Alexander Mercouris | Russia Closes Orekhov Trap; Tusk Admits Ukraine Loses 27K Each Month; US Diesel Export Ban Shocks EU | Sep. 18, 2026

Source: Alexander Mercouris youtube



Description: 

Alexander Mercouris on Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s admission that Ukraine is losing 27,000 men a month, the closing Russian trap around Orikhiv, and a looming US diesel export ban for Europe.

Timeline:
00:00:00 Mercouris opens with a travel note before today's program
00:01:31 Tusk admits Ukraine is losing 27000 a month
00:02:16 The number lines up with Putin and contradicts Zelensky's own claims
00:03:27 Why Tusk may have revealed this ahead of his trip to Kyiv
00:06:38 Mercouris doubts this is a sudden spike in losses
00:09:59 How the 27000 figure matches a source Mercouris trusted a year ago
00:11:35 Ukraine's manpower crisis and tightening conscription in Kyiv and Lviv
00:14:46 The Silsky and Fedorov clash over drones versus conscription
00:16:48 Fedorov's drone offensive failed to deliver and drained the budget
00:23:16 Ukraine's growing reliance on foreign mercenaries from Latin America
00:29:18 The Russian drone and missile offensive intensifies and becomes routine
00:31:54 Why Mercouris calls the Geran 5 a cruise missile rather than a drone
00:42:58 Ukraine admits the Zatoka bridge is badly damaged and closed
00:47:25 Up to 500 Ukrainian locomotives destroyed
00:48:07 Russian Duma elections underway as the economy stays stable
00:59:58 Growing skepticism as the Lyman counteroffensive stalls
01:05:08 Russia closes the trap around the Ukrainian garrison in Orikhiv
01:14:56 Russians retake Zoloti Kolodyazi as southern Donbas defenses collapse
01:24:36 Kushner's odd account of Putin's Donbas timeline
01:27:47 A looming US diesel export ban threatens a dreadful winter for Europe

Alexander Mercouris | Iran US War Resumes; Russia Brushes Off EU Sanctions, Complains To China Over Drones | June 11, 2026

Source: Alexander Mercouris youtube



Description:
Alexander Mercouris reports live from Russia with a sweeping analysis of the escalating US strikes on Iran, the growing threat to Hormuz shipping, and the prospect of a sudden oil price shock as the confrontation deepens.

Reporting exclusively from an international conference, Mercouris reveals that Ukrainian drones are built entirely on Chinese components routed through third parties in Malaysia, that China is quietly throttling rare earth and tungsten exports to Europe, and that the Kremlin has issued quiet guidance to Russian media not to criticise Donald Trump, a calculated strategy Alex Christoforou and The Duran have been tracking closely.

With Russian forces closing in on Lyman and Slavyansk and the Donbas front shifting faster than Western media acknowledges, is a cascade collapse of Ukrainian positions now inevitable?

Timeline:
00:00:00 Introduction — reporting from Russia
00:00:36 US missile strikes on Iran continue
00:01:09 Indian tanker struck near Oman, Delhi protests
00:01:39 Trump claims Hormuz shipping breakthrough — Mercouris skeptical
00:03:10 US military distorting Persian Gulf picture for Trump?
00:04:48 Oil price outlook and Iranian response scenarios
00:06:52 Christoforou and Mercouris on oil price panic and market sentiment
00:09:25 Seymour Hersh report Trump discussed tactical nuclear option
00:12:13 Lyman situation Russian forces entering from multiple directions
00:20:59 Why the West has not grasped the Donbas crisis
00:21:45 Russian FAB bombs growing accuracy confirmed, Forbes article debunked
00:26:31 Ukrainian drone supply chain. Chinese components via Malaysia
00:29:44 China throttling rare earths and tungsten to the West
00:34:00 China views US Iran blockade as ultimately targeting China
00:37:40 Kremlin directive no criticism of Trump or the United States
00:40:20 Russia strategy taking half the cake while advancing on the battlefield
00:55:19 Ukrainian colonel assassinate FSB failures and military anger

Alexander Mercouris | Russia Breakthrough Orekhov Falls; Trump Energy Truce Claim Ridiculed; Kiev Crisis Resumes EU Splits | Sep. 15, 2026

Source: Alexander Mercouris youtube



Description: 

Alexander Mercouris on Ukrainian forces withdrawing from Orekhov, a collapse that could open the road toward Zaporizhzhia, hours after Donald Trump claimed Russia and Ukraine had agreed to an energy ceasefire. Mercouris walks through denials from Moscow and Kiev, corruption scandals in the Ukrainian leadership, and an EU split over rolling over Russia sanctions.

Timeline:
00:00:00 Introduction
00:00:35 Ukrainian forces reportedly withdraw from Orikhiv
00:01:09 Rybar's account of the withdrawal
00:03:46 Villages north of Orikhiv fall, cutting the escape road
00:07:02 Why Orikhiv matters for the road to Zaporizhzhia and Crimea
00:11:49 Trump claims a Russia Ukraine energy truce
00:12:37 Skepticism sets in as Kyiv denies any agreement
00:15:13 Peskov's denial exposes Trump's claim
00:16:33 Ben Aris on Ukraine's unsustainable warehouse losses
00:23:39 Zelensky sanctions his own former spokeswoman Yulia Mendel
00:26:36 A deadly gunfight between Ukrainian intelligence services
00:28:23 The Kravchenko prosecutor general scandal and fake call centers
00:33:49 Mercouris on the real story behind Ukraine's turf wars
00:38:06 Europe splits over rolling over Russia sanctions
00:41:00 Petraeus says he witnessed the railway strike and found it terrifying
00:43:06 The hypocrisy behind coverage of the Krasnodar strikes
00:44:01 Debunking the myth of Putin's Italian palace

Alexander Mercouris | Russia Donbas Knockout Blow, Dobropilia Cauldron, Slaviansk Crisis; Lavrov: West Diplomacy All Trickery | Aug. 28, 2026

Source: Alexander Mercouris youtube



Description: 

Alexander Mercouris on the Donbas fighting around Dobropillia and Sloviansk, and Lavrov calling Western diplomacy trickery after talks with the Vatican.

Timeline:
00:00:00 Friday program introduction
00:00:28 Catastrophe developing for Ukraine in Donbas and Zaporizhzhia
00:01:18 Gerasimov explains why Donbas matters most
00:02:46 Gerasimov calls Zaporizhzhia claims a propaganda campaign
00:05:17 Dobropillia situation turns from bad to catastrophic
00:09:07 Third Azov Corps under Bilecki defends Dobropillia
00:12:02 Russians take half of Oleksandrivka near Sloviansk
00:18:51 Drone footage confirms Russian control of Malaya Tokmachka
00:20:00 Russian troops filmed in the center of Orikhiv
00:23:48 Kherson region population ordered to evacuate
00:25:50 Russia nears encirclement of Sumy city
00:26:31 North Korean troop buildup reported in Bryansk and Kursk
00:27:34 Russian economy keeps growing despite Ukrainian strikes
00:29:53 Seventy ships stranded off the Romanian coast
00:32:58 New York Times floats new theory on Ratcliffe’s Moscow trip
00:37:17 Mercouris explains why the New York Times story is absurd
00:43:16 Lavrov details his meeting with the Vatican’s Gallagher
00:52:42 Lavrov says Western diplomacy is deception

The Duran | Russia confronts China on drones shipped to Ukraine | June 11, 2026

Source: The Duran youtube



Description:
Alexander Mercouris reports live from Russia with a damning verdict: after 21 EU sanctions packages, the Russian economy is growing, shops are fully stocked, and the collective West's economic strategy has delivered nothing. 

 

Alex Christoforou and Alexander Mercouris break down the China drone pipeline supplying Ukraine, the mysterious disappearance of Russian central bank chief Nabiullina, Europe's rearmament agenda, and the FSB's failure to protect Russian military officers from a fresh wave of assassinations. 

Is the EU's sanctions campaign less about crippling Russia and more about consolidating power in Brussels, and what does Mercouris's firsthand account reveal that Western media refuses to report?

Timeline:
00:00:00 Introduction: EU's 21st sanctions package and Russia ground assessment
00:00:28 Mercouris reports from Moscow and Pskov: sanctions have completely failed
00:00:55 High interest rates and Russian central bank
00:02:10 Economic activity outside Moscow: shops full, construction booming
00:03:47 Drone strikes on refineries: zero impact on fuel supplies or daily life
00:04:32 Ursula's sanctions trap: EU doing the same thing expecting a different result
00:05:26 Sanctions as EU power consolidation: Christoforou and Mercouris discuss
00:07:18 European rearmament plans: Germany financialization theory
00:10:05 The China drone pipeline: FPV components routed through Malaysia to Ukraine
00:11:33 Putin and Xi: Russia raises China drone issue at highest level
00:15:38 Russia oil and gas sales remain at record highs despite four years of SMO
00:17:09 Does Europe take Russian warnings seriously? The bluffing perception problem
00:18:48 Sevastopol museum attack
00:20:11 Russian colonel assassinated
00:23:10 Ukraine and Western intel: are they the same operation? Closing analysis

Alexander Mercouris | Putin Meets Military Warns West Says Russia Has Drone Dominance Seeks Victory; US Plans China Trap | June 13, 2026

Source: Alexander Mercouris youtube



Description:
Alexander Mercouris reports live from Russia as Vladimir Putin meets frontline soldiers on Russia Day, signaling a decisive shift from diplomat to warlord and revealing that Russia's Rasvet satellite system, its answer to Starlink, is nearly operational and could transform the battlefield before year's end.

The Duran's analysis covers the accelerating collapse of Ukrainian defenses in Constantinovka confirmed by Ukrainian sources, Putin's uncompromising stance toward the collective West, and explosive intelligence suggesting the US may be secretly manipulating oil markets to engineer a financial trap targeting China and the BRICS payment system. Is Russia on the verge of a breakthrough that Western media refuses to acknowledge, and could a manufactured oil price shock reshape the global economy before anyone sees it coming?

Timeline:
00:00:00 Introduction — dispatching from Russia on Russia Day
00:00:44 Putin meets frontline soldiers at the Kremlin
00:01:27 Putin's long silence and return as warlord
00:04:20 Putin the negotiator vs Putin the military manager
00:07:19 US disengagement from Ukraine after failed diplomacy
00:09:24 Soldiers brief Putin on drones, comms and front needs
00:12:46 Russia's Rasvet system — answer to Starlink
00:17:02 Rasvet satellite deployment timeline and credibility assessment
00:20:23 Putin's bleak message to the West — collective struggle framing
00:25:36 Ukrainian drone campaign assessed — limited strategic effect
00:30:59 Battle of Constantinovka — Ukrainian sources confirm collapse
00:38:09 Implications for Slavansk and Kramatorsk
00:40:34 Iran and US — nuclear deal still elusive
00:42:36 Strait of Hormuz tankers — US paying Iran transit fees?
00:45:54 Oil price manipulation and the hidden China trap

Alexander Mercouris | Zelensky Leaves Kiev After Russian Strike Warnings; Oreshnik Capabilities; Konstantinovka Collapsing | May 29, 2026

Source: Alexander Mercouris youtube



Description:
Russian forces are closing in on Konstantinovka as Ukrainian resistance in southern Donbass collapses, while new insider intelligence shared with Alexander Mercouris on The Duran reveals the full Oreshnik missile family including bunker busting variants more capable than any weapon the United States has fielded.

As Zelensky slips out of Kiev ahead of a looming Russian strike campaign, Europe's foreign policy establishment led by figures like Kaja Kallas continues to block all negotiation with Moscow, doubling down on military buildups they cannot deliver while the front lines deteriorate by the day. Is Europe sleepwalking toward a direct confrontation with Russia at the very moment Ukraine is running out of time? 

Timeline:

00:00:00 Introduction and channel reminders
00:00:43 Western embassies remain in Kiev despite Russian warnings
00:01:53 Zelensky leaves Kiev amid strike threat signals
00:02:28 Sweden and Gripen jets for Ukraine
00:05:12 Drone activity and the pace of Russian planning
00:06:35 Insider source on the Oreshnik weapons system
00:08:04 Oreshnik origins: the siege of Azovstal
00:09:26 Oreshnik variants: kinetic, penetrating, thermobaric, nuclear
00:14:25 Development speed and legacy RSD-10 technology
00:16:57 Battle of Konstantinovka: situation overview
00:18:55 Southern Konstantinovka collapses under Russian advance
00:21:28 Ukrainian drone operators withdrawn, final days signal
00:26:16 Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk advances, Orikhiv bombing
00:30:41 Ukrainian drone campaign on the Mariupol to Crimea highway
00:38:02 The collapsing stalemate narrative and western panic ahead
00:39:54 Europe frozen out of Russia negotiations: a timeline
00:46:55 Kallas blocks talks, demands Russian capitulation
00:50:25 Gordon Hahn analysis: Europe's war faction
00:58:11 Romanian drone incident and European escalation rhetoric
01:02:27 Baltic and Scandinavian drone incursions: Finland's Stubb speaks
01:05:53 Explosive devices on Russian tankers and western complicity
01:10:34 UK surveillance aircraft over Black Sea, Britain Poland treaty
01:14:20 What happens when the front collapses: European troop deployments
01:17:29 US Iran nuclear deal deadlocked
01:18:41 Cuba: Russian oil tanker and invasion talk
01:24:25 Veterans Intelligence Professionals warn against Cuba attack
01:25:50 Closing remarks and channel links

Alexander Mercouris | Russia Rejects CIA Chief Ratcliffe Spurns West Pleas For Ukraine Truce; Slaviansk Battle Begins | Aug. 27, 2026

Source: Alexander Mercouris youtube



Description: 

Alexander Mercouris on CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s Moscow visit, Russia rejecting Western pleas for a Ukraine truce, and the battle for Slavyansk.

Timeline:
00:00:00 Introduction Focus on Ratcliffe's Moscow Visit
00:02:47 The Official Semi Routine Cover Story
00:07:36 Was This Really About Iran
00:10:40 The Baltic States Attack Theory Debunked
00:12:29 The Real Reason Ukraine Is Collapsing
00:15:26 The CIA Is Running the War in Ukraine
00:20:30 Why So Many Cover Stories Are Being Spread
00:21:20 The Vatican Secretary of State Also Went to Moscow
00:24:39 Witkoff and Kushner Sidelined by the Russians
00:26:33 The Donbass Buffer Zone Proposal Explained
00:28:31 Putin and Lavrov Refuse to Meet Ratcliffe
00:35:19 Threats Bribes and the Car Bomb in St Petersburg
00:40:01 Massive Russian Strike Hits Kiev and Odessa
00:45:12 Zelensky's Fabricated Zaporizhzhia Video Exposed
00:51:16 Gerasimov Briefs on the Battle for Slavyansk
00:58:45 Azov Commanders Appointed to Defend Donbass
01:03:55 Ukrainian Counterattack Near Lyman Fails
01:08:01 Russia Enters the Middle Game of the War

Alexander Mercouris | Russia Crushes Kiev's Elite Azov Troops Smashes Dobropilia; West Despairs At Kiev Lack Of AD | Aug. 15, 2026

Source: Alexander Mercouris youtube



Description: 

Alexander Mercouris on the Dobropilia fighting, Azov units, and Ukraine's air-defense shortage.

Timeline:
00:00:00 Intro and Ukraine front line overview
00:00:31 Dobropilye battle update as Russians storm from the south
00:02:59 Are Azov troops really Ukraine's best
00:06:24 General Ivan takes command of Russian forces
00:11:43 Ukraine's military command in disarray
00:12:56 Zelensky's Zaporizhzhia counteroffensive claims disputed
00:15:48 Russia releases competing video from the same area
00:20:19 Western media reliance on Ukrainian claims
00:21:52 Financial Times admits Ukraine air defense shortage
00:23:37 Ukraine's large drone and missile strike mostly ineffective
00:25:49 Continued Russian strikes on Odessa
00:27:45 Fuel situation improves across Russia, Crimea still restricted
00:32:12 Russian Arena active protection system on tanks
00:35:07 Ukraine outgunned in artillery, tanks and aviation
00:37:53 Western artillery shell production failures
00:55:38 Turkey and US weapons transfers spark Russian warning
01:11:08 Russia's economy far stronger than the sanctions narrative
01:22:49 Iran's economy also underestimated by the West

Alexander Mercouris | NATO Will Soon Panic & Risk War with Russia | July 24, 2026

Source: Glenn Diesen youtube, Alexander Mercouris youtube, The Duran youtube



Description:
Alexander Mercouris discusses how NATO's euphoria will soon be replaced by panic and escalation.

Alexander Mercouris | Russia Massive Missile Strike; All Missiles Hit Targets; China India Reject US Sanctions; Lyman Fail | Sep. 17, 2026

Source: Alexander Mercouris youtube



Description: 

Russia unleashed one of its most powerful missile and drone strikes yet on Ukraine overnight, hitting Kiev, Odessa and Zaporizhzhia while wiping out key bridges and leaving Ukraine's air defense in near total collapse. 

Alexander Mercouris on why China and India are openly defying the new US sanctions bill, why Volodymyr Zelensky just sanctioned his own former spokeswoman for suggesting peace talks, and what the stalled Ukrainian offensive near Lyman really means for the war.

Timeline:
00:00:00 Massive Russian Missile And Drone Strike Overnight
00:01:37 Kiev Zaporizhzhia Odessa And Black Sea Ports Hit
00:03:09 Ships Smuggling Weapons Into Odessa Attacked
00:05:56 Zatoka And Mayaki Bridges Knocked Out
00:09:14 Warehouses Data Center And Drone Storage Destroyed
00:10:24 Energy Grid Still Spared Bigger Campaign Coming
00:11:40 Rasvet Satellite System Speculation
00:15:24 Russian Strike Tempo Accelerating Every Few Days
00:17:40 Ukrainian Air Defense In Total Collapse
00:22:10 Greece Refuses To Hand Over Air Defense Missiles
00:26:48 Did Diplomacy Delay Russias Offensive
00:37:07 Ukraine Strikes Rostov Air Base
00:41:18 Yaroslavl Refinery Hit Trump Blames Ukraine For Diesel Crisis
00:47:07 Russian Strikes Gut Ukraine Warehouses And Locomotives
00:53:12 Ukraine Demands Another 50 Billion Euros
00:55:44 Zelensky Sanctions Critic Julia Mendel
01:05:55 Sanctions Bill Passes China And India Defy It
01:15:28 Front Line Update Dorop Kharkov Lyman And Russian Elections

Alexander Mercouris | Russian Strike Knocks Out Kiev Internet; Dobropilia Front Collapses; Russia No to All Truce Demands | Sep. 24, 2026

Source: Alexander Mercouris youtube



Description: 

Alexander Mercouris, episode 2029, on strikes that cut Kiev's internet and its rail link to Poland, the fronts at Dobropillia, Orikhiv and Kharkov, Lavrov ruling out a ceasefire, and Xi Jinping's welcome in the US.

Timeline:
00:00:00 Why Ukraine remains the key story
00:01:20 Daylight Geran strikes target Kiev's rail link to Poland
00:05:25 Overnight Iskander and Zircon strikes on Kiev
00:07:12 Data centers hit and Kiev's internet goes dark
00:08:58 Where are Kiev's air defenses
00:13:22 Did Kiev switch off its own internet
00:16:02 Starlink complex hit and fewer Ukrainian drones
00:17:43 Test runs for isolating Kiev
00:21:30 Strikes beyond Kiev and Russia's new light cruise missiles
00:26:19 Dobropillia cauldron and the push north
00:31:34 Orikhiv encirclement and the road to Zaporozhye
00:36:10 Kharkov cauldron split apart
00:40:14 Lyman rumors versus reality
00:47:10 Why Deep State maps mislead the West
00:50:16 Zelensky in New York and the ceasefire push
00:57:38 Lavrov meets an inactive Rubio
01:00:42 Lavrov rules out any ceasefire before a settlement
01:08:38 Xi at Andrews and the Anchorage echo
01:13:56 Why a US China trade truce won't hold
01:20:38 Europe's panic and Ukraine's winter crisis

Alexander Mercouris | Kiev Reels; Russia Storms Both Orekhov Dobropilia;; Shoots Down 'Nearly All' Flamingoes; Wins Sky | Aug. 18, 2026

Source: Alexander Mercouris youtube



Description:
Alexander Mercouris discusses: Kiev Reels; Russia Storms Both Orekhov Dobropilia;; Shoots Down 'Nearly All' Flamingoes; Wins Sky.

Timeline:
00:00:00 Introduction and news of the day
00:01:23 Report on the battle for Orekhov
00:03:26 How Russia broke into Orekhov using Novodanylivka as a balcony
00:05:55 Ukraine should withdraw but will not
00:08:05 Why Orikhiv's fall is now considered sealed
00:09:42 Western mapper Suriyak confirms Orekhov and names Konstantinivka next
00:11:53 The history and importance of Orekhov since 2022
00:15:02 Update on the battle for Dobropillya
00:17:14 Warning signs of a coming crisis around Slovyansk and Siversk
00:21:10 A hidden battle raging near the Oskil River
00:23:13 Russian navy destroys Ukrainian warships at sea
00:24:34 Unprecedented Russian strikes on Odessa and the Black Sea ports
00:25:46 Talk of a permanent sea blockade using naval mines
00:29:23 Where Ukraine's drone offensive against Russia really began
00:32:20 Why a massive drone attack caused almost no damage
00:34:39 Report claims Russia is shooting down nearly all Flamingo missiles
00:37:59 How A50 AWACS jets and MiG31 fighters are hunting the Flamingos
00:47:17 Ukraine breaks its promise and strikes a tanker at Novorossiysk
00:56:23 Evidence Russia is arming Iran in response to Western strikes
01:07:27 Ukraine's electricity crisis and shrinking infantry numbers

Alexander Mercouris | Russia Wins Moscow Air Battle Defeats Kiev Drones; Merz Doomed AfD Surges Putin Party Wins EU Panics | Sep. 21, 2026

Source: Alexander Mercouris youtube



Description: 

Alexander Mercouris on Russia's parliamentary election confirming Putin's political dominance, Moscow's air defenses crushing Ukraine's largest drone and missile strike on the capital, Merz as a dead man walking after catastrophic CDU losses, and Ukraine's collapsing Kharkov front.

Timeline:
00:00:00 Introduction: two elections in Germany and Russia
00:01:32 Mecklenburg-Vorpommern: AfD 38 percent, CDU below 5 percent
00:04:47 Comparing Mecklenburg to the Saxony-Anhalt landslide
00:10:13 Berlin: Die Linke wins, CDU crashes, AfD doubles to 16 percent
00:16:04 Crisis of Germany's old political class, SPD and CDU
00:18:56 Merz's hysterical response and dead-man-walking status
00:22:45 CDU succession scramble between Söder and Wüst
00:26:46 Germany as EU linchpin and a possible shift on Russia
00:32:18 Russia's election: orderly voting amid Western claims of manipulation
00:35:02 United Russia gains as opposition parties hold steady
00:37:48 New People party underperforms, no support for liberalism in Russia
00:41:13 Putin emerges stronger as war veterans enter the Duma
00:47:39 Turning to the war: Moscow's biggest drone strike
00:50:38 Russian defense ministry claims a total intercept
00:52:00 The staggering true cost of Ukraine's drone offensive
01:03:59 Kharkov cauldron nears collapse and Velikiy Burluk encirclement
01:06:16 Biletsky's Liman offensive stalls into a meat grinder
01:10:33 Dobropillya advances continue for Russian forces
01:13:02 Zelensky-Trump call and pressure over refinery strikes
01:14:51 Trump nears a US diesel export ban
01:21:57 European panic deepens as Ukraine's strategy collapses

Alexander Mercouris | Iran WIPES OUT US Troops, Yemen SHUTS Red Sea as Trump PANICS | July 20, 2026

Source: Danny Haiphong youtube, The Duran youtube, Alexander Mercouris youtube

Description:
Trump is panicking as Geopolitical analyst Alexander Mercouris joins Danny Haiphong to discuss Iran's major escalation that has US troop losses spiking and the mounting crises facing US empire as Yemen closes theBab el-Mandeb Strait.

Alexander Mercouris | Germany & Russia Vote — Europe’s War Fever Intensifies | Sep. 23, 2026

Source: Glenn Diesen youtube, Alexander Mercouris youtube, The Duran youtube



Description: 

Glenn Diesen interviews Alexander Mercouris on the German and Russian votes and Europe's intensifying war enthusiasm.

Alexander Mercouris | Trump Deploys Squadrons to Israel, Iran 'Doomsday' War Imminent | Sep. 29, 2026

Source: Danny Haiphong youtube, The Duran youtube, Alexander Mercouris youtube



Description: 

Geopolitical analyst and host of The Duran Alexander Mercouris discusses all signs pointing to a new round of war between the US & Israel against Iran as the Ukraine conflict reaches a breaking point for Trump & NATO, but not for the reasons you may think.

Alexander Mercouris | Putin Warns Russia And Europe At War If Europe Troops Enter Ukraine; Big Houthi Victory; BRICS Meets | Sep. 12, 2026

Source: Alexander Mercouris youtube



Description: 

Alexander Mercouris on Putin's warning from the BRICS summit in New Delhi: European troops in Ukraine would mean direct conflict with Russia.

He also covers a Houthi surge that forced Saudi Arabia to shut an oil pipeline, Trump twice turning away Mohammed bin Salman, and the Ukraine front from Kupiansk to Dobropillya.

Timeline:
00:00:00 Intro
00:00:34 Major news across the Middle East Ukraine and energy markets
00:01:36 Putin's unambiguous words on European troops in Ukraine
00:02:32 Why the Kremlin skipped a formal press conference
00:03:56 Putin questioned on the AfD victory in Saxony Anhalt
00:06:25 Russia moves from hints to an explicit warning
00:07:11 The long decline of German policy toward Russia
00:09:19 German rhetoric escalates linking the AfD to Russia
00:10:23 The Leipzig drone incident and its shaky evidence
00:13:56 Europe escalates with drones missiles and asset seizures
00:19:27 The shadow fleet standoff and Norway's ship seizure
00:22:53 Unproven claims of NATO disrupting a Russian naval exercise
00:25:46 Ukraine's battlefield collapse fuels European panic
00:28:21 Moscow rejects visits from Ratcliffe and Witkoff and Kushner
00:34:03 Putin defends Russia's history of enforcing its red lines
00:44:19 Why Russia no longer fears a conventional conflict with NATO
00:51:19 Putin dominates the BRICS summit in New Delhi
01:01:51 Houthi battlefield gains force Saudi Arabia to shut a pipeline
01:05:56 Trump twice refuses MBS's pleas for military help
01:14:05 Ukraine front line update from Kupiansk to Dobropillya

Alexander Mercouris | Russia Acts to Cut Off Kiev; Geran Hits Train With West Officials; Kiev Station Shakes; BRICS Advance | Sep. 13, 2026

Source: Alexander Mercouris youtube



Description: 

Alexander Mercouris on Russia's Geran strike on a train carrying Western officials in Kiev, Eric Schmidt's warning on Ukraine, and Putin, Modi and Xi at the BRICS summit in Delhi.

Timeline:
00:00:00 Russian strategy to isolate Kiev from the West
00:02:02 Massive Geran drone attack, nearly 1000 drones launched
00:02:36 Geran drones operate near Belarus using repeater stations
00:06:32 Evidence Geran 2 drones now modified with ground control
00:06:57 Russians strike locomotive of train carrying Western dignitaries
00:08:48 Travel to Kiev becoming increasingly unsafe for Western officials
00:11:30 Russians edging closer to shutting down the Kiev Poland railway
00:12:55 Return of the older Geran 2 drone explained
00:16:50 Ukraine's costly interceptor drone program becomes obsolete
00:27:15 Eric Schmidt's Washington Post op-ed on Ukraine's outlook
00:36:05 Pushback on the narrative that Russia cannot innovate
00:37:48 Kushner and Witkoff deliver Russia's withdrawal terms to Zelensky
00:39:55 Talk of October trilateral talks between Russia Ukraine and the US
00:44:31 Zelensky's delusional comments on Ukraine joining NATO
00:46:52 Putin warns European troops in Ukraine means war with Russia
00:47:39 Zelensky hopes to meet Putin at the G20 in Miami
00:59:19 Battlefield update, Russians retake ground near Dobropillya
01:04:43 Russian advances continue in Kharkov and Zaporizhzhia
01:13:58 BRICS summit in Delhi restores harmony between Putin Modi and Xi
01:26:52 German poll shows 78 percent want Chancellor Merz to resign

Alexander Mercouris | Russia AF Heaviest Odessa Bombing; Russia Storm Kiev After Donbas; Drones Cause Ukraine Budget Crash | Aug. 25, 2026

Source: Alexander Mercouris youtube



Description:
Alexander Mercouris discusses: Russia AF Heaviest Odessa Bombing; Russia Storm Kiev After Donbas; Drones Cause Ukraine Budget Crash. 

Timeline:
00:00:00 Intro and apology for delayed publication
00:01:35 Ukraine's Independence Day and total dependence on the West
00:03:35 The abandoned 2022 Istanbul peace agreement
00:04:16 New details on Western pressure against the peace deal
00:07:22 Only Macron remains of the leaders who blocked peace
00:10:25 Prediction that Putin outlasts every Western leader
00:13:16 Fedorov sacked after demanding elections
00:19:37 Zelensky admits Ukraine has run out of money
00:21:49 How the drone offensive blew through its budget
00:27:49 Syrskyi's revolt and unpaid soldiers
00:29:47 Ukraine's budget deficit hits tens of billions
00:32:21 More Western billions pledged despite the waste
00:35:26 Russia's heaviest ever bombing of Odessa
00:39:17 Front line update in Zaporizhzhia and Orikhiv
00:40:52 Dobropillya falls as Russia advances
00:47:36 Ukraine's exotic ceasefire proposal for Donbas
00:54:11 Why claims of a Russian fuel crisis are false
01:00:21 Zelensky predicts Russia will push toward Kiev next
01:03:04 The US economic D Day threat against Iran and Russia's immunity

The Duran | GERMANY, CDU Plots MERZ Removal, Merkel Lurks in the Shadows | May 31, 2026

Source: The Duran YouTube

Description:
Germany's political crisis is deepening as Bild reports that CDU insiders are actively discussing the removal of Chancellor Friedrich Merz through a no-confidence vote, with North Rhine-Westphalia Minister President Hendrik Wust emerging as the preferred replacement in what Alexander Mercouris bluntly describes as a political assassination in all but name.

Alex Christoforou and Alexander Mercouris of The Duran trace the roots of the plot back to Merz's unprecedented failed Bundestag vote and raise the question no one in the German establishment wants to answer: whether Angela Merkel, who recently re-emerged demanding real authority as a condition for any diplomatic role, is quietly pulling the strings behind the curtain. With CDU ratings sliding toward existential territory and the AfD gaining ground across Germany, is replacing Merz a genuine rescue plan or simply rearranging the deck chairs on a ship that has already taken on too much water?

Timeline:
00:00:00 Introduction: Bild reports CDU plotting against Merz
00:01:17 Potential successors: Hendrik Wust and Michael Kretschmer
00:02:05 Is this a coup? Mercouris calls it a political assassination
00:03:49 Unprecedented in modern German history: why this matters
00:05:34 How big is the group? Early stage but momentum building
00:06:41 Merz's embarrassing first Bundestag vote: the origins of dissent
00:07:06 Merkel re-emerges: the arch plotter returns to German politics
00:09:07 The Ides of March: this is really about CDU survival vs the AfD
00:10:30 If Merz goes: how do German citizens react to a no-election swap?
00:11:48 Short-term stabilization but long-term decline: Mercouris's verdict
00:12:39 Closing remarks and channel links

Alexander Mercouris | Russia Smashes Zatoka Bridge Tightens Dobropilia Cauldron Repels Lyman Attack; CDU Plots Merz Ouster | Sept. 16, 2026

Source: Alexander Mercouris youtube



Description:
Russia has struck the Zatoka Bridge linking Odessa to Romania while grinding forward at Orikhiv and closing the Dobropillya cauldron on Sloviansk. Alexander breaks down the disputed Lyman counteroffensive claims, the mounting pressure on Ukraine's budget and why 78 percent of Germans now want Friedrich Merz to resign. With the CDU plotting his ouster and Russia's new jet powered drones going unanswered, is the war entering its most decisive phase yet?

Episode 2020
00:00:00 Intro
00:01:06 Russian drone and missile strikes resume on Kiev
00:01:40 Reports the Zatoka Bridge to Romania has been destroyed
00:04:37 Ukrainian drone strikes on Russia drop sharply
00:07:56 Russian recon drones signal a major strike is coming
00:09:24 Orikhiv nears total collapse under Russian assault
00:16:16 Russians storm Dobropillya to encircle Sloviansk
00:20:08 Azov commander Prokopenko's troubled battlefield history
00:22:15 Rybar reports Ukrainian collapse in northeastern Kharkiv
00:23:29 Ukraine claims a counteroffensive breakthrough near Lyman
00:29:12 Mercouris questions the scale of Ukraine's Lyman claims
00:36:17 Biletsky's Azov offensive looks politically motivated
00:49:28 Russia's jet powered Geran drones have no Western answer
00:53:29 Russia mass produces the new Dan T cruise missile
00:59:56 Ukraine admits it can no longer fund its own budget
01:00:56 Belgian court ruling shakes frozen Russian asset seizure plans
01:08:05 Poll finds 78 percent of Germans want Merz to resign
01:10:26 CDU faces collapse in the Mecklenburg Vorpommern election
01:18:27 Middle East turmoil deepens the global energy crisis
01:24:41 Congress pushes bone crushing Russia sanctions bill

Alexander Mercouris | Kiev Chaos; Russia Smashes Bridges; Tells West Quit Kiev; West Embassies Plan To Go; Kharkov Crisis | Oct. 3, 2026

Source: Alexander Mercouris youtube



Description: 

Episode 2038. Alexander examines Russia's Geran drone strikes on the Dnieper bridges in Kiev and the new Russian Foreign Ministry statement telling Western diplomats and foreign nationals they are in mortal danger if they stay in Ukraine. 

He explains why Ukraine's air defenses are failing, why Patriot PAC 3 supplies will not arrive in time, and how the quiet Russian offensive in Kharkov, Dobropillia and Zaporozhye connects to the campaign against the capital. If the West and the Zelensky government are pushed out of Kiev, will Europe keep sending billions, a question Mercouris and Alex Christoforou have been asking for months?

Timeline:
00:00:00 Intro: Russia wants the West out of Kiev
00:01:51 Strikes on the Dnieper bridges
00:06:55 Gridlock and panic in Kiev
00:10:59 Rail, power and Gostomel targets
00:14:50 Klitschko and the 1,000 missile stockpile
00:16:43 Ukraine's air defenses failing
00:19:24 Guardian: embassies plan to relocate
00:22:15 Russian Foreign Ministry statement
00:29:34 Russia was not bluffing
00:35:20 Putin inspects Geran 4 and Geran 5
00:39:37 Patriot PAC 3 shortage
00:45:18 Zelensky, Trump and the Rassvet system
00:49:32 Front lines and the British MoD briefing
00:52:25 Dobropillia, Orikhiv and Zaporozhye
00:59:36 Operation Vivaldi and Lyman
01:03:25 The quiet Kharkov offensive
01:10:08 What happens if Kiev is abandoned
01:16:40 Will Europe keep funding Ukraine

Alexander Mercouris | Russian Shock Geran Daylight Strike Hits Kiev Railway; Dobropilia Cauldron; Trump Zelensky Talk Flop | Sept. 24, 2026

Source: Alexander Mercouris youtube



Description:
Hundreds of Russian Geran drones swept over Kiev in broad daylight, and Alexander explains why the Kiev railway station and its rail link to Poland are the real targets. Alexander breaks down the Dobropillia cauldron, Russia's new strategy of trapping Ukrainian garrisons, the stalled Lyman counteroffensive, Europe's growing panic, and why the Trump Zelensky meeting at the UN General Assembly produced nothing. Is Russia preparing to cut Kiev off from the West this winter?

Episode 2028
00:00:00 Massive daylight Geran drone swarm over Kiev
00:04:01 Three theories behind the daylight timing
00:06:29 Why daylight means better accuracy for guided Gerans
00:10:25 Europe gripped by unprecedented panic
00:16:25 Europe pleads for a ceasefire on current lines
00:19:40 Macron and Zelensky float an energy ceasefire at the UN
00:23:55 Kiev railway station hit again
00:26:08 Russia moves to cut Kiev's rail link to Poland
00:31:13 Why Western embassies should heed the warning
00:34:32 Trump Zelensky meeting falls flat
00:36:21 Zelensky's Patriot PAC 3 blueprint fantasy
00:42:53 Lavrov meets Rubio as Graham sanctions gather dust
00:44:11 Trump Xi summit and a US China trade truce
00:46:39 Mearsheimer on Russian anger over Anchorage
00:51:14 The Valdai strike and Russia's implacable turn
00:53:54 Strikes across Ukraine and a FAB 3000 near Orekhov
00:55:17 Dobropillia cauldron holds as counterattack fails
00:59:18 Russia's new cauldron strategy: trap and destroy
01:06:25 Lyman counteroffensive reality check
01:14:10 Iran talks, Trump's UN speech and the winter ahead

Alexander Mercouris | NATO Generals Rush To Kiev; Surovikin Directs Dnieper Bridge Strikes; Peskov: Peace Talks Pointless | Oct. 8, 2026

Source: Alexander Mercouris youtube



Description: 

Alexander examines why the largest NATO military delegation in eight years made an unannounced trip to Kiev just as the Dnieper bridges go down and the front lines buckle at Dobropillia and Lyman. Drawing on a trusted source, Alexander explains why Russia is weakening the bridges rather than destroying them, how that links to rumors of General Surovikin's return, and what Peskov, Lavrov and Rubio saying talks are pointless means for the months ahead. If the generals came to Kiev to be told all is well, who is left to tell them the truth?

Timeline:
00:00:00 Introduction and Ukraine's cumulative crisis
00:01:46 NATO military delegation arrives in Kiev unannounced
00:06:25 Why the generals rushed: front lines are buckling
00:10:47 Wiesbaden headquarters and who really runs the campaign
00:14:41 Messages to Moscow and to Kiev
00:18:24 A tour of inspection to be reassured
00:23:47 Ukraine's drone strike on refineries and Yandex
00:27:52 Russian drones target SBU buildings in central Kiev
00:30:30 Dnieper bridges still out of operation
00:33:19 Rumors of General Surovikin's return
00:37:40 Source explains Russia's bridge strategy
00:45:22 Kiev substation and Kharkov power outages
00:49:29 Oreshnik, Yuzhmash and the buried Neptune project
00:54:55 Dobropillia cauldron tightens
00:56:53 Operation Vivaldi stalls near Lyman
01:00:43 Kharkov and Zaporozhye offensives continue
01:02:20 Will winter slow the Russian advance
01:09:17 France protests and Europe's economic stress
01:13:38 Yemen, Saudi Arabia and oil supply fears
01:16:58 Peskov, Lavrov and Rubio rule out talks; no Trump Putin call

Alexander Mercouris | Putin Tells Generals Keep Striking Ukraine Russia Takes Dobropilia Key Towns; Trump Waives Sanctions | Oct. 17, 2026

Source: Alexander Mercouris youtube



Description: 

Episode 2052. Alexander breaks down General Gerasimov's briefing to Putin, confirming the fall of Dobropillia, the capture of Oleksiievo Druzhkivka and Russian troops entering Druzhkivka as the pincers close around Kramatorsk and Sloviansk. He explains why the sacking of Azov commander Prokopenko, the stalled Operation Vivaldi and Putin's order to keep up strikes on bridges, rail and energy point to a deepening crisis for Ukraine, while Zelensky asks the EU for 155 billion euros and Trump waives Lindsey Graham's bone crushing sanctions. Is the battle for Kramatorsk about to begin?

Timeline:
00:00:00 A dramatic 24 hours in Ukraine
00:01:43 Gerasimov briefs Putin
00:02:53 Is Gerasimov credible?
00:05:10 Dobropillia falls
00:07:12 Why no flags in parts of Dobropillia
00:11:34 Oleksiievo Druzhkivka captured
00:14:11 Russians enter Druzhkivka
00:16:11 Azov commander Prokopenko sacked
00:17:39 Rybar: Biletsky rushed south
00:20:09 Operation Vivaldi stalls
00:23:30 Biletsky and Prokopenko outmatched
00:29:23 Velyka Mykhailivka and Serhiivka
00:33:10 Malokaterynivka, 5 km from Zaporizhzhia?
00:38:54 Kharkov cauldron cleared
00:42:11 Air campaign on bridges, rail and energy
00:43:53 Putin: strikes must continue
00:48:47 Geran drones, Rassvet and Musk
00:54:59 Zelensky asks EU for 155 billion
01:00:42 Zelensky's 20 million refugee warning
01:07:21 Trump waives Graham sanctions

Alexander Mercouris | Putin slams EU protest response; CIA key Ukraine war role; study debunks big Russian losses claims | Oct. 25, 2026

Source: Alexander Mercouris youtube



Description:
A major article in The Atlantic confirms what The Duran has argued for years: the CIA sits at the center of Ukraine's intelligence, targeting and drone campaign, and that role has grown under Donald Trump and CIA Director John Ratcliffe. Alexander breaks down this admission alongside Elon Musk's statement that Ukraine's front line would collapse without Starlink, Putin's denial of any role in Europe's protests, and a National Defense University of Finland study that challenges Western claims about Russian and Ukrainian losses. If Washington is running the campaign and shaping the casualty numbers, how much of what the West believes about this conflict is actually true?

Episode 2058
0:00 Revelations from The Atlantic, Musk and Putin
0:40 Putin denies any role in Europe's protests
4:54 The Atlantic on the CIA's role in Ukraine
7:56 CIA support grew under Trump and Ratcliffe
9:45 Putin's 2024 warning on long range missiles
12:47 Storm Shadow and US guidance technology
16:32 Why the drone and missile offensive failed
18:36 Why The Atlantic article appears now
19:53 Russia's strike campaign across Ukraine
24:46 Recriminations in Washington and the sanctions parallel
30:55 Ratcliffe's growing influence over Trump
38:02 Musk says Ukraine misused Starlink
46:26 Musk admits Ukraine depends on Starlink
52:50 Could Washington end the conflict tomorrow
55:52 Can Western casualty figures be trusted
57:33 Finnish study challenges Russian losses claims
1:06:30 Doubts over Mediazona's numbers
1:16:48 Putin's reported aims east of the Dnieper
1:21:18 Why a Dnieper crossing is near impossible
1:25:29 Front line update

Alexander Mercouris | Russia Tells US No Concessions Restates Full Demands; Massively Hits Kiev; South Bridge Hit; Orekhov | Oct. 22, 2026

Source: Alexander Mercouris youtube



Description: 

Russia has made it clear there will be no concessions, with Sergei Ryabkov saying any deal must reflect the realities on the ground, Russia's constitution and a binding guarantee that Ukraine never joins NATO. Alexander explains why the Donbass for NATO trade is dead, why Moscow is playing for time before the Abu Dhabi talks, and what the strike on Kiev's South Bridge, the empty air defenses and the advances around Orekhov and Lyman reveal about where the conflict is heading. Is Washington even listening to what Putin told Witkoff?

Timeline:
00:00:00 Recap of the Putin Witkoff meeting
00:01:59 Ryabkov explains the St Petersburg talks
00:04:56 Changed realities and constitutional realities
00:09:40 No Donbass for NATO trade
00:15:44 Why talks are set for November 10
00:18:05 Does Witkoff grasp Putin's message
00:20:42 Trump's plan for Iran, APEC and peace by December
00:23:42 Lavrov on promises that bind no successor
00:29:02 The missing security guarantees document
00:35:52 Russia wants a binding neutrality treaty
00:39:20 Why Russia keeps negotiating
00:46:40 Telegraph admits time favors Russia
00:48:40 Why amateur diplomacy keeps failing
00:55:05 Massive Kiev strike hits the South Bridge
00:57:43 Poland admits it has no air defenses left
01:01:40 Surovikin and the cat and mouse strategy
01:06:46 The campaign against the Dnieper bridges
01:09:03 Kiev energy crisis and the substations
01:12:12 Zaporozhye, Orekhov and Lyman advances
01:18:16 Izium shelling, Iran strike and Abu Dhabi doubts

Alexander Mercouris | Russia Near To Dobropilia Capture; Ukraine Economy Implodes Zelensky Begs Talks Truce EU Hunts Funds | Sep. 25, 2026

Source: Alexander Mercouris youtube



Description: 

Alexander reports that Russia has tightly encircled Dobropillia, and explains why its fall could open the road to Sloviansk and the rest of western Donbass. At the same time Ukraine's economy is imploding, with steel production halted for the first time in a century, Russian strikes knocking out Kiev's data centers and internet, and the EU scrambling to fast track €45 billion from its €90 billion loan while Zelensky chases a ceasefire after a meeting with CIA director John Ratcliffe that Alex Christoforou flags as the one that really mattered. With Europe's own budgets under strain and elections looming, how much longer can Brussels keep kicking the Ukrainian can down the road?

Timeline:
00:00:00 Intro and Western urgency to halt the Russian offensive
00:00:46 Black Sea blockade and failed land routes
00:02:06 Ukraine steel production stops for the first time in a century
00:04:05 Russian strikes on Kiev data centers and internet blackouts
00:07:28 Agriculture crisis and a spiraling Ukrainian economy
00:09:57 Making Kiev unworkable: could ministries relocate west?
00:16:36 Zelensky pushes for a Putin Trump meeting at the G20
00:18:34 Dmitriev in New York and the fake tripartite meeting
00:20:33 Zelensky asks Trump to lean on Xi Jinping
00:26:22 Germany's token Patriot interceptor pledge
00:30:35 Europe's budget stress and rising bond yields
00:35:34 Euroclear plan dropped and the €90 billion loan scramble
00:41:57 Zelensky's real meeting with CIA director Ratcliffe
00:43:51 Ukrainian drone strikes and hardened Russian refineries
00:46:06 CIA shadow fleet drone claims in the Mediterranean
00:52:29 Dobropillia surrounded: the Russian MoD map and siege
00:59:14 Russian MoD signals goals beyond Donbass
01:04:02 Sloviansk outflanking, Orikhiv and Dnieper crossings
01:10:48 Biletsky's Lyman offensive and the Readovka account
01:16:47 Kharkiv cauldron and closing remarks

Alexander Mercouris | Russia's Biggest Air Strike FABs Smash Nikolayev & Odessa; Russia Army Enters Druzhivka; EU Panics | Sept. 9, 2026

Source: Alexander Mercouris youtube



Description:
Russia has launched its most devastating FAB bombing campaign yet, flattening port infrastructure in Nikolayev and Odessa while the Russian army breaks into Druzhivka and pushes toward Zaporizhzhia. On The Duran, Alexander breaks down the Putin Trump phone call, the collapsing Black Sea shipping blockade, and why Europe's scramble for Patriot missiles may already be too late. Is Ukraine's war economy running out of fuel before it runs out of soldiers?

Timeline:
00:00:00 Program opens with Ukraine ceasefire talks recap
00:01:18 Russian missile and drone campaign shifts to daily saturation
00:03:05 Kiev industrial sites hit again overnight
00:04:27 Nikolayev's Soviet shipbuilding history explained
00:06:34 FAB bombs devastate Nikolayev port facilities
00:08:21 Defense Ministry details Nikolayev logistics and power targets destroyed
00:13:45 Drone transits Moldovan airspace before strike
00:15:12 West rushes Patriot Pack 2 interceptors to Ukraine
00:20:16 Russian air defense dominance over Black Sea coast
00:22:56 Black Sea ports blockaded, ships stranded offshore
00:27:00 Ukraine's economy and inflation crisis worsening
00:32:58 Ukrainian army fuel shortages on the front line
00:38:26 Russian ground offensive advances around Orekhov
00:43:01 Battle for Stepnogorsk and Sviatohirsk confusion
00:52:30 Skepticism over claimed Ukrainian counteroffensive
00:55:42 Zelensky begs for Black Sea ceasefire
00:57:23 Putin Trump phone call details from Ushakov
01:14:08 Russia hardens territorial and neutrality demands
01:20:28 Iran US missile escalation drains Patriot stockpiles
01:25:50 Houthi Saudi conflict and rising oil prices

Alexander Mercouris | Putin Trashes EU/Kiev Offer In Witkoff Meeting; No Truce November Talks; Russia To Bomb Kiev Bridge | Oct. 21, 2026

Source: Alexander Mercouris youtube



Description: 

Vladimir Putin has dismissed the Oslo plan Steve Witkoff carried to St Petersburg, telling him the European and Kiev proposals offered little useful for ending the Ukraine conflict. Alexander explains why forcing Russia to choose between Donbas and Ukraine staying out of NATO was always doomed, why the November 10 trilateral talks will come with no ceasefire, and why recent Russian glide bomb strikes near the Kiev and Dnipro bridges look like rehearsals for something bigger as forces close in on Zaporozhye. With Zelensky refusing every concession and Biletsky now running the Donbas battle, is a negotiated settlement still possible at all?

Timeline:
00:00:00 Intro and the latest US push
00:01:40 Putin rejects the Witkoff proposals
00:03:09 How we got here: Anchorage and the drone offensive
00:07:43 Russia's air campaign cripples Ukraine
00:08:38 Glide bombs near the Kiev and Dnipro bridges
00:12:20 Europe asks Washington to reopen talks
00:15:10 The Trump Zelensky diesel dispute
00:19:57 Why Zelensky refuses every concession
00:25:22 Oslo meeting and the Donbas or NATO plan
00:28:55 Ushakov's readout of the St Petersburg talks
00:33:14 Talks set for November 10 with no ceasefire
00:37:46 A new European security architecture?
00:40:25 Lavrov on reversible US concessions
00:42:34 Why the meeting lasted three hours
00:44:46 Hubbard, diesel, Middle East and the APEC idea
00:47:01 Li Qiang in St Petersburg and the China factor
00:50:06 Kaja Kallas and the endless conflict option
00:52:16 Why Russia will return for the Kiev bridges
00:59:35 Zaporozhye front: Kamianske and Malokaterynivka
01:05:24 ISW numbers, Operation Vivaldi and Biletsky

Alexander Mercouris | Kiev In Darkness; Russia Knocks Out Key Substation Metro Stops; Zelensky Blames West; Kharkov Crisis | Oct. 9, 2026

Source: Alexander Mercouris youtube



Description: 

Episode 2044. Kiev has been plunged into darkness after Russian drones knocked out the Kievska substation, halting the metro and disrupting the sewage system. Alexander analyses the campaign against Kiev's bridges, power grid and SBU sites, graphics of Zelensky's bunker now circulating online, Zelensky's complaints that Europe and the United States are abandoning Ukraine, and the collapse of the Kharkov cauldron as Russian forces advance in Sumy and Donbass. Europe is refusing to hand over its last air defenses, and diplomacy is at a dead end.

Timeline:
00:00:00 Kiev under a cat and mouse campaign
00:01:07 Bridges and SBU sites targeted
00:03:35 Kievska substation knocked out
00:05:26 Blackout, metro stops and sewage problems
00:07:13 Railways and the locomotive shortage
00:10:37 SBU strikes and control of Kiev
00:13:20 Zelensky bunker graphics appear online
00:16:20 Is Surovikin in charge
00:17:27 How long can Kiev go on
00:22:38 Signs of another massive strike
00:24:56 Zelensky blames Europe and the US
00:27:28 Europe refuses to hand over air defenses
00:33:28 Will Western embassies leave Kiev
00:36:09 Zaporozhye airstrikes and FAB 3000 bombs
00:41:58 Yevkurov says the old limits are gone
00:50:10 Dobropillia, Druzhkovka and Vivaldi failure
00:52:51 Kharkov cauldron collapses, Sumy advances
00:58:22 Diplomacy is over as Peskov agrees with Rubio
01:06:28 Gaza anniversary, Hormuz and Trump's Iran pledge
01:09:15 Yemen, MBS and rising energy prices

Alexander Mercouris | Kiev Bridges Knocked Out; Russia To Intensify Strikes; Alarmed Zelensky Threats; Merz Rushes To Kiev | Oct. 4, 2026

Source: Alexander Mercouris youtube



Description: 

Episode 2039. Russia's Defence Ministry has announced that strikes on Kiev will intensify, and Alexander explains why the Dnieper bridges now sit closed to heavy traffic with no tunnels to replace them. He traces the campaign to a multi year Russian build up in Geran drone technology overseen by Dmitry Medvedev, then turns to Peskov's pledge to fight with full force and Putin's visible irritation at Modi's proposal to freeze the conflict. With Merz leaving Kiev empty handed, does anyone in the West have a plan for what comes next?

Timeline:
00:00:00 Kiev bridges crisis deepens
00:02:22 NYT: bridges weakened, not destroyed
00:05:38 No tunnels under the Dnieper
00:08:08 Ukraine's logistics options narrow
00:11:35 Russia's drone technology build up, Medvedev's role
00:15:56 Gepard air defence fails over the bridges
00:18:00 Zelensky threatens Russian refineries
00:21:57 FP9 ballistic missile claims
00:27:07 Pontoon bridge plans
00:29:00 Russian Defence Ministry: strikes will intensify
00:37:16 Merz rushes to Kiev empty handed
00:44:35 German polls: AfD 30%, CDU 18%
00:47:25 Modi peace plan irritates Putin
00:49:41 Peskov: Russia will fight with full force
01:00:17 Front lines: Dobropillia, Sumy

Alexander Mercouris | Russia Smashes Key Odessa Bridge; Captures Bely Kolodez Kharkov Defence Collapses; Saudi Rages At US | Aug. 3, 2026

Source: Alexander Mercouris youtube



Description: 

Russia Smashes Key Odessa Bridge; Captures Bely Kolodez Kharkov Defence Collapses; Saudi Rages At US

Timeline:
00:00:00 Introduction from Chattanooga
00:01:13 Situation Update on Ukraine
00:01:57 Russia Captures Bely Kolodez
00:03:26 Northeast Ukraine Territory Falls
00:04:38 Russians Poised to Push Toward Kharkov
00:05:57 Why Today Differs From 2022
00:08:29 Kharkov's Logistics Crisis Deepens
00:10:02 Oreshnik Missile System Update
00:14:45 Russian Satellite Systems and Targeting
00:17:11 Fastest Russian Advance Since 2024
00:21:14 Ukraine Critically Short on Artillery and Armor
00:22:32 Zatoka Bridge in Odessa Destroyed
00:28:56 Can Ukraine Even Repair the Bridge
00:29:50 F-16 Missile Defense Claims Debunked
00:33:17 Russia Has Given Up on Diplomacy
00:37:29 Inside Account of the Anchorage Summit
00:41:09 Europe's Role in Blocking Peace
00:44:00 Moscow Restaurant Bombing Investigated
00:54:27 Trump Calls Off Iran Strike
00:57:28 Saudi Arabia's Furious Warning to Trump

Alexander Mercouris | Ukraine Unravelling - War Enters New & Dangerous Phase | Sept. 3, 2026

Source: Glenn Diesen youtube



Description:
Alexander Mercouris discusses how NATO's euphoria will soon be replaced by panic and escalation. 

Alexander Mercouris | The Political Legitimacy Crisis Across Europe | May 16, 2026

Source: Glenn Diesen YouTube

Description:
Alexander Mercouris discusses the political legitimacy crisis among a discredited elite, which is leading Europe toward a pre-revolutionary moment.

Alexander Mercouris | Russia Again Massively Strikes Kiev No Russian Missile Shot Down; Zelensky Rages Blames West; Hormuz | Aug. 5, 2026

Source: Alexander Mercouris youtube



Description:
Russia Again Massively Strikes Kiev No Russian Missile Shot Down; Zelensky Rages Blames West; Hormuz

Timeline:
00:00:00 Intro
00:01:32 Russia's Massive Strike on Kiev
00:02:36 Financial Times: No Missiles Intercepted
00:03:13 North Korean Missile Unit Deployed to Russia
00:05:51 Iskander M Missile Production Doubling
00:08:51 Zelensky Blames the West on X
00:10:12 Do Patriot Interceptors Actually Work
00:16:29 Zelensky's Pressure Campaign Explained
00:18:45 US Patriot Stockpile Critically Low
00:26:34 Russia's Four Simultaneous Air Campaigns
00:30:12 Record FAB Bomb Strikes in July
00:33:56 Russian MoD Targets Kiev Logistics Hubs
00:41:34 Kiev Left Without Air Defense
00:44:42 Financial Times Admits Drone Campaign Failed
00:52:09 Budanov Vows to Continue the Campaign
01:05:47 Ukrainian Command and Control Collapsing
01:06:58 Russian Advances Across the Front
01:21:05 Strait of Hormuz Deal Update
01:25:16 Sanctions Bill Threatens Relations With India

Alexander Mercouris | A New Putin? From Diplomacy to War | June 30, 2026

Source: Glenn Diesen youtube



Description:
Alexander Mercouris discusses changes in the Kremlin as NATO continues to escalate the war against Russia.

Alexander Mercouris | Russia Gives WW3 Warning; Prepares Kiev Orekhov Offensives; NATO Meeting Bust Trump Talks Greenland | July 8, 2026

Source: Alexander Mercouris youtube

Description:
Russia Gives WW3 Warning; Prepares Kiev Orekhov Offensives; NATO Meeting Bust Trump Talks Greenland

Timeline:
00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:32 Peskov Says Special Operation Is Now War
00:07:00 Russia Demands New Security Architecture
00:09:11 Why Peace Talks Are Now Impossible
00:11:59 Why Russia Talks to America, Not Europe
00:13:53 Peskov's Four Rules for Europe
00:15:04 NATO Summit in Ankara Begins
00:16:11 Trump Trashes NATO, Praises Erdogan
00:16:41 Trump Revives the Greenland Demand
00:18:19 Trump's Mixed Signals on Ukraine Peace
00:21:09 Russia's Geran Drones Hit Railways
00:24:42 The Mystery of Russia's Rasvet Satellite
00:28:25 Russia Begins Choking Ukraine's Supply Lines
00:31:40 Breakthrough Near Dobropillya and Pokrovsk
00:36:25 Ukraine Targets Russian Ships in Azov Sea
00:44:14 Iran Strikes Back in the Strait of Hormuz
00:48:13 Farage Scandal and Closing Thoughts

Alexander Mercouris | Iran Furious Shuts Hormuz Defies US Denies Trump Claims; Russia Ominous War Warning To Baltic States | Apr. 18, 2026

Source: Alexander Mercouris youtube

Alexander Mercouris | Zelensky, Ukraine Without Patriots. Huge Russian Strike Shatters Kiev. Zaporozhye Breakthrough | Aug. 1, 2026

Source: Alexander Mercouris youtube



Description:
Zelensky, Ukraine Without Patriots. Huge Russian Strike Shatters Kiev. Zaporozhye Breakthrough

Jeffrey Sachs & The Duran | Geopolitical Lies Fuel Financial Bubble | Sep. 1, 2026

Source: The Duran youtube



Description: 

Jeffrey Sachs joins Alexander Mercouris and Alex Christoforou on why the collapse of American and European hegemony is a crisis for the Western political class, not the world. Sachs on Scott Bessent’s economic D-Day, 1914 parallels, and why Iran, China and Russia are stronger than Western leaders admit.

Timeline:
00:00:00 Intro: Jeffrey Sachs joins The Duran
00:00:59 Alexander’s overview of crises in Ukraine, Iran, China and the economy
00:02:01 Sachs frames it as a crisis of Western hegemony, not the world
00:04:27 Why Europe’s behavior is even stranger than America’s
00:06:18 Multipolarity is good for living standards, not a disaster
00:08:34 Grandiosity, denial and the collapse of truthful government narratives
00:10:30 How the geopolitical bubble is fueling a financial bubble
00:12:22 The public already senses something is deeply wrong
00:14:46 Reading Foreign Affairs: the establishment’s five scenarios for world order
00:20:28 Scott Bessent’s economic D Day and the backlash it triggered
00:23:05 Alexander on Britain’s decline and the origins of World War One
00:27:48 Parallels and differences between 1914 and today
00:32:54 Why China is not the new Kaiser Wilhelm
00:36:22 Inside the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and BRICS
00:41:43 The truth about Iran’s civilization, resilience and economy
00:44:18 How the US weaponized the dollar, and why it is failing
00:48:01 Can the West face reality before the reckoning arrives
00:52:09 Why ordinary people, not elites, may be the last hope

The Duran | Operation Economic Outcast, Bessent's Economic War With China | Aug. 25, 2026

Source: The Duran youtube



Description: 

Alexander Mercouris and The Duran on Scott Bessent's Operation Economic Outcast and Washington's economic war with China. Episode 2607.

Timeline:
00:00:00 Recap of Bessent's D-Day statement and Operation Economic Outcast
00:00:51 Mercouris explains why this is really targeting China
00:01:17 The history of the US China tariff standoff and rare earths
00:02:21 Legal UN sanctions versus unilateral US sanctions
00:03:24 Why this accelerates the world's move away from the dollar
00:04:51 Bessent effectively becomes the general running the Iran conflict
00:06:59 Bessent's overconfidence and dislike of China
00:09:45 Why the real target is eighty percent about China
00:16:34 China Russia and Iran set to emerge stronger from this
00:17:04 Quick take on the Canada tariff dispute and Mark Carney

The Duran | Armenia Pashinyan Repeats Ukraine's Maidan Mistake, Disaster Looms | June 6, 2026

Source: The Duran YouTube

 

 

Description:
Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is steering his country toward the European Union and NATO in what Alex Christoforou and Alexander Mercouris on The Duran call a near carbon copy of the Maidan playbook that devastated Ukraine, with Russia now cutting Armenian agricultural imports and energy pressure looming over an economy that depends on Moscow for over 80% of its power. 

While Pashinyan promises his people the best of both worlds and a future referendum on alignment, Mercouris argues Armenia is already retreating on every front, having lost Nagorno Karabakh, alienated its primary security guarantor, and left itself encircled by a hostile Azerbaijan and Turkey with no credible Western replacement in sight. Can the EU and US actually prop up a small landlocked country surrounded by rivals, or is Armenia walking blindly into the same trap that brought Ukraine to the brink?

The Duran | E3 wants to talk as Russia makes big advance on frontline | June 4, 2026

Source: The Duran youtube



Description:
While the collective West floods the media with drone strike footage, Russian forces are breaking through in Konstantinovka, Kamatsk, and Slavyansk in what Alex Christoforou and Alexander Mercouris of The Duran describe as an imminent cascade collapse across the entire Donbass fortified line.

Bloomberg reports that the E3, the UK, France, and Germany, are now seeking direct talks with Moscow, but as Mercouris argues, the real driver is not leverage but desperation as Europe quietly acknowledges the situation on the ground is turning fast against Ukraine. Is Russia winning the battlefield while catastrophically losing the information war, and what does that mean for any ceasefire deal?

The Duran | US-Iran Ceasefire Talks. Conflict Round 3 Is Coming | June 23, 2026

Source: The Duran youtube



Description:
Alex Christoforou and Alexander Mercouris of The Duran break down the 18 hours of US-Iran negotiations in Geneva, where JD Vance and Steve Witkoff met with Iranian Foreign Minister Araqchi and Ghalibaf in talks mediated by Pakistan and Qatar, producing a cautious framework agreement while leaving the deepest questions entirely unresolved. 

With neocon fury building in Washington, a contentious four and a half hour Trump-Graham meeting suggesting major behind-the-scenes pressure, and Iran maintaining its red line on Lebanon and the Strait of Hormuz, Alex and Alexander argue that the ceasefire is merely a pause before a far larger confrontation.

Timeline:
00:00:00 Iran Talks Update: Switzerland and the Key Players
00:01:20 What the Talks Are and Are Not Covering
00:02:52 American Defeat and Neocon Fury
00:04:12 Bolton, Graham, Israeli Media and the Betrayal Narrative
00:05:21 Why Trump Cannot Resume the Conflict Now
00:06:22 The Neocon Timeline and Kurdish Militia Spin
00:07:13 Will Trump Hold Off the Neocons Until the Midterms
00:08:55 Trump Always Folds: The Pattern Explained
00:10:26 Petroleum Reserves and the Two to Three Year Rearm Timeline
00:13:41 Neocon Political Logic: Why They Can Never Accept Limits
00:16:52 The Kurdish Militia Story: What Actually Happened
00:18:12 How Trump Handles Israel and Lebanon
00:20:01 Hezbollah, Southern Lebanon and the Root Conflict
00:22:08 GCC Gulf States: Breaking from Washington and Israel
00:25:43 Can Iran Actually Prevent the Next Round
00:28:38 The Big War Is Still to Come
00:30:38 The Broken Taboo: Neocons Got Their Attack on Iran

The Duran | CHINA strikes back at US sanctions. Russia's oil revenues SURGE | May 5, 2026

Source: The Duran youtube



Description:
Russia's oil export volumes held firm in April and that's just the beginning of the story. In this episode of The Duran, Alex Christoforou and Alexander Mercouris break down the latest Russian economic data, revealing that despite relentless Ukrainian drone strikes on oil infrastructure, Russia's energy revenues are not only surviving but rebounding.

The bigger geopolitical earthquake, however, is China's direct order to its state refineries to ignore US sanctions entirely and buy Russian oil without restriction a move that could unravel the entire Western sanctions architecture. As Russia simultaneously cuts off LNG exports to Europe and deepens energy ties with India, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines, a fundamental restructuring of global trade is now underway. Is the age of American-led economic sanctions officially coming to an end and is Europe the biggest loser in the world that's emerging?

Timeline:
00:00:00 Introduction: Russia's Oil & Economy Under Pressure
00:01:08 Russian Oil Export Volumes Hold Steady in April
00:02:30 Budget Deficit Update: January, February, March
00:03:38 Drone Strikes on Oil Infrastructure: Real Impact?
00:04:54 Europe's LNG Imports from Russia — The Final Surge
00:06:07 Putin's Decision: Cut Europe Off Before 2027
00:07:38 Russia Ends Energy Partnership With Europe
00:08:25 China Orders Refineries to Ignore US Sanctions
00:09:38 Asia Steps In: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Japan
00:12:46 Russian GDP Revised: Economy Stabilizes in Q1
00:14:31 Can the West Block Russian Oil Tankers?
00:17:04 Trump White House: The Internal Oil Price Debate
00:21:28 CIA, Treasury, Commerce — Washington's Divided Factions
00:27:35 China's Sanctions Defiance: The Biggest Underreported Story
00:30:27 Why Doesn't Russia Issue the Same Warning as China?
00:35:24 Naval Convoys: Russia's Answer to Ship Seizures
00:38:22 The End of Globalist Trade — Great Powers Take Control
00:41:24 Europe's Navy Bluff Exposed: Britain Backs Down

The Duran | EU fantasy to weaken Russia. Energy strikes continue | May 2, 2026

Source: The Duran youtube



Description:
Europe's €90 billion loan to Ukraine is not what it appears — and Alex Christoforou and Alexander Mercouris of The Duran break down exactly why. Germany is set to funnel €20 billion directly to Kyiv in what looks less like a loan and more like a financial sleight of hand, all while German citizens endure austerity cuts at home. 

Meanwhile, Ukraine's long-promised EU membership is hitting a wall of resistance from existing member states — raising a devastating question: was that promise ever real? The Duran traces this deception all the way back to 2013, when the EU dangled membership as bait to rupture the Ukraine-Russia relationship, not to genuinely integrate Ukraine into Europe. As the front lines grind on and drone strikes hit Russian infrastructure, one question remains: has Ukraine been fighting a decade-long conflict for a future it was never actually going to receive?

Timeline:
00:00:00 Intro – Ukraine's €90B EU loan & what's really going on
00:00:53 Germany's €20B direct transfer: a confidence trick?
00:02:32 Germany implementing austerity while funding Zelensky
00:04:09 Ukraine demands EU membership – the promise revisited
00:05:20 Maidan 2013: it was always about EU entry, not NATO
00:07:19 EU pushback: member states don't want Ukraine in
00:08:57 The EU bait: Moldova, Serbia – the same playbook
00:12:14 Ukraine was duped – hook, line and sinker
00:21:02 Drone attacks on Russia: Tuapse refinery explained
00:30:08 Putin's indecision? Kremlin leadership under scrutiny

Alex Christoforou | I don't like it, Trump rejects Iran plan. Putin triggers EU Kallas and Fico asks, Are we idiots? | May 11, 2026

Source: Alex Christoforou youtube



Description:
Trump has flatly rejected Iran's counter proposal to US nuclear talks, declaring it "totally unacceptable" as oil prices surge and the Hormuz blockade tightens its grip on the global economy.

Alex Christoforou of The Duran breaks down a packed Monday news cycle spanning the Iran nuclear standoff, Trump's upcoming China visit with Xi Jinping, and the EU's deepening energy trap as Slovak Prime Minister Fico asks the question on everyone's mind: "Are we idiots?" 

 
Meanwhile, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas gets trolled by Putin over the Schroeder mediator proposal, Latvia fires its defense minister after Ukrainian drones violated its airspace, and the EU prepares to sanction the Russian Orthodox Church now that Orban's veto is gone. 

 
From Alexander Mercouris correcting the misreported Putin statement on Project Ukraine to Modi warning Indians to stop buying gold and avoid destination weddings, this is a news day that covers the full spectrum of global geopolitical realignment. How much longer can the West hold this line before the cracks become craters?

The Duran | Kiev, Iran, Midterms: Neocon Empire Is Crashing with Garland Nixon | Oct. 11, 2026

Source: The Duran youtube, Garland Nixon youtube



Description: 

The neocon project is crashing into the wall, and Garland Nixon joins Alexander Mercouris and Alex Christoforou to explain why the collective West has hit the limits of its power. From Russia's air campaign over Kiev and the standoff with Iran in the Strait of Hormuz to the Houthis, Saudi Arabia, German elections and the US midterms, they trace how elites who can no longer win and refuse to negotiate are losing the trust of their own people. Will the breaking point come abroad, or at home first?

Timeline:
00:00:00 Introduction with Garland Nixon
00:00:46 Neocon project crashing into the wall
00:01:55 Limits of US power: China and Iran
00:03:38 Elites vs the people at home
00:05:50 Russia's air campaign shocks the West
00:07:36 West cannot match long range strike capacity
00:10:25 Iran after the midterms, Houthis and Hormuz
00:12:05 Nuclear option against Iran
00:13:56 Europe's escalation talk on Russia
00:17:34 Elites ignore cost of living anger
00:21:11 German elections and youth pushback
00:23:48 Kiev under strikes, Merz and NATO generals arrive empty handed
00:27:03 MBS, Saudi Arabia and the Houthis
00:30:12 The April US Iran deal that was abandoned
00:33:22 Green eggs and ham diplomacy
00:35:57 Are neocons protecting liberal democracy
00:41:00 German GDP sleight of hand, elections ahead
00:43:36 Internal or external smashup
00:45:37 America's mood before the midterms
00:49:13 Will the US leave Europe