Transcript

Putin SHOCKED as UKRAINE STRIKES BACK and Defies ALL ODDS

From MeidasTouch · Episode page · Watch on YouTube

January 23, 2026 · 16 min · 2,536 words · 23 timestamped sections

This is the full, timestamped transcript of "Putin SHOCKED as UKRAINE STRIKES BACK and Defies ALL ODDS", an episode of MeidasTouch published January 23, 2026 (16 min, about 2,536 words). It mentions 5 people, works and ideas, including Philitner Ner, humanitarian crisis, David Bellavia, Medal of Honor.

What this episode is about

Ukraine is facing its worst energy crisis since the onset of the war, as intensified Russian strikes on energy infrastructure have left millions without power, heat, and water amid severe winter conditions. With a state of emergency declared across the energy sector, the ongoing attacks are severely impacting civilians and first responders, highlighting the dire humanitarian situation in the country.

Key takeaways

Ukrainian civilians endure winter's grasp while facing relentless Russian attacks—cold and conflict blend into a humanitarian crisis.
Energy warfare is chillingly strategic; hitting civilians where it hurts harder than a battlefield—power means survival.
Ukraine's engineers are unsung heroes, repairing utilities under fire, proving resilience often lives in the hum of electricity.
With severe cold ahead, desperate choices loom for families—shelter in warmth or risk it all for a flash of safety?
Ignoring Ukraine's plight amidst winter's brutality risks overlooking a growing humanitarian disaster—listen closely, the consequences are dire.

Who speaks in this episode?

Ken Harbaugh (Host) · 10 min speaking
Philitner Ner (Guest) · 6 min speaking

What is discussed, and when

0:00 – 3:00: Philitner Ner, humanitarian crisis
3:00 – 6:00: humanitarian crisis
6:00 – 9:00: David Bellavia, Policy Genius, Medal of Honor
12:00 – 15:00: humanitarian crisis

Notable quotes from "Putin SHOCKED as UKRAINE STRIKES BACK and Defies ALL ODDS"

I got an update from Philitner Ner, a US journalist based in Kev and host of On the Edge. I've actually borrowed Phil's studio during past trips to Ukraine.
about Philitner Ner · at 0:55
We are currently -1 Celsius which I think is like 12 Fahrenheit you know and this is going to create a major internally displaced people problem because people are going to have to evacuate their homes. It's unlivable and.
about humanitarian crisis · at 4:24
Try to find common ground with a conservative who I consider a true friend. David Bellavia, the only surviving Medal of Honor recipient from the war in Iraq. a Navy vet, an…
about David Bellavia · at 7:43

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

Philitner Ner — Person · Main guest (on-the-ground journalist interviewee) · 3 mentions · first at 0:55
Provides firsthand reporting from Kyiv about Russian strikes on energy infrastructure, humanitarian impacts, and civilian adaptations to blackouts and cold.
David Bellavia — Person · Referenced collaborator / co-host (promoted segment) · 2 mentions · first at 7:47
Mentioned as Ken Harbaugh’s counterpart on the show 'Battle Buddies' and described as a Medal of Honor recipient; used to position the show’s cross-partisan dialogue premise.

Concepts & topics

humanitarian crisis — Concept · Key argument · 3 mentions · first at 2:12
Major concern discussed, focusing on the impact of war and attacks on civilians.

Places & events

Medal of Honor — Event · Referenced work · 1 mention · first at 7:49
Mentioned in the context of a guest's background and the new show.
Try to find common ground with a conservative who I consider a true friend. David Bellavia, the only surviving Medal of Honor recipient from the war in Iraq. a Navy vet, an…

Full transcript with timestamps

0:00 To Ukraine now, where intensified Russian attacks on the country's energy infrastructure have plunged millions into darkness, cold, and water shortages. On Wednesday, a state of emergency was declared for the entire energy sector. With temperatures below minus 10° C, continued strikes, and no rapid recovery in sight. The worst energy crisis since the war began is pushing parts of the population to the brink.

0:27 It's Ken Harbaugh with the Midas Touch Network. It has been a bitterly cold week here in Ohio. Even colder in Minneapolis where I just was. But then I try to imagine that kind of cold without power, without heat, with bombs raining down constantly. My thoughts are never far from my friends in Ukraine, which is experiencing one of the coldest winters it's had in years while suffering an onslaught of Russian missile and drone attacks against civilian infrastructure. I got an update from Philitner Ner, a US journalist based in Kev and host of On the Edge. I've actually borrowed Phil's studio during past trips to Ukraine.

1:05 Right now, however, much of the city is without heat and power, including Phil's studio. So, I caught up with him in his apartment after yet another night of Russian attacks. Here's me and Phil. and please consider helping out by clicking the link below to support donations of life-saving generators to Ukraine. Thanks, Phil. Welcome to the show. Tell us where you are, what the situation is like. Uh we're hearing reports, but there's nothing like talking to someone on the ground in Kev in the aftermath or in the midst, you tell me, of yet another Russian drone attack that is targeting not military installations, but civilian infrastructure and civilians themselves. And the worst part of it, I I I think we'll get to this too, the first responders. I mean, I don't think there is anything more vile in the conduct of warfare than that kind of double tap. Over to you, Yeah, Ken, thanks for having me on. And one of the

2:04 major things that we need to do is raise raise awareness about what's going on here. We we are we are literally barreling down uh towards a major humanitarian crisis um in Ukraine. Uh they have knocked out power, the Russians have knocked out power in many cities. They have specifically targeted um the the less uh defensible uh locations like substations uh you know uh you know transformers um you know they they have hit major power plants in the past and this is after years of campaigning against a civilian. This is a war crime. This is an attack on civilian infrastructure.

2:52 They they sometimes make the argument that well, you know, because the military needs the electrical grid, uh it it's a legitimate target. Well, not in the way they're doing it. What they're doing is they're depriving the people of this city. Uh and I say this city because I'm I'm living here. Um a and depriving them of uh heat, water, uh electricity. Uh either all three or a mix of those. like I have water but I don't have electricity. So I uh you know I don't have heating either because of that. So, I rely on like uh these massive like solidstate batteries or these, you know, power stations that you can charge up when you do get electricity and then hope that you get enough juice to carry you through until when some of the unspoken heroes of this war, the Ukrainian civil engineers, uh who work tirelessly, like I hear them down my street working trying to get the power back on as much as they and and you know it's it's uh

4:01 bitterly cold. Uh I've been here since the beginning of the war. We got lucky a couple of times with relatively mild winters and also the the extended uh attack campaign on the electrical grid uh you know hadn't quite grown to what it is now uh to a place where it is really on the brink of collapse. uh and we are currently -1 Celsius which I think is like 12 uh Fahrenheit you know and and this is going to create a major major uh internally displaced people problem because people are going to have to evacuate their homes. It's unlivable and that's kind of the point is to put this crisis on you know this pressure on the country so that they'll they'll collapse. There is no lack. You've been here, Ken. There is no lack of spirit and and and and backbone and desire to resist. But at some point, if you have an 83year-old mother or grandmother who is on the 15th floor of some high-rise that has been without power for days,

5:14 you have to make a decision. Do we we do we carry grandma down the the the stairs and you know get her to a a a warm, you know, what what they're calling is invincibility uh uh uh locations where they can get you know a bed and heat and recharge batteries and recharge phones and get access to the internet. But you know when you have people who are the most vulnerable like the elderly and then of course those who have already been internally displaced because of the fighting already that it's just it's not tenable and we're not talking about this enough.

5:53 This is a huge potential humanitarian crisis. This is going to be a bitter bitter winter. We are expecting to get down to minus 20. We've got at least another month of this, if not six to eight weeks. This is a crisis that is not being spoken about enough.

6:13 At the start of this year, I had one of those rare moments when things slowed down just enough to take stock. I was with people I care about looking around thinking, "This is good and it's worth protecting. Not just the relationships, but the life we're building together." And that's where the weight comes in. protecting the people who matter most to planning for the future. It can feel overwhelming, especially when insurance turns into a maze of fine print and sales pressure. That's why I trust Policy Genius. Policy Genius isn't an insurance company. It's an online marketplace that helps you compare quotes from some of America's top insurers side by side for free. Their licensed team works for you, not the insurance companies. So, the guidance is actually about your needs. No guesswork, just clarity. They help you find the most affordable policy that fits your life. They answer your questions, they

7:06 handle the paperwork, and they advocate for you the whole way through. And it's no surprise they have thousands of five-star reviews on Google and Trustpilot. Plan for the year knowing you've protected what you've built. With Policy Genius, real users have gotten 20-year, $2 million policies for just $53 a month. Head to policygenius.com/ken to compare life insurance quotes from top companies and see how much you could save. That's policygenius.com/ken. It's Ken Harbaugh with a quick break to tell you about something new. Battle buddies is my latest weekly show where I try to find common ground with a conservative who I consider a true friend. David Bellavia, the only surviving Medal of Honor recipient from the war in Iraq. a Navy vet, an Army vet from opposite ends of the political spectrum, engaging in a civil conversation like we used to have. From the ICE immigration crackdowns to Trump's takeover of Venezuela, David and

8:04 I take on the toughest issues of the day with genuine respect for each other in spite of our very different perspectives. They're not always easy conversations, but they're always important. And that's something we need more of. respectful dialogue between people who disagree but who have figured out how to stay friends. Check out Battle Buddies today. Two vets, two views, One Nation. Find us on the Valor Media Network. Links below. Thanks.

8:39 Can you talk about uh what the Ukrainians are doing to adapt? I mean, the heroism of the civil engineers is it's on vivid display in my feeds. I want to make sure we talk about them. The first responders are doing incredible work, but ordinary Ukrainian citizens are coming up with adaptations that are like straight out of, you know, survival manuals. I mean, it's incredible what is being done to adapt to these conditions. Before I hit record, you talked about the trench candle that you're warming yourself next to. How are the Ukrainians?

9:16 Yeah. So, you take cardboard, you put it into like whatever can that you can possibly find, and then you fill it with paraffin, uh, and there's a bunch of other stuff that go, you know, like some wax and things like that. And it'll it'll slow burn for hours potentially. And even a little candle uh if uh you are in a small enclosed space can provide you uh sustainable you know heat so that you don't die. It's not comfortable. Um you know obviously I'm wearing a hat for a reason. I'm in warm uh clothing. I'm in the smallest room.

9:53 Normally I would talk to you Ken from my studio but I can't light my studio. I just I don't have the means and it's a large larger space. So, it's harder to warm. So, I've retreated into the smallest room in my apartment, which happens to be my bedroom, and that's where I'm speaking to you now, which is why the strange lighting and all the rest of it, you know, and I've got blankets and I've got space heaters for the when, you know, the power does come back on. uh or if it gets really dire, I can plug some of these space heaters into those solid state, you know, battery stations that I just showed you there. Um but people are people are doing things like uh um uh putting pans on because they still have uh uh gas stoves. So they'll put a pot of large water onto the stove and the stove will steam or you know the pot will steam. Yeah.

10:56 And then you get steam heat. Uh the city the municipality is putting out as I said these uh uh invincibility points where you can go and you can get warm, you can get some you know coffee and maybe something you know some soup or something like that. Ukrainians, as you know, Ken, uh have a real like uh binding, you know, a a a uni unified spirit uh in in this time of crisis. And it's amazing to see. So, they're setting up those uh spots there. I'm told, I haven't seen one in my area, but I'm told that there are instead of like large generators the size of a small like wood shed um which would heat uh you know power a a supermarket or a store or something like that. You see those all over the place. Now, apparently they're bringing in uh flatbed trucks um that allow them to uh maneuver around the city to go to those places where things are at a crisis and to as a stop gap measure, but also in

12:10 addition to that, they're harder to hit because you're right, Ken, one of the most disgusting things about what's happening is that um it's what you and I both saw in Iraq, a double tap. So when something gets hit, those who are the best of us always look for the helpers, right? Uh you know, Fred Rogers, you know, uh always look for the helpers. Well, the helpers come running. But cynically, what the Russians do is they wait until those civil engineers get to the damaged spot and then they have another drone that comes in and specifically targets people who are trying to save their neighbors lives. Uh because the exposure to the weather here, this is a bitterly cold winter.

12:55 People are going to be dying. People already have been dying. We just have one don't have the records quite yet.

13:01 We'll put a link to the uh generator donation site in the notes below. Can you give us an update on the front lines and what's going on with the war effort? you know, for for all this talk of doom and gloom and like Russia is an inevitability. It's not. It it it's strategic goals here cannot be met. And they're not making progress on the battle battlefield as much as they need to to get to those strategic goals. So what are they doing? They're attacking the people. They're making the people suffer. That's what this whole blackout thing is about. That's what this whole um you know freezing people so that they're forced to leave their homes. Um that's what this is about. And it's again been openly called a war crime here. Uh it even got to the point where the the mayor of Kiev Klitschko uh who I had never heard him say something like this before. Uh he has always been we Kiev we will stand strong story kind of

14:06 guy. He recently said, "Look, if you can get out, if you have a home, a village, somewhere where maybe you're in a electrical grid that is not as badly under attack as we are currently, leave. Get out of the city." That's the mayor of the city saying that. And I've never heard him speak like that. This is unprecedented. I've been here the entire war. It's never been like this before. And it's it is a serious humanitarian crisis that the world is apparently willing to ignore.

14:37 Well, Phil, our hearts are with you. We're going to do what we can to get the word out. And we'll check in with you again um soon, but keep us posted.

14:46 I'm I'm always at your disposal, Ken. And look, I do not feel doom and gloom. The strength of these people, you've seen it yourself, I'm sure, when you were here. Unless they absolutely have to, they will not break. They they're going to make it through this winter. This they will not, you know, there may be internally displaced people. There may be exodus. There may be a lot of suffering. And there is going to be there currently is. And there, you know, there's going to be more suffering, but they're not giving up. This country is is is determined never to fall under the sway of Moscow again. And by God, not a bitter winter, not drone attacks or missile attacks is going to change that.

15:30 The spirit of the Ukrainian people um is taking a beating. Um but they're not giving up.

15:37 Well said, Phil. Thank you so much. Thank you, kids. Love this video. Support independent media and unlock exclusive content. Add free videos and custom emojis by becoming a paid member of our YouTube channel today. You can also gift memberships to others. Let's keep growing together.

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "Putin SHOCKED as UKRAINE STRIKES BACK and Defies ALL ODDS"?

Ken Harbaugh (Host), Philitner Ner (Guest).

What is "Putin SHOCKED as UKRAINE STRIKES BACK and Defies ALL ODDS" about?

What is mentioned in this MeidasTouch episode?

5 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Philitner Ner, humanitarian crisis, David Bellavia, Medal of Honor. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "Putin SHOCKED as UKRAINE STRIKES BACK and Defies ALL ODDS"?

The episode runs 16 min; the transcript is about 2,536 words in 23 timestamped sections.

More from MeidasTouch

About this transcript: the episode's spoken words as captioned on YouTube, split into timestamped sections. Reclip.Me locates every person, work and idea in the text, keeps the time it is first named, and quotes the words around it verbatim. Last updated January 27, 2026.