Russia Toughens Demands As Key Donbas Towns Fall; EU Quarrels Over Russia Talks; US Rounds On Israel (Alexander Mercouris)

Three major Donbass towns, Lyman, Konstantinovka, and Ray Alexandrovka, appear to have fallen to Russia within days of each other, and Alexander Mercouris explains why almost none of it is being reported in the western media. The Duran breaks down Putin's secretive security council meeting with Lavrov, the collapsing Ukrainian front line near Slavyansk, and why Russia may now be preparing to revise its Istanbul Plus demands and push for regime change in Kiev. With Donbass nearly under full Russian control before autumn elections, is the war about to enter a far more dangerous phase?



Time Stamps:

00:00:00 Putin secret security council meeting on foreign policy
00:03:02 Western diplomatic outreach to Russia still going nowhere
00:04:18 Europeans fail again to agree a chief negotiator
00:04:56 Germany and allies send fighter jets and air to air missiles to Ukraine
00:12:21 Western media silent as Lyman appears to fall to Russia
00:14:37 Debunking the Moscow refinery fire and drone attack claims
00:19:56 Russian Iskander strikes did far more damage than Ukraines drones
00:24:45 Comparing this attack to the failed Victory Day drone threat
00:33:13 Drone footage confirms Lyman has essentially fallen
00:39:19 Ukrainian troops surrendering and fleeing Konstantinovka
00:42:32 Three key Donbass positions fall together in a coordinated push
00:45:23 Russian advances toward Dobropillya and around Zaporozhye
00:50:33 Ukraine claims of cutting off Crimea have also collapsed
00:52:13 Why Russia may want all of Donbass before autumn elections
00:56:36 Lavrov signals a revision of the Istanbul Plus demands
01:00:41 Russia expected to demand regime change and a Ukraine restructuring
01:08:33 Iran warned not to repeat Russias Minsk agreement mistake
01:16:26 Why Iran must align with the Russia China BRICS financial tier

[Posted at the SpookyWeather2 blog, June 21, 2026.]