,
Seven – over the territory of the Belgorod region,
Five – over the territory of the Kaluga region,
Four – over the territory of the Oryol region,
Two – over the territory of the Lipetsk region,
One – over the territory of the Voronezh region.
20:26 Updated information on the consequences of shooting down Ukrainian UAVs over Kursk.
Debris from one drone fell in the Seimsky District. The blast wave, according to preliminary reports, caused minor window damage in three apartment buildings, damaged cars, and knocked out a front door.
Emergency services are working on-site, and the mayor and the Minister of Housing and Utilities and Fuel and Energy are also there on my instructions. Today, the heating circuits in the buildings will be shut down. During daylight hours, commissions will visit all addresses, record all inquiries, and crews will begin repairing and replacing double-glazed windows shortly.
An enemy drone also crashed in the courtyard of an apartment building in Zheleznogorsk. The area has been cordoned off, and residents of three apartment buildings (approximately 250 people) have been temporarily evacuated to a school to allow emergency services to respond. Ambulance crews are on duty.
19:50 Combat crew of the Pantsir-S air defense missile and gun system destroyed enemy unmanned aerial vehicle in the area of responsibility of the Center group.
19:10 Supply routes and enemy transport parking areas are monitored 24/7 by UAV crews from the Sever group. If enemy equipment is detected there, FPV drones immediately strike the identified targets. video.
18:03 The British Air Force's RC-135W Rivet Joint and the US Navy's P-8A Poseidon aircraft currently conducting reconnaissance of potential targets in Crimea and the Krasnodar region in Russia.
17:40 In the period from 8:00 Moscow time to 17:00 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty destroyed 24 Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles:
Nine – over the territory of the Kursk region,
Nine – over the territory of the Belgorod region,
Five – over the territory of the Bryansk region,
One – over the territory of the Lipetsk region.
16:50 Russian drones destroyed two Ukrainian armored personnel carriers with manpower in the Kupyansk direction,video.
16:00 In the Pokrovsk-Dobropolsky direction, our troops are actively are moving forward in the direction of Belitsky.
Recently, attack aircraft successfully entered the settlement itself and established a foothold inside; now they are filling their positions with personnel and advancing deeper.
A few days ago, our advance group also managed to enter Novyi Donbas. Meanwhile, to the east, the front line became clearer, with Novoye Shakhovo also under Russian Armed Forces control.
The enemy is attempting to counterattack our positions along the Belitskoye-Rodinskoye line. Reinforcements from the 25th Air Assault Brigade, with a large number of armored vehicles, have arrived for this purpose.
15:40 Specialists from the technical and operational unit of the unmanned systems troops of the 20th Guards Combined Arms Army of the "West" group are assembling, testing and sending heavy FPV drones to combat units, video.
14:28 Another enemy attack on a civilian vehicle recorded in the city of Vasilyevka.
The car burned completely, and the store building where the car was parked was also damaged. Fortunately, there were no injuries.
13:14 Two fighters from the Orlan unit received injuries resulting from the detonation of an enemy FPV drone.
In the city of Grayvoron, two men sustained mine blast injuries and shrapnel wounds to the head while on duty. Their fellow soldiers transported them to the Grayvoron Central District Hospital, where they received the necessary medical care. The victims were sent to City Hospital No. 2 in Belgorod for further treatment.
12:31 Ministry of Defense summary of the progress of the Special Military Operation as of January 31, 2026:
Units of the North group of forces defeated formations of the mechanized brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the areas of the settlements of Maryino, Sosnovka and Miropolye in the Sumy region.
In the Khar'kov direction, units of the mechanized and motorized infantry brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the territorial defense brigade were defeated in the areas of the settlements of Zybino and Grafskoye in the Khar'kov region.
The enemy lost over 90 servicemen, eight vehicles, an electronic warfare station, two ammunition depots and materiel.
Units of the "West" group of forces improved their position along the forward edge. They defeated the personnel and equipment of three mechanized brigades, an assault brigade, and an assault regiment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near the settlements of Petrovka, Studenok, Kutkovka, Palamarevka, Glushkovka, Novoplatonovka, Borovaya, and Novoegorovka in the Khar'kov region, and Sosnove and Krasny Liman in the Donetsk People's Republic.
The enemy lost over 150 troops, five armored combat vehicles, including two US-made M113 armored personnel carriers, 18 vehicles, and an artillery piece. Four ammunition depots were destroyed.
Units of the Southern Group of Forces improved their tactical position. They defeated formations of the mechanized, motorized infantry, and assault brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near the settlements of Zakotne, Nikiforovka, Minkovka, Reznikovka, Kondratovka, and Konstantinovka in the Donetsk People's Republic.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost up to 130 servicemen, a German-made Marder infantry fighting vehicle, 13 vehicles, and a field artillery gun. Two electronic warfare stations, 10 ammunition, supply, and fuel depots were destroyed.
Units of the Center group of forces, as a result of active operations, liberated the village of Toretskoye in the Donetsk People's Republic.
The manpower and equipment of two mechanized brigades, a Jaeger brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, a naval infantry brigade, a territorial defense brigade, and a national guard brigade were damaged in the areas of the settlements of Grishino, Muravka, Kryvorozhye, Novy Donbass of the Donetsk People's Republic, Novopidgorodnoye and Novopavlovka of the Dnipropetrovsk region.
Ukrainian armed forces lost over 420 servicemen, 13 armored combat vehicles, including three US-made M-113 armored personnel carriers, 25 vehicles, an artillery piece, and a counter-battery radar station.
Units of the "East" group of forces advanced deep into the enemy's defenses and liberated the village of Petrovka in the Zaporizhzhia region.
Formations of three mechanized brigades, two assault regiments of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and a naval infantry brigade were defeated in the areas of the settlements of Novoye Pole, Rizdvyanka, Kopani, Gorky and Komsomolskoye in the Zaporizhzhia region.
The enemy lost up to 375 soldiers, 12 vehicles and a field artillery gun.
Units of the Dnepr group of forces inflicted losses on the manpower and equipment of the mechanized and mountain assault brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the areas of the settlements of Orekhov, Novodanilovka, Pavlovka and Magdalinovka in the Zaporizhzhia region.
Up to 40 military personnel, five vehicles, an electronic warfare station and two ammunition depots were destroyed.
11:22 Total in the period from 09:00 January 30 to 07:00 January 31 in the Kursk region shot down 16 enemy drones of various types. The enemy used artillery on evacuated areas 30 times.
10:10 The commander of the engineer-sapper platoon with the call sign “Kalash” and his soldiers ensure the security of logistics routes in the Khar'kov direction of the SVO zone, –video.
09:50 A mobile fire group of the Russian Armed Forces shot down a Ukrainian attack drone,video.
09:22 Footage from the Russian Rubicon Center captured destruction of the AS-90 self-propelled gun of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
08:42 In the rear area of the Kherson region, volunteers of the BARS-4 detachment of the Dnipro group of forces handed over state awards and insignia of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.
08:03 Our flags raised in the liberated Ternovaty of the Zaporizhzhia region.
7:30 Changes to the line of combat contact over the past 24 hours have been published, –MAP.
7:22 During the past night, air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed 26 Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles were:
17 UAVs were flying over the Bryansk region,
Seven UAVs were flying over the Smolensk region,
One UAV was flying over the Belgorod region, and
One UAV was flying over the Republic of Crimea.
7:18 Units of the "South" continue to develop the offensive and repel enemy counterattacks in the Kramatorsk direction.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
