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eastsplaining.bsky.social
Eastsplaining
@eastsplaining.bsky.social
POV: You live in Eastern Europe, next door to Russia

https://eastsplaining.substack.com
First time we heard Pokrovsk is about to fall was 15 months ago. Since then, we keep hearing the same. "The battle has entered the final phase, the fall is imminent". If it happens tomorrow (unlikely), it stopped Russian advance for more than a year. That is already "strategically significant".
November 13, 2025 at 9:39 AM
You need to be more specific! The tradition of painting flowers is widespread in Central East Europe. Does it look like this (that's southern Poland): media.istockphoto.com/id/126564447...
October 31, 2025 at 9:03 PM
My favorite kind of story is about a clueless person in the West, talking naive things about the greatness of communism and/or Russia without experiencing them in real life and going to a communist country and/or Russia to get this experience.
October 24, 2025 at 8:35 AM
This is a very interesting idea for someone who does not have a map or even Google Maps. The road from Moscow ends in Yakutsk (no bridge on Lena river). It will take a century for Russia to build the road towards this tunnel.
October 17, 2025 at 7:23 PM
If you think a tunnel connecting Russia and Alaska is a good idea, please remember that the road from Moscow ends in Yakutsk, where is no bridge. If you make it somehow across the river, you can drive (in good weather, in good vehicle) to Magadan, but NOT EVEN CLOSE to Bering strait.
October 17, 2025 at 6:49 PM
Some media report Putin's claim of seizing 5000 sq km in '25 as Russian success, but Ukraine has over 600 000 sq km. It's less than 1%, so it will take about a century for the rest. Probably more, as all that 1% are barren fields and abandoned villages. Russia failed to capture a single city in '25
October 8, 2025 at 9:07 AM
Russian commanders on Russian TV: we are at war with the satanic West
People in the West: why would they attack us? They only want to sell us cheap gas. We don't know the origin of these drones. Let's be peaceful and friendly and roll out red carpet for Putin again.
October 6, 2025 at 10:00 AM
Another Russian refinery is burning, this time in Yaroslavl. What's unusual is that the authorities reported the fire had nothing to do with Ukrainian drones, it was of "tekhnogenic origins". I'm not sure this version is better - but anyway, let them all burn (for any reasons, even cigarettogenic).
October 1, 2025 at 7:12 AM
Some hard to translate humor from Russian TG (heavy use of diminutives and profanities). Red line, "we are here". Sinusoid: "Donald smart / Expletive expletive / Darling cute little Trump is our darling cute little elephant / lets nuke Washington / lets fly to Washington"
September 24, 2025 at 6:34 AM
Russian TG channel "Two Majors" confirms "acute shortage" of fuel in "certain regions" and conclude that the problem will "continue or worsen" if someone doesn't take responsibility for improving AA protection of refineries. Meaning: it will not improve anytime soon, certainly not before winter.
September 24, 2025 at 6:14 AM
3 years ago Putin announced "partial mobilization". These people never returned to civilian life - they are either dead of forced to sign "voluntary" contracts. Pro-Russian blogger PriZrak Novorossi is posting a touchy relation of one of the "mobiks" who apparently lost all hope for return
September 22, 2025 at 1:39 PM
This diagram does not show not even the actual refining process (fraction distillation), but the key problem is that for high octane gasoline you need reforming process, not presented at this diagram at all. This one will be more informative for you.
September 2, 2025 at 6:14 AM
British born Russian propagandist based in Donetsk denies there's acute water shortage due to Russian invasion while actually confirming it. "It will get better once Russia takes Slavyansk" - well, maybe so, but it won't happen this year, so... water shortage won't end before 2030.
August 20, 2025 at 4:46 PM
I'm afraid this means no noble pwize for owange baby. Sad!
August 20, 2025 at 1:23 PM
Pro-Russian bloggers "Two Majors" describe living in Donetsk. What used to be one of the richest cities in Ukraine, after 11 yrs of Russian occupation turned into humanitarian disaster. Undrinkable water is running for few hours 3 days a week, in some flats once a week, in other not at all.
August 17, 2025 at 12:43 PM
This is peak Russia. Oil refinery in Sochi was hit by Ukrainian drones - young Russian people apparently don't care, they use the flames a backdrop to lipsyncing video on Tiktok. Russians don't care about other Russians, that's the first thing you need to understand about them.
August 3, 2025 at 12:11 PM
Have you checked "GDP per capita" or "median salary"? It seems you never visited Eastern Europe, while for me this is a part of my life, I saw this progress with my own eyes. Here's a comparison of GDP in the last year of communism (1989) and nowadays (you know how to find us on a map of Europe?)
August 3, 2025 at 9:23 AM
Current frontline (red) is superimposed on the frontline from end of 2022 (grey). The biggest change is in the area of Vuhledar (southeast). If Pokrovsk fall, another small bulge will appear. So - yes - Russia is advancing, but literally slower than a snail.
July 23, 2025 at 9:25 AM
You heard of many idiots who moved to Russia and encountered harsh reality. One Tim Kirby wanted to build an expat village near Moscow - and canceled because everything was way more expensive than in US. "He lives here for 20 yrs and still doesn't understand", comments a Russian blogger.
July 19, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Slow learner, huh? If you only listened to us, Mr President, you wouldn't have wasted so much time. In Eastern Europe we learned the hard way Russia never negotiates in good faith. They don't understand the concept. They believe in strong/weak, not good/bad. They read "good faith" as "weakness".
July 14, 2025 at 8:45 AM
Russians are mocking Trump who complained that "Putin wasn't there" during their phone conversation. Two Majors: "It's not as simple as bombing Iran, mister president, [here] you have to think".
July 4, 2025 at 11:30 AM
If Trump says he will make up his mind after 2 weeks of negotiations, he will do nothing and the negotiations will also deliver nothing
June 20, 2025 at 9:47 AM
You might heard that Russian strategic bombers were parked outdoors due to treaty limitations, exploited by Ukraine. This is partially true, the New START (successor to Cold War START) obliges both sides be open for mutual inspection (not necessarily "park outdoors" ). HOWEVER: Russia quit in 2023.
June 4, 2025 at 7:25 AM
Ukraine attacked the Crimean bridge again, posting video from Russian surveillance cameras to prove it. Russian military bloggers (here: Two Majors) are panicking not as much about the attack itself, but about "how they get the footage from our cameras"?
June 3, 2025 at 12:46 PM
Former Twitter is full of shadow account posting "BREAKING" nonsense like this. They keep imagining "red lines" and "harsh responses" for "angering the bear" which never happen. Yes, Russia bombs Ukraine, but they already do it as hard as they can. They can't "escalate", they don't have the cards.
June 2, 2025 at 6:52 AM