The Duran Podcast - Oligarch fighting in Ukraine. Zelensky Davos trip in doubt

Episode Date: January 21, 2026

Oligarch fighting in Ukraine. Zelensky Davos trip in doubt

All right, Alexander, let's do an update on what is going on in Ukraine. Ukraine has kind of taken a backseat to everything that's happening with Greenland, the situation in and around Iran as well. But there's still a war that is being fought. And we are seeing a Zelensky regime, a Kiev regime. regime, which is fighting amongst themselves. The oligarchs are going after each other. The energy situation is horrendous, and it's getting worse. The air defense situation is non-existent. There are no more patriots. Kiev, Harcov, Odessa, a blockade. And Zelensky is going to be in Davos

looking for security guarantees from the United States, which I am confident he's not going to get any. What is your opinion on the situation in Ukraine? You're absolutely correct. And I think you've described the situation actually very well, because it seems to me, looking at the overall situation in Ukraine, we are now approaching a point of crisis. It's not been discussed, certainly not in the European media. But you've outlined it. The Russians have been working steadily and methodically for years to build up this capability

where they can plunge Ukraine in darkness. They are now plunging Ukraine in darkness. The situation with electric power in Kiev is terrible. Much of Kiev is under permanent blackout. All of Kharkov is under permanent blackout. Nehpropro struggling with electric power. There was a very interesting article in the Ukrainian news website, Strana, which describes how the fact that there is now critical power shortages in the major cities

is also draining power from the rest of the country because Ukraine is obliged to transatlantic. for power from the smaller locations to try to keep up the situation in the big cities. There are reports that the Russians are going to conduct more strikes against the energy systems over the next couple of days. But it's clearly been a methodical plan that the Russians have been working towards. Odessa, as you rightly say, is under blockade. So the port of Odessa is no longer functioning, Ukraine can't export. The economy must be in total crisis. And there is inevitably now, as a result of all of this, a developing political crisis in Kiev, there's intrigues, there's packfighting, there's all sorts of people being appointed.

Zelensky has appointed an extraordinary figure to basically run the SBU. not the person has been put in nominal charge, but apparently his chief deputy, who is an individual who has been linked by some reports, and these look like good, strong reports, to organize crime groups, and who has apparently an extremely ruthless reputation. So, I mean, it looks like somebody's been put in place to try to keep control of what looks like. and increasingly deteriorating situation. The money from Europe is running out. I mean, they haven't yet agreed on the 90 billion euro loan that we just talked about. The mechanics of that have not been sorted. The bonds have not yet been placed in the international financial markets.

Osula is again talking about using. the frozen Russian assets to repay the bonds if neither the Ukrainians nor the Russians ever do, which I suspect is going to scare off more of the bondholders, because they know perfectly well that there are now massive legal questions about ever using those financial assets, and the Russians have brought court cases in relation to these in first and foremost in the Moscow arbitration court, but this is working towards other cases. in many other places too. So I get the sense that everything is starting to fall apart,

far more quickly and completely than people understand. And yes, there's also problems on the front lines, and we can talk about those. But in a way, it's the turning off of the lights and the heating and the electric power in the big cities in Kiev itself that is most indicative. And I was thinking as I was reviewing all of this yesterday, that the other thing to say about this is that if you are preparing to launch a big offensive, if you're the Russians and you're preparing to launch a big offensive, isn't this exactly what you would do? Wouldn't you do what the Americans have done in places where they've launched big offenses,

basically turn off the lights, the electric power, eventually the internet as well? Wouldn't you be doing that? And could it be, because the Russians have been making various, very complicated and unexplained moves in places like Jarnigov, Tsumi, Kharkov region, they've been sending troops across the front here, occupying places, could it be that they're establishing base areas there and that before long, sometime in the spring, as the situation in Ukraine deteriorates, we will see these reserve armies finally sent into battle to finally end this war? And could it be that the reason they seem to be targeting Kiev specifically is because Kiev is, again, a possible

Russian objective? All of this, I should say, obviously. very speculative. But even if you put aside that speculation, the situation in Ukraine today looks far worse than it has done at any point since the start of the special military operation. And what has happened to all the peace plans? So we have this initiative from Zelensky to go to, to be in Davos and to get security guarantees from the Trump administration. What's going to be the result of all of this? I mean, we had a 28-point peace plan. We had a 20-point peace plan.

We had this summit in Paris. Whitkoff and Kushner are supposed to be in Moscow. Zelensky's trying to get something from the United States. Nothing's coming out of this. The Russians aren't even commenting on this stuff. I mean, they'll meet with Whitkoff and Kushner, but it doesn't seem like there's any real motion. No, I don't get the sense of any motion at all. the Russians haven't even confirmed that they're coming.

There's certainly never not been any announcement of any date. And as I think we discussed in another program, I'm not even sure what they're coming with. I mean, there's now so many different plans and points of discussion that had been floated around. I mean, there was the original 28 points. Then there was Zelensky's 20 points. Then there's others, you know, 14 points and 19 points and 27 points. Which of them is it at this time? And Zelensky harps on about security guarantees. But it's now universally acknowledged, including by Nance himself, the German Chancellor, the security guarantees

and all of that, European peace deployments in Ukraine. They can only happen if the Russians agree. And we all know the Russians aren't going to agree. So the whole thing has now, We've moved from the point of negotiations, actual negotiations. We've even moved, I think, from a position where it was really a charade. I mean, it's now become a surreal ghost negotiation, which is leading nowhere because the Russians don't seem to be in the mood for negotiations. I mean, they negotiated with the Americans last year because it did look for a time as if it might be going somewhere.

I don't think the Russians think it's going anywhere. And besides, as Putin himself said, when he met with his generals a short time ago, I mean, what is the point now even negotiating about Donbass when we're about to capture it anyway? So, I mean, there is no purpose to these talks from a Russian point of view anymore. I mean, I should add that there are now trickles of reports that the Eresnik strike on the facility in Lvov was devastating. The mayor of Lvov has said that the damage done was horrendous. We've not been provided with any video footage at all. But it seems that the Russians are probably about to launch another Ereschenic strike or are thinking of doing so.

before very long. And I'd assumed that it was an extraordinarily expensive system and very difficult and complicated to build. I've now been told, I've learned nothing of the sort. Apparently, each Ereshenic missile costs about $3 million. So, I mean, the Russians could churn these off. Production rates of 25 a month might be conceivable after all. When you are in that kind of position, when you hold all of the cards in the way the Russians do, when you're already furious because of the attack on Novgorod, the drone attack on Novgorod, which you've discussed, when you have absolutely no trust at all in the Ukrainians, the Europeans, or indeed the Americans, why should you negotiate at this time? So I don't see this. I'm not going to say

that we are in the end game. But if it turns out that we are, I wouldn't be surprised. And I can't help but think that we're going to be in the end game before very long. Yeah, I think we're at the end game in a way, or at least the beginning of the end game, because we are seeing the very public fighting of the various political factions and the oligarchs in Kiev. I mean, I think this is a sign that things are really going off the rails. The fact that you have Timoshenko. Yes, arrested.

calling, arrested and then calling Zelensky a fascist in court. You have Zelensky and Klitsko. They're fighting. Klichko is associated with Bonschenko and Zillusini. Zelensky's trying to speak with Zillusione, from what I understand to try to get him on side for a future election that he may be planning. You're starting to see all of the various factions kind of go after each other right now. And I think that's a sign that the whole thing is breaking down. Absolutely. Can I just say something about the Zelensky-Zalusni meeting? I mean, it's got nothing to do with elections.

I mean, nobody in Ukraine can be seriously thinking about elections at this moment in time when most of the Ukraine's big cities. Bloomberg said they were about elections. Of course. Of course. That's the cover story that has been put out there. But I mean, when you have no electric power in your cities, how are you going to be talking about elections. I mean, that's a fantastic idea. What Zelensky is trying to do is he's trying to

break up this grouping, this opposition grouping of Poroshenko, Klichl, and Zillusin. And he sees Zalusni as the wig link in the chain. So he's now trying to win him over to his side with who knows what offer. And that was what that meeting was really all about. The power struggle is about the situation now. It's not about the configuration in a future election, which I don't believe anybody, think anybody in Ukraine believes in. And when I say it's about configuration of power, it's about getting as close to what remain of the money flows as possible before the lights entirely go out and the Russians arrive at the door. That, that, that, it's, that, that, And that is how it looks to me.

Do you think Russia is going to launch an attack come spring? Yeah, I mean, they will launch an attack. I mean, the offensives will continue. And Assyersky said that they're aiming for Odessa. And I have to say, all the indications are that they probably are. The big question is whether the Russians are going to start something in the north, in Charnigov, Sumi, Kharkov. As I said, there's all kinds of movements taking place there.

And Gerasimov, who was the chief of staff, even the general staff, and the overall military commander of the Russian forces, he was there recently. And if the Russians start moving large groups of forces into the north of northeast of Ukraine, which they haven't done up to now, if they start making serious moves towards Kharkov, which I remember is now absolutely in darkness. And you talked about the fact that Ukraine's air defenses have collapsed. The Russians have just released footage, recently released footage, showing that the Patriot missile battery that was defending Kharkov has been destroyed.

So maybe the Russians have Kharkiv in their side. insights, the Russians are going to start moving big forces there, then they could be moving towards Kiev as well. That, I suspect, is what Zelensky and the political class in Kiev are most afraid of. If that starts to happen, the Russians move big forces. And they have them. I mean, they have, as we've discussed in many programs, they still have the reserve armies ready in Russia itself. If they start moving these forces into northeastern Ukraine, then, as I said, I think you'll see things begin to move and move in Kiev itself amongst the political elite there, if you can call it that, very, very quickly. As I said, you'll probably see a rush to the exits.

You will see Zelensky relying on his new people in the security services, doing. everything you possibly can to retain control. And, well, then we will certainly know that we're in the end game. Yeah. Just the final question. Does Trump getting Greenland soften the blow, the damage to a U.S. loss in this proxy war or a Western loss in this proxy war in which Russia wins. Trump has Greenland in his pocket so he can run with that as a win and a distraction. And you're just kind of just kind of leaving Europe hanging. Europe takes the big out.

Well, I would say that it does. I mean, Trump can turn around to the American people and say, look, if the Russians have whatever the Russians have achieved in Ukraine, it's far away. It doesn't really concern or interest in the United States. It's not something most Americans care about very much. But I have hugely expanded the territory of the United States. I've increased its size enormously. I made the United States inland area the second biggest country in the world.

In the Arctic. The Russians have had to fight to win back Ukraine. I did it so much more easily, and I put the United States in a far stronger position than it was when I became president. And I think that will have traction, by the way. I think a lot of Americans, to be frank, I don't think they're particularly interested, to Ukraine as far away, as I said, it's a conflict that they don't know very much about, far away country.

Zelensky has never been hugely popular in the U.S.S.Lensky has never been hugely popular in the U.S. the U.S., the American people have seen through him far more clearly than the Europeans have done, just to say. I think that if that is part of the strategy, you know, show a win in Greenland and tell people forget about Ukraine, I think it would work politically. I could see how it could work. Yeah. And Europe is left holding the bag, right?

Well, Europe isn't a terrible. If you want to say holding the back. Absolutely. They're left over, they're left on their own in this disaster, right? Absolutely. I mean, Europe would be in a terrible position. But then why is that something that would particularly worry people in the United States? Just to say.

Yeah. All right. We will end the video there. The durand. Dot locals.com. We're on X, we're on Rumble, we are on Telegram. We are also on substack, so check us out there. And go to the Duran Shop, pick up some merch, 26% off all merch.

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