Big Russian Army Breakthroughs Donbass Orekhov Shake Kiev NATO; Zelensky UK/EU Discuss Russia Talks (Alexander Mercouris)

Russian forces have broken through the last Ukrainian defense lines east of Orekhov, opening a direct route toward Zaporizhzhia city, while the encirclement of Slavyansk and Kramatorsk in Donbass accelerates at a pace the Western media is no longer able to ignore. Alexander Mercouris and The Duran also cover Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov's stark warning that Russia will not relinquish Zaporizhzhia or Kherson, the collapse of momentum behind the Blumenthal bone crushing sanctions bill in the US House, and Russian energy minister Novak's alarming forecast of a physical oil shortage within three months as the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked. Is the collective West finally waking up to how badly this is going, or is the push for negotiations in November already too late?



Time Stamps:

00:00:00 Introduction and program overview
00:00:34 Russian offensive accelerating: pattern analysis
00:03:11 Zaporizhzhia region: Ukrainian counteroffensives run out of steam
00:04:45 Russian breakthrough east of Orekhov: key positions fall
00:10:38 Russian pincer movement south and east of Orekhov
00:14:34 Donbass update: Konstantynivka on the verge of falling
00:17:22 Ray Alexandrovka and approaches to Kramatorsk
00:19:52 Lyman situation: 85 percent Russian control
00:21:35 Historical context: Donbass and the origins of the conflict
00:27:26 Russian infiltration tactics and Slavyansk and Kramatorsk
00:36:40 Western media blackout on frontline losses
00:40:30 Ukrainian drone offensive: civilian casualties ignored
00:46:32 Drone ships in the Baltic and the Ukrainian submarine report
00:50:15 Karaganov and the nuclear deterrence debate
00:51:38 Ryabkov: Russia will not cede Zaporizhzhia or Kherson
01:01:59 UK France Germany and Ukraine agree to pursue negotiations
01:09:29 Energy minister Novak on the global oil crisis and Russia supply
01:17:36 Final analysis: Strait of Hormuz and the coming energy crunch

[Posted at the SpookyWeather2 blog, June 5, 2026.]