Russia Crushes Kiev's Elite Azov Troops Smashes Dobropilia; West Despairs At Kiev Lack Of AD (Alexander Mercouris)

Time Stamps:

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

[Posted at the SpookyWeather2 blog, August 17, 2026.]