Zelensky Threatens Moscow Parade; Putin Allows Strike Central Kiev; Oreshnik; Visits HQs; US Hormuz (Alexander Mercouris)

Russia has issued its most serious threat yet against Kiev a warning that Oreshnik hypersonic missiles will strike the Ukrainian capital if Zelensky follows through on his threat to attack Moscow's Victory Day parade on May 9th. In this episode of The Duran, Alexander Mercouris breaks down Vladimir Putin's secret visits to Russian military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don and Bryansk, revealing what these unprecedented behind-the-scenes briefings tell us about the accelerating final stage of the battle for Donbass. Meanwhile, Alex Christoforou analyzes the Strait of Hormuz standoff, where a day of dramatic US-Iran confrontation amounted to little more than sound and fury yet left Trump facing a dual crisis of rising oil prices and cratering poll numbers. From Iran's surprising economic resilience and China's hardening stance to the shock across Europe over the US troop withdrawal from NATO, today's program maps the full picture of a global order shifting faster than most analysts realize. Is the West running out of options and time?

00:00:00 Introduction & program overview
00:00:27 Hormuz crisis: Trump's comments trigger Middle East escalation
00:03:35 Trump downplays conflict — calls it a "mini war"
00:06:08 Iran's economic resilience: why collapse predictions were wrong
00:09:23 Iran's overland trade routes through Pakistan & Caspian Sea
00:12:53 Trump's frustration: oil prices rise, approval ratings fall
00:17:38 UAE energy facility attack — Iran's most likely move
00:22:33 Will Trump restart military action against Iran?
00:28:39 Iran's Arashi heads to Beijing; China's shifting stance
00:33:47 Putin's secret movements: trips to Rostov & Bryansk HQs
00:38:40 What Putin's military briefings really signal
00:43:31 Russian MoD warning: Oreshnik strike threatened on central Kiev
00:47:13 Oreshnik history: Dnepro strike, Olviopol facility attack
00:58:58 Sumy region: Myroholia contested, Ukrainians deny capture
01:02:33 Donbass update: Lyman encirclement, Slaviansk threatened
01:07:18 Final stage of the battle for Donbass begins
01:10:55 Europe in disarray: US troop withdrawal shockwaves
01:15:16 European rearmament: fantasy vs reality



[Posted at the SpookyWeather2 blog, May 7, 2026.]