Putin Warns Russia Ready To Hit Europe; Kiev Centres Strike Coming; Kiev Says US Backs Drone Attacks
A geopolitical analysis discussing Putin's new warnings about striking European NATO territory if it directly participates in drone/missile attacks on Russia, alongside claims that Trump privately expressed support for Ukrainian drone strikes at the G7 summit. The speaker argues these developments are largely theatrical and will not change Russia's military advantage or negotiating stance.
Summary
The transcript presents a detailed geopolitical analysis of recent developments in the Russia-Ukraine conflict as of June 24, 2026. The speaker discusses two major revelations: first, reports from Ukrainian media claiming Trump told Zelensky at the G7 that he was excited about and fully supported Ukrainian drone and missile attacks on Russia, hoping these would pressure Putin into concessions. The speaker contextualizes this within a longer history of American involvement in Ukrainian drone operations, citing previous reports about Trump encouraging strikes on Moscow and CIA assistance with Ukrainian drones. He notes this pattern includes the controversial December incident involving a drone attack on Putin's residence in Valdai during a phone call between Trump and Putin, which Russia interpreted as an assassination attempt.
The speaker then shifts focus to new statements from Putin to military cadets, emphasizing Putin's explicit warning that if European NATO territory is used to launch drones or missiles directly against Russia, Russia will conduct retaliatory strikes against those countries. The speaker argues this represents a significant escalation in rhetoric, as Putin previously warned about red lines but did not explicitly threaten strikes on NATO territory. The speaker suggests this warning is primarily directed at Baltic states and Finland, and reflects Russia's understanding that such direct NATO involvement would constitute World War III.
Regarding the military situation, the speaker provides detailed analysis of ongoing Russian advances in Donbas, particularly around Kostyantynivka, Kramatorsk, and the Zaporizhzhia region. He argues that Ukrainian defensive efforts are increasingly futile and that Orikhiv faces encirclement. The speaker contends that Ukrainian drone and missile attacks on Russian cities serve primarily theatrical purposes—designed to impress Trump and distract from Ukrainian battlefield losses—and that these attacks have limited actual strategic impact due to small warhead sizes and limited damage.
The speaker concludes by discussing expected major Russian missile and drone strikes on Kiev decision-making centers, which he believes will come during a summer offensive push through Donbas and Zaporizhzhia. He also notes Russian military deployments building up in Belarus, which he argues will ultimately weaken Ukraine's strategic position.
About this episode
Topic 1938 ***THE DURAN SHOP*** https://theduranshop.com ***REVERSE GEAR SHOP*** Athleisure with Style https://reversegear.shop ***THE DURAN COMMUNITY ON LOCALS*** https://theduran.locals.com Join Now Get 1 Month Free Trial ***OUR OFFICIAL CHANNELS*** THE DURAN: https://www.youtube.com/@TheDuran ALEX: https://www.youtube.com/alexchristoforou ***CRYPTO SUPPORT*** BITCOIN: 3JvdnoyWMb93hSRgk58ZstUxg11PW9mKSr ETHEREUM: 0xF39BdFb41f639B82E3D2Bf022828bC6394F533A3 LTC: MGFiMC18ZViF6DcCixMqAAP11TG4tF6Acj EMC2: EXX4KK9pZLx7uiLWnCXtp7iMKjtq6o5b6R ***DONATE*** CREDIT CARD: https://donorbox.org/the-duran SUBSCRIBE STAR: https://subscribestar.com/theduran PATREON: https://patreon.com/theduran ***VIDEO PLATFORMS*** RUMBLE THE DURAN: https://rumble.com/c/theduran ODYSEE: THE DURAN: https://odysee.com/@theduran ALEXANDER: https://odysee.com/@AlexanderMercouris:a ALEX: https://odysee.com/@alexchristoforou:7 BITCHUTE: THE DURAN: https://www.bitchute.com/theduran/ ALEXANDER: https://www.bitchute.com/alexandermercouris ALEX: https://www.bitchute.com/channel/izwNAdmMGIC7/ ***AUDIO PODCASTS*** SPOTIFY: https://spoti.fi/3pMrfPD APPLE PODCASTS: https://apple.co/2H9Hk0a SOUNDCLOUD: https://bit.ly/354ASQ9 ***FREE SPEECH PLATFORMS*** TELEGRAM: https://t.me/thedurancom X (Twitter): https://x.com/AMercouris GAB: https://gab.ai/TheDuran MINDS: https://minds.com/theduran OK: https://ok.ru/group/60904083488959 Amazing music contribution from Peter Brown. Follow Peter's music: https://soundcloud.com/peterboy100
Key Insights
- Putin explicitly warned for the first time that if drones or missiles are launched from European NATO territory directly at Russia, Russia will conduct retaliatory strikes against those countries, marking a significant escalation from previous red-line warnings
- The speaker argues Trump's reported support for Ukrainian drone strikes reflects a pattern dating back to spring 2025, when Trump encouraged Zelensky to attack Moscow and later supported CIA-assisted drone operations against Russian territory
- Ukrainian drone attacks on Moscow included kerosene-carrying packages designed to create visual smoke effects and theater rather than substantial damage, according to information the speaker received
- Russia has no actual gasoline shortages in Moscow despite Ukrainian attacks on refineries, as multiple suppliers exist and the targeted refinery is expected to resume full production within a week
- The speaker contends that Ukrainian drone and missile strikes serve primarily to impress Trump and distract from actual battlefield realities where Russia is advancing along the entire front
- If European NATO countries directly participated in drone and missile strikes from their own territory against Russia, it would dramatically expand the territorial extent of attacks and overwhelm Russian air defense systems, particularly threatening distant locations like the Sukhoi 57 factory in Khabarovsk
- Putin previously charged Trump with failing to implement the Anchorage agreement regarding Ukrainian withdrawal from Donbas, and after the Valdai drone incident, Russia concluded Trump could not be relied upon as a negotiating partner
- Russians are conducting major offensive operations across Donbas and are positioning forces to encircle and attack major cities including Kramatorsk, with reports of advances near Mykolaivka suggesting the battle for Kramatorsk itself may be beginning
- The speaker argues Russia deliberately held back large-scale Oreshnik hypersonic missile production and major strikes on Kiev until achieving sufficient numbers and perfecting guidance systems and gyroscope technology, suggesting a coordinated timing with the summer offensive
- Major Russian strikes on Kiev decision-making centers are expected to occur this summer coinciding with the offensive push through Donbas and Zaporizhzhia, and may include Russian bombers operating over Kiev—something not seen during the February-March 2022 operation
- Ukrainian attempts to prevent the encirclement of Orikhiv from both east and west are only reducing Ukrainian force numbers and inflicting heavy casualties that cannot be replaced, making strategic withdrawal more logical but unlikely
- The speaker asserts that Russia no longer expects meaningful negotiations with the United States or Europeans, as the Russians have written off these parties and are now focused exclusively on achieving military victory rather than diplomatic resolution
Topics
Transcript
[0:00] Good day. Today is Wednesday, 24th June, 2026. And before I proceed with this program, let me remind you again to take the like button and to check your subscription to this channel. Now, the important news over the last 24 hours in global affairs is a series of further comments made by Vladimir Putin to the military cadets that I discussed yesterday, the meeting of the military cadets. He made [0:32] supplemental comments to the ones that I discussed yesterday, um giving us a further sense of how the Russians see the war and confirming a Russian decision to strike targets in Europe in certain circumstances. I I will return to that later. But also revelations coming from…
Full transcript available for MurmurCast members
Sign Up to AccessMore from Alexander Mercouris
How Russia Is Preparing for Its Biggest Kyiv Offensive Yet
A military analyst discusses Russian operational planning, suggesting that Russia will coordinate a major aerial offensive against Kyiv with a simultaneous ground offensive through Donbas and Zaporizhzhia, likely occurring in summer, after ensuring sufficient quantities of weapons like Oreshnik missiles are available.
Lukashenko NO To Zelensky Belarus Stands With Russia; Russian Troops Enter Sumy; EU NO To Kiev Entry
A geopolitical analysis of Ukraine-Belarus tensions, Russian military advances in Donbass, and the broader Russia-West conflict as of June 2026. Lukashenko firmly rejects Zelensky's ultimatums and commits Belarus to Russia's side, while Russian forces make significant battlefield progress toward capturing key Ukrainian cities.
REVEALED: Russian Encirclement Strategy
A military analyst assesses that Ukraine's drone offensive capabilities are diminishing while Russian forces are intensifying strikes in Donbas and moving toward encircling the strategic cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, marking a significant turning point in the war.
Europe: All Talk. Russia: All Business
The transcript argues that Russia is actively modernizing its military capabilities through sustained production of advanced weapons systems, while the West, despite rhetorical focus on military preparedness against Russia, is experiencing relative military decline.