Things go from bad to worse. Thanks to the usual. The people everywhere still sleep. Try help wake them up.
Predicts Nuclear War. Read esp. closing para with details of Kiev nuclear history.
English Translation of text from “https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MgqZhRkufc“
EPIC US RAGE and IRANIAN REVENGE. Prophet Z: THERE WILL BE NO NEXT PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE! – Dudkin
[Host Alexander Shelest]
I welcome you, dear friends, already my guests and subscribers. Yuri Dudkin is in touch, as always on Saturday. Yuri Anatolyevich, I greet you.
[Guest Yuri Dudkin]
Hello, Alexander, glad to see you.
Shelest
Likewise. The last day of winter, and fierce, fiery things are happening. It’s gotten hot in the Middle East, so much so that, well, everyone talked about it, it was just an abstract idea, something discussed in obscure [Idiom: “kipoy-kipotes,” a humorous, distorted term for theoretical or anxious discussions], but now it’s all for real. Israel, together with America, struck Iran, Iran is striking back, striking back in different directions, even in Abu Dhabi, where tripartite negotiations on Ukraine are tentatively scheduled for early March—yes, even there it’s rumbling. Bahrain, Jordan… in short, all countries with US military bases in America [Sic: meaning ‘American bases in the region’] have come under attack, some successfully, some unsuccessfully. But at least from what we see happening now, we’ll probably get more information on the consequences a bit later. Trump has finally decided; he says, ‘Losses are possible in any war, but we are protecting the American people.’ Many are already interpreting this move by Trump as, well, a very, very reckless one, because if it drags on, the Democrats will eat Trump himself back home—the one who criticized Obama for war. What do you think about this move by Trump? Is it a crazy whim or a carefully calculated move in the Middle East? And here many remember Zhirinovsky, they say, as it starts, you won’t be able to put it out.
Dudkin
Yes, absolutely right, that this is Trump’s adventure, as indeed were the previous adventures of the United States of America in the Middle East. Primarily, they are connected to the midterm elections that are coming up in the United States. And Trump’s position today is, well, not very strong in this matter, I assure you. The United States has always, on the eve of, or rather, let’s say, several months before such events, planned some kind of military action somewhere a thousand kilometers away… and it was always under the slogan of protecting the interests of the United States, protecting the interests of American citizens. Although, of course, the US and Iran have exactly the same relation to American citizens as the residents of [Sic: possibly “Kamburji,” a non-place, used as a nonsensical comparison] have to the residents of Canada, you understand? Nevertheless, what you’ve introduced as the opening… and today it has been announced to the whole world: a big war has started in the Middle East, another one, started, as always, by the United States. What can be said about this, and like you, what are the goals of this war from different sides? I’ll try to characterize them briefly.
The goal of the American side is, first and foremost, to humiliate Iran, to dismember it, since it is a multi-confessional country. There are even several different sects and branches within Islam itself, not to mention other peoples inhabiting Iran, like Kurds, Azerbaijanis, and so on. To dismember it is simply a programmatic goal, especially concerning the dismemberment of Ukraine, for example, and the Russian Federation. This is an eternal dream of the United States—that is, the formula “divide and rule”—they have always wanted to give it some practical application. But in Ukraine, they succeeded. In Russia, the United States hasn’t succeeded, and it’s unlikely to. In the United States, they have a poor knowledge of the history of the Russian Federation, and in the past, the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. They have a very poor knowledge of history, of how the peoples inhabiting this territory, one-sixth of the landmass, always managed to rally and unite in times of special danger to repel an external enemy.
Now, as for Israel, for example. Yes, by the way, nuclear weapons are a secondary issue here; it’s just a pretext for the United States to dismember, destroy, and humiliate Iran.
As for, by the way, again, excuse me for interrupting myself a second time… the invasion today, according to some data, was carried out by several dozen helicopters launched from the decks of American aircraft carriers. According to unverified data, all these attacks, attempts to land any kind of troops on Iranian territory—again, unclear for what purpose—have failed, and all these attempts to penetrate some forbidden Iranian territories have also failed. Casualties are not reported anywhere, but they exist.
Now, again, regarding Israel. Well, this is also an eternally sore subject. Yes, eternal enemies Israel and Iran never reached full mutual understanding, even under the Shah’s regime of Mohammed Reza Pahlavi. The Shah, of course, in the past fulfilled all of Washington’s wishes, was on a leash held by America, received colossal loans from the United States, thereby spending his natural resources—rather, Iran’s natural resources—which the United States used as its own, practically for free. Today, Iran indeed occupies a worthy place in the Middle East in oil extraction, and it exports its main export portion of oil to China. For China, this is, of course, let’s say, not an insignificant blow today. And today, naturally, the Chinese leadership, the Chinese Foreign Ministry, has spoken out condemning the start of another military action on Iranian territory.
Now, like you, I’ll also briefly state Iran’s goals. Yes. Israel, by the way—interrupting myself again to add—Israel is not betting on any single Iranian faction. By the way, the Americans, in parallel with the start of hostilities on Iranian territory, are again trying, with the help of the Central Intelligence Agency, to carry out the second stage of the so-called revolution in Iran. That is, there is an active insertion of agents into this territory, and large cash infusions are going into internal sabotage on Iranian territory: seizing administrative buildings, TV centers, and so on and so forth. That is, everything is happening in a complex. And Israel, of course, is taking the most direct part in this. Israeli intelligence services today, on Iranian territory, with the help of so-called sleeper agents, are hunting for the Iranian leadership with the goal of kidnapping or killing them. That’s Israel’s goal today.
Regarding Iran itself, naturally, the Iranian leadership is unwavering in defending its interests as a sovereign state. And at the negotiations, which did not take place, or rather were failed—they did take place, they were failed—because the United States again tried, through pressure on Iran, to force the Iranian leadership to abandon the Iranian nuclear program. Iran did not succumb to this pressure and remains firm in its positions. As for the United States themselves, Iran has always pointed out that the United States is an imperialist state trying to impose its point of view and hegemony on all countries of the world. Well, here, you know, this is a kind of basic, elementary logic from the Iranian leadership regarding US policy, just as, in principle, it is the basic, elementary logic and position of US foreign policy. It’s declared not only by Iran; we hear it from the lips of official representatives of the Foreign Ministries of China, the Russian Federation, the DPRK, and other states. Those states that, in their time, truly did not succumb to pressure or even military provocations from the US aimed at enslaving these states or at least bending them on some other issues. That is, some states which today… the ones I listed… never extended their hegemony towards the US itself, have unilaterally been subjected to colossal American pressure, sanctions, all sorts of bans, provocations, ideological warfare developed in the CIA and other US intelligence services, and so on and so forth. That is, there was such a unilateral, militant struggle against those regimes the United States disagreed with.
So today, we are getting what, in principle, should have happened two weeks ago. We talked about this, that everything was ready to launch another strike on Iran, but Trump hesitated. He hesitated, he hoped that in these negotiations, the Iranian leadership would compromise its interests somewhere. This didn’t happen on any point, on any issue that the United States raised concerning Iran. In the negotiations, as the Iranian side noted, all parties at the negotiating table are equal. And any kind of pressure exerted on Iran was unacceptable. This was stated by the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
Shelest
Yes, Yuri Anatolyevich, regarding the agents, that’s a very important point, because now I see how information is spreading from Iran, from Isfahan, from other cities. They show us either a schoolchild on camera thanking Trump, or some women dancing and rejoicing that Trump struck their country, Iran. This is all clearly an echo of those protests and that work you mentioned above. And here there are, as it were, two questions. Let’s start with the geopolitical significance. The Wall Street Journal has already managed to write that Dubai—well, Dubai will cease to be a haven for global rich people because the threat is serious, and they are preparing there according to the Saudi principle, hitting the Saudi base. Basically, all countries where Americans are present, except Amman—remember Zelensky flew to Amman, met [someone]—all were affected by the strikes, Iran’s retaliation. This will continue for some period, we’ll see how long. But there’s another interesting subtext: the Houthis came out and said, ‘But we exist, remember Trump defeated us? We Houthis are here, we will also strike the Red Sea; in short, no one will be sailing.’ It’s clear—the Strait of Hormuz, of course. The situation in the region overall. What could this lead to? Well, again, the rise in oil prices. Trump says, ‘I’m ready.’ For example, stock markets are in turmoil. The situation with refugees, with people moving from there, trying to leave, the migration situation—leave, flee, or relocate. The consequences are colossal, after all. Did Trump consider these consequences? How do you see it?
Dudkin
You know, lately, Mr. Trump has been acting, well, rather panicky. I don’t see any logic in his words or his deeds; moreover, his words never seem to align with his deeds. There’s a lot of populism, a lot, and in various spheres. He’s such a, you know, big, handsome guy—well, at least he tries to look that way, yes—but there’s no solid foundation in his, so to speak, activities as president. He stands on such, you know, thin little legs. And it seems to me that the Democrats, who today are simply waging a life-or-death struggle with him, will somehow manage to shake his self-confidence. And this, by the way, affects everything, including the external front, and including, incidentally, his attempts to start a big war against Iran. As you rightly noted, if this happens and the war drags on, it won’t be like the last 12-day one between Israel, Iran, and the US; it could drag on much longer. But let me just superficially characterize Iran’s missile forces and their capabilities. In terms of quantity, of course, this data is classified, deeply classified. Iran hides everything underground. The strikes they carried out in some Iranian provinces during the 12-day war did not achieve their goals; let’s be honest, Iran’s losses were minimal last time. This, by the way, also raised big doubts among Trump’s opponents within the US itself, doubts about the success of the operation he conducted earlier.
Today, Iran has a very, I would say, powerful missile potential. They have short-range, medium-range, and ballistic missiles, as well as long-range ones, well, such as the MSKHAD missiles, which can fly over 2000 kilometers to their target. And, incidentally, the most interesting thing: they were developed based on Soviet X-55 missiles once bought by Iran from Ukraine. You see, there you have the entire essence of the Ukrainian regime—past, and I think present too—everything is for sale, as they say. And Iran took advantage of the successes of Soviet designers and improved this missile, calling it MSKHAD. Then there are short-range missiles, 150 km, 200 km, also used very effectively by Iran: the Tondar and Fateh. The Fateh-110 is the most effective today; they’ve been upgraded, and I think their range is much greater.
Today, literally the morning summary reports that the shelling of Israel by Iranian missiles has begun. More than 100 missiles were launched; the results of these strikes are unknown, again. The strike was carried out with Iranian cruise missiles called Zafar; their range is also classified, but they penetrate that Iron Dome, so advertised by Israel, very well. At the same time, these Zafar cruise missiles can change tactics in flight to reach the target. Well, I could tell you a bit more, but due to lack of time, I’ll conclude this point: Iran is continuing to develop new missile weapons, in particular the Ghadir missiles. This is an even more fearsome weapon which in the future, by the way, could be hypersonic and could carry a nuclear warhead. So I wouldn’t say the United States will achieve its goal so easily. And for some reason, it seems to me that the Iranians will now start hitting American ships with their anti-ship missiles. And that, excuse me, would be a very vivid picture for the world community, showing that the United States shouldn’t get too cocky in this sense.
Oil is oil, it’s clear that for some states—we won’t say which—rising oil prices are only a plus. But overall, this will lead to a colossal increase in the price of oil and petroleum products within the United States itself, which, by the way, is already happening today.
Shelest
You know, opinions are completely divided on what Trump has done. The American historian Hickel writes on his social media: ‘Jason Hickel: bombing Iran in the midst of negotiations, starving Cuba, committing genocide against Palestinians, threatening to invade Greenland—the US and Israel are the biggest threat to humanity. We are all forced to live in this nightmare they are creating.’
Looking at everything happening comprehensively, Ukraine looks somehow uncertain. Sybiha comes out and declares the official position of the Kyiv authorities: ‘We support the people of Iran, but we, like, don’t support the regime. The regime must be overthrown, the people of Iran supported.’ It turns out the regime and the people are not the same thing. No, the logic is clear; it’s clear Sybiha couldn’t have said otherwise. Zelensky had prepared the ground for this himself; he’s spoken out about Iran several times, saying he’s against them. He has his own trauma there—the Shaheds that Iran supplied and that were later modified in Russia, now turned into various generations and modifications in Iran. But let’s be honest, the formulation that ‘the people must win and the regime must fall’ sounds controversial coming from Kyiv, Yuri Anatolyevich.
Dudkin
It’s just playing with words, just playing with words, nothing more. Moreover, Mr. Sybiha understands the Iranian spirit as much as US President Donald Trump does, you understand. To fight a state, or at least wage any kind of ideological war against it, you need to know the mentality of the people. You need to know the spiritual world of that country and its ideology—what it was like before, what it is like now. After those mass demonstrations in the capital of Iran, Tehran, which were brutally suppressed by the authorities—and correctly so, I believe, because these protests were aimed primarily at the collapse of the country, not at its unification. Despite Iran being a Shiite state in terms of its faith, there are many different confessional religious trends. This could have led to a major religious war on Iranian territory if those forces had won. But the leadership of Iran, the wise leadership of Iran, I believe, took responsibility and suppressed these protests. Today, as I said, under the influence of the United States, they are trying to revive these protests, and in the most reactionary sense. That is, it’s no longer about peaceful demonstrations; the CIA’s instructions clearly involve carrying out sabotage with the forces of the Iranians themselves, these, as I said, “sleeper” agents.
What Sybiha is babbling about… if only he or at least Zelensky had tried some cunning, tried to establish relations with Iran in some way—unofficially, I understand, but still—to at least get something in terms of, say, arming the AFU [Armed Forces of Ukraine]. They didn’t even get that far. They followed in the wake of the dumb ideological indoctrination of the US: that is, ‘All enemies of the US are our enemies.’ That was their slogan. Everything not directly related, in their understanding, to subordination to the United States is an enemy of Ukraine. This is their main mistake. In principle, this aligns with the logic of Bandera’s ideology, that is, nothing new, as they say. So let Sybiha go smoke bamboo [Idiom: “kurit’ bambuk” means to do nothing, to wait idly, often in frustration]; Iran will defend its position and, in accordance with its own laws and national interests, defend the interests of its own country.
Shelest
I would like to smoothly move towards Ukraine, while keeping the situation in Iran in mind, to share a first impression, the end of winter, the beginning of spring. In Ukraine, the spring campaign, spring-summer, has been postponed a bit because the weather doesn’t allow it yet, but by this we mean the new season. And actually, a lot was expected from this spring. The Financial Times has already written: ‘Don’t expect air defense systems.’ Objectively, how can there be talk of air defense for Ukraine when missiles are flying into American bases and facilities across the Middle East? That is, any kind of weapons will be in short supply; everything will be redirected there because the Gulf states will need to be protected. And this situation with Iran will definitely also affect the negotiations. Today, Bloomberg publishes a big article where it’s essentially claimed that [Witkoff? unclear] conveyed something to Putin, and in short, he talked with Putin. In short, the Americans will demand that Ukraine leave Donbass in exchange for a freeze along the front line in other sectors, and then a subsequent signing of an exit. So that’s that. If this doesn’t happen, Russia will withdraw from the negotiations. Before this, we saw Trump and Zelensky call each other; before this, we heard from insiders that Trump is giving Zelensky a month. Zelensky himself says, ‘Until the congressional elections, we’ll, so to speak, fight.’ And it becomes clear that the situation in the Middle East is reshuffling the deck, and it doesn’t matter, attention, this is an important thought: it doesn’t matter if it’s a long story or a short story. Now we’ll see. It’s like, you understand, long, short—it could be, for example, that it all lasts maybe 4-5 days, and then there will be such a fierce cold confrontation there that there will definitely be no time for Ukraine. The Houthis again, Israel, all that. Maybe, on the contrary, it’s a protracted war, and it’s clear all resources will be diverted there. How many wars can America wage simultaneously? Various military analysts have already calculated. How do you think these events in Iran will affect the course of the war and the negotiations to resolve the Ukrainian crisis?
Dudkin
Well, today I came across another interview with Professor Sergei Karaganov. He is firmly convinced—I respect him very much and always appreciate his sober view of world events, absolutely sober, sometimes not even aligning with the official position of the Kremlin—so he says that the agreement in Riyadh was a trick by the United States, a trick, a real one. That is, the US has not abandoned its goals, its project “Ukraine,” and is not abandoning them. All these peace efforts are a facade. That’s a direct quote from Professor Karaganov. I’m ready to support him on this issue. Yes, of course. Zelensky will once again—and I think he won’t miss the chance to blurt it out—instead of spending weapons and money on Ukraine, he will now accuse Trump of shifting attention to Iran. This will definitely happen. This kind of, you know, womanish jealousy [Idiom: “babskaya revnost” means petty, irrational jealousy] regarding how events are going in Ukraine. And they are going from bad to worse. The negotiations haven’t achieved any goal at all, except maybe exchanging bodies and prisoners of war. That’s it. But in principle, this was already recorded in the negotiations in Turkey four years ago. So, nothing new. These multi-day, multi-hour negotiations in Abu Dhabi, Geneva, God knows where else, haven’t led to any result. Well, the US has, of course, tempered its ardor a bit regarding Ukraine, and not so much Ukraine as Zelensky, realizing that the man is absolutely useless to them. But he is useful in waging a certain struggle between the US and Europe, and in particular between the US and Great Britain. This is kind of imperceptible, and the media covers it insignificantly, but this struggle is simply mortal between Great Britain and the United States. Although on general issues, say, concerning the Russian Federation, their positions are absolutely similar. And the US is now trying to shift the blame for the collapse in Ukraine entirely onto Europe and Great Britain. This, by the way, is extremely disliked by Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, whose tenure in power is hanging by a thread; his ratings among Britons are just plummeting, especially after the Epstein-Gate scandal.
So, as of today, let’s say, the events that will unfold in the Middle East will not significantly affect Ukraine. On the Ukrainian front, everything is unchanged. Today, literally in the morning, before I even had time to drink my coffee honestly, while reading news feeds: another populated area was liberated by the Russian side in the Kharkiv region and in the Zaporizhzhia region. That is, the front is moving west with small, small steps, and let’s say, it promises nothing good for Ukraine. Well, again, they’ll ask me, what’s the point of conducting these negotiations then? Again, I said and I say: negotiations need to be conducted, a negotiating platform must always exist. But conducting these negotiations today is no longer the same as the Minsk negotiations. Here’s the thing, my friends. All those who bleat about some kind of peace, especially among Ukrainians, who think peace will just fall from the sky onto Ukraine tomorrow because some negotiations have decided these issues—negotiations today will not solve the peace in Ukraine.
Shelest
Well, what will bring peace to Ukraine then?
Dudkin
Peace in Ukraine will be brought, first and foremost, by the victory of one of the sides. And what kind of victory it will be, from which side, I think today it’s clear to sane people. Because Ukraine, together with the West, directly, hand in hand, you know, Alexander, led Ukrainians by the nose for 8 years in the Norman Format, in the Minsk Format, and so on and so forth, and mocked the peace in Ukraine, mocked themselves. So today, peace in Ukraine will come when Ukrainian Nazism and the West’s influence over this territory are destroyed.
Shelest
But the West’s influence won’t disappear anywhere. You see that everything…
Dudkin
It will disappear, it will disappear, it will disappear.
Shelest
In what way?
Dudkin
Everything is subservient to the West. Look, even Sunak is appointed as an economic advisor—Sunak, by Zelensky! That is, they are no longer even ashamed, you understand. They are already so…
Shelest
Johnson came…
Dudkin
Listen, Alexander… Can you imagine? But you’re a smart person. Can you imagine Sunak’s capabilities in rebuilding Ukraine? Well, what are they? Let’s bend at least two fingers—what are Sunak’s capabilities in rebuilding Ukraine? In Ukraine itself today? Well, what? Absolutely a formal figure, a pure formality, to scare Russia: ‘Oh look, we have Sunak, he’ll be in charge of rebuilding Ukraine.’ With what funds, with whose help, how will this happen technically? That’s what worries me most. The entire territory of Ukraine today is shot through, you understand? The entire territory of Ukraine is like cheesecloth; poke it anywhere, there’s a hole everywhere, including a hole in Ukraine’s air defense. What rebuilding are you talking about? Therefore, the West’s influence is ephemeral, you know. They can’t even give money properly to Ukraine today, because everything disappears there like in a swamp, it all sinks and you can’t get it out. You can’t even find those responsible for this theft, although they walk the earth, it’s known where they are. Western money is stolen, and you talk about the West’s influence? What influence, I beg you? Yes, in stoking this anti-Russian, Russophobic hysteria, well, that’s been going on, excuse me, since the pre-Porome [likely ‘pre-Poroshenko’] and Kuchma times. That’s the West’s only influence. Otherwise, the West has absolutely no influence on the course of hostilities. There are mercenaries from Latin America; they still don’t want to send their contingents, although there’s a lot of talk about it. They’re afraid, because if coffins start going to Britain or France, well then, excuse me, the regimes in power in those countries today won’t fare well.
Shelest
How does all this reflect on the war, on the front? You say, little by little, little by little, and indeed Russia is ready not to go any further if Ukraine withdraws from Donbass, but Zelensky has worn out his tongue saying ‘We won’t give up Donbass.’ Let him talk. Did you, by the way, listen to Prime Minister Mishustin’s report, the government’s annual report to the State Duma, Sasha? [Addressing Dudkin familiarly]
Dudkin
No, I didn’t listen.
Shelest
I heard his quote about education, about needing to move away from the Bologna system, you understand, away from the Western system. And this against the backdrop of what’s happening with our education today, when schoolchildren will study until the end of June, when we’ll have 12 years, and the bachelor’s degree is being shortened—that is, not 4 years, but 3. It looks absolutely staggering. So?
Dudkin
Well, I’ll explain it to you. What Mishustin said in his report does not at all indicate that Russia is experiencing any difficulties in its economy or science due to the hostilities in Ukraine. What’s interesting, I honestly didn’t expect it, because all scientific discoveries today, not only in Russia but in other countries, have always been in a certain sphere of secrecy. And this is understandable, because industrial espionage hasn’t been canceled. But what was announced, and what, say, Vladimir Putin, visiting various institutes and exhibitions in the field of achievements in various spheres, what was shown and told—this only indicates one thing: that hostilities at the pace at which the Russian Federation is currently conducting them on the territory of Ukraine can continue for a very long time, a very long time. There’s no need to look for any forecasts, no need to seek out anyone to make any far-reaching political conclusions. Vladimir Volfovich [Zhirinovsky] has died, may he rest in heaven. And he said that there will be no next president of Ukraine after Zelensky. This says a lot. Even those who don’t believe in conspiracy theories can believe this. It’s understandable why. The Ukrainian regime has driven itself to the state of Nazi Germany in the 30s and 40s, where there is colossal persecution of dissent, repression, and so on. I’m touching on a topic that is most painful for me. So to talk about any elections—this topic has already died down for the umpteenth time. If this topic about elections arises again for the umpteenth time, because someone raises it: the West, the US raises it, because Zelensky is illegitimate. But today, he is rejected not only by Russia but also by many other influential states. Except for the West, he is not kissed all over anywhere. Only in the West do they fawn over him and kiss him all over. Other states, even take Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic—they don’t shake hands with the non-existent membership of Ukraine in the European community. What are we talking about? I can make such assumptions regarding Ukraine and the end of this war. And it will happen, this end, it will definitely happen. But when it happens, that is still unknown.
Shelest
Hungary and Slovakia will receive oil via the Druzhba pipeline. Zelensky refused to allow inspection of the Druzhba pipeline, right? Although the proposal was absolutely, let’s say, rational: if you say it’s damaged, show it. If it’s repaired, show it. But Zelensky refused. Hungary hasn’t done this yet, but Slovakia has already cut off 18% of electricity supplies to Ukraine. Moreover, as previously agreed between Slovakia and Ukraine, these were precisely the critical supplies that Ukraine needed. As of today, Slovakia has cut off electricity. Allegedly, some say they haven’t cut it off. I rely on the statement of, for example, Prime Minister Fico, Alexander. Who says what, what they say? It matters little to me. I always rely on the official position of the authorities. Including, by the way, regarding the DPRK, when South Korea says that the daughter of the [unclear, possibly “comrade”], a 13-year-old—although she’s already 15-16 years old in that range—became the commander-in-chief of the country’s nuclear forces. But it’s funny to me, honestly. Let them talk, as in the famous Russian program. And I rely on official sources. Fico stated that Slovakia cut it off. I think Hungary will do the same, because Ukrainian-Hungarian relations today are not just negligible, they are warlike. That is, if Ukraine, in the person of non-president Zelensky, threatens to strike Hungary, their infrastructure, then, excuse me, what kind of trust, what kind of mutual assistance, or at least trade and economic relations can there be? Especially such statements in the energy sector.
Yuri Anatolyevich, they tried to mobilize a deputy from the “Servant of the People” party in Dnipro. That is, he experienced firsthand that it’s not artificial intelligence. And taxi drivers tell terrible stories, not the literal taxi drivers, metaphorically. Taxi drivers record videos on TikTok, referring to a woman who is not shown, about how [TCC?] employees [military recruitment officers] seize people and rob them. In general, some kind of fierce lawlessness continues. Moreover, those who say this is fierce lawlessness are generally considered enemies. They say, ‘You’re Russians, you’re PS [Russian propagandists?].’ Let’s be honest. The international situation, connected with events in the Middle East, which is connected. Let’s try to look at these things soberly. In general, Ukraine can expect nothing good—neither in terms of air defense, nor in terms of oil prices. And therefore, probably, the Druzhba pipeline now has colossal significance. Colossal significance, first and foremost, attention, for Ukrainian cars, pickups, APCs, tanks. Well, let’s draw the connection.
Here, you understand, it becomes such a revelation: this week, Stefanishyna comes out and tells us terrible things. She says, in January, I think, they gave [information] in December. In December, there was one of Ukraine’s attacks on the Russian oil sector in the south, yes, in the Krasnodar region, and, well, Kazakh business suffered. And there, it turns out, there were American investments, and the Americans sent a note. The Ukrainians didn’t say ‘Oh, you’re such and such.’ But we only find out about this after 2 months, or a month and a half. Well, just like that, in passing, as if arguing something. And how many such diplomatic notes come every day, we can also imagine, if we only found out about one. So, the world situation does not favor all this terrible fuss generated by Zelensky, Fedorov, and all the others. It does not favor it. And to continue raking in the people who are left, who are still sitting in their apartments—I was horrified to learn that, well, acquaintances through acquaintances, and indeed, they have strengthened checkpoints in Kyiv, and people are staying in their apartments. It’s no joke, that’s how it is. So, that’s why from the first [of the month], they will equate draft evaders with those liable for military service, and block them in every possible way. Well, okay, they go to serve, but where do they go to serve? That is, who will supply this army? And what do you say about Zelensky’s interesting statements about 30,000 [mobilized] monthly, and the Russians have 10,000 more, and we kill 30,000 Russians there, the balance is in our favor, but where are ours? Zelensky doesn’t say.
Dudkin
Well, firstly, how does Zelensky know how many are mobilized in the Russian Federation? This is absolutely classified information. Second point. I listened here to the statement of deputy Razumkov, who said a few days ago that, according to his data, the TCC [Territorial Recruitment Centers] currently employ 46,000 people. And Zelensky plans to increase this figure to 60,000 TCC employees by the end of this year. Well, just for a second, yes, one full division is formed, that’s approximately 10-12 thousand people. That is, practically 6 divisions are running around Ukraine, abusing citizens of their own country, catching them, maiming them, and killing them in the rear, you understand? Further, regarding the fact that they mobilize 30-40 thousand monthly. This is an absolutely inflated figure, I believe. Again, I don’t have access to open information; it is also classified in Ukraine. No one knows how many they actually mobilize. But judging by the personnel shortage at the front—the personnel shortage is colossal. Many units, battalions, companies are formed at 40%. Why can’t Ukraine counterattack? This is precisely one of the reasons: personnel shortage. Even in assault groups, yes, they are recruiting people from the streets. Because assault groups must be experienced, capable of close combat cohesion to carry out specific tasks on the battlefield. Sending a recruit, kidnapped on the street of some Ukrainian city, into an assault group—that’s a corpse in two minutes. That is, he is not capable of participating in combat operations, preserving his own life, and carrying out assigned combat tasks. That’s the point. Therefore, judging by this personnel shortage, I understand that Zelensky is simply lying. Moreover, this personnel shortage is felt not only in one of the directions. Although the Ukrainian command is trying to transfer some units from one sector to another, this does not save the situation, not at all. Any rotation, by the way, is also prevented by the Russians. This is admitted by the Ukrainian soldiers themselves who are directly involved in the battles. Around Sloviansk, today, practically all infrastructure and logistics are blocked. And to hold Sloviansk today, Ukraine needs a significant reinforcement of the Sloviansk grouping. In Kramatorsk, they did pour concrete for 8 years, they made that city a good fortified area. I don’t know for how long; if FAB bombings start, nothing will remain of these fortified areas. But near Sloviansk, the situation is very serious. In the Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv directions, near Kupyansk, the situation is also deplorable. What 30-40 thousand? Where are they sending them, even if they mobilize them? Where? To Kolomyia? Or where else are they sending them? To the Lviv region? It’s ridiculous, honestly. Then, trusting Zelensky’s data, which he spews out, as you rightly said, where during the entire conflict only 55,000 Ukrainian soldiers died—that’s not respecting yourself if you believe this drivel. Therefore, today the situation with the Armed Forces of Ukraine is deplorable. There’s still no money. By April, if Ursula von der Leyen manages to ignore Hungary’s veto on sending 90 billion euros to Ukraine—and actually it’s not 90, but 30 billion; 60 billion, after all, the EU will spend on rearming the Ukrainian army, and 30 is just for petty expenses, pension payments, benefits, etc.—if it gets through, it will only be by the beginning of April. And what to do for the whole of March? What are they going to do? How will they feed, clothe Ukrainian soldiers, etc.? Today, there are just terrible food shortages among Ukrainian soldiers, especially on the front lines. People are starving there. I’ve said this repeatedly. I have direct contacts on this issue. People are starving. The food supply rear areas that still existed from Soviet times in the Armed Forces of Ukraine were destroyed under Yushchenko. Today, the Ukrainian army is supplied with food by civilian structures. This is complete nonsense.
Shelest
But the horror of a humanitarian nature continues, Yuri Anatolyevich. Yesterday, a publication by a well-known Kyiv tour guide, a woman who terminated a contract with… what’s it called? It’s not a tourist agency… In short, an agency called “Interesting Kyiv.” They [pressured her]… Well, again, let’s be honest about how it all happened. Everyone understands perfectly. Apparently, there were walks around Kyiv, and despite the fact that the monument to Bulgakov was removed, she still talked about Kyiv and mentioned Bulgakov. And apparently, someone snitched. And this “Interesting Kyiv” says, ‘No, we’re not on the same path with you.’ Oh well, not on the path, fine. They mutilated the bust of Paton, and so much, so much more. Today, it was reported that Ukrainian authorities renamed the names of districts in Donetsk, Luhansk, Makiivka, and Horlivka. In Donetsk, Budyonnovsky district was renamed to Bohodukhivsky, Voroshylovsky to Vuzivsky, Kalininsky to Kalinovsky [note: slight name change in Ukrainian spelling], Kirovsky to Ruchchenkovsky, Kuibyshevsky to Osmolyansky, Leninsky to Oleksandrivsky, Petrovsky to Voznesensky, Proletarsky to Chumakovsky. Luhansk: Artemovsky district became Vilkhivsky, Oktyabrsky became Vergunsky, Leninsky became Shevchenkivsky. Just like that. And Makiivka the same.
Remember that old Soviet joke: “All that’s left is to ask Rothschild”? They don’t want, for example, to name Fifth Avenue in New York after Roman Shukhevych. It would be just as successful. You understand, they are renaming cities they don’t even control. A complete farce.
Dudkin
Well, answering your questions… oh, excuse me for interrupting.
Shelest
Well, the question is, the further we see this situation you describe, the more of it there is. I thought, well, that’s it, everyone’s been renamed, everyone’s been torn down, everyone’s been purged. But what’s the point? And it continues and continues.
Dudkin
Yes, this will continue as long as this Nazi regime exists. Because they know no bounds, as they say. Regarding that woman tour guide you mentioned, you said someone snitched. The job of a tour guide involves not only telling and conducting a purely ethnographic or cultural tour. A tour guide always asks their audience, the tourists, if they have any questions. So, I think if they were on Andriyivskyy Descent, near the Bulgakov house, seeing that boarded-up nightmare of the Bulgakov house and the absence of the monument, they probably asked a question. Or maybe there were even provocateurs among those tourists who asked a question about Bulgakov. And this woman tour guide—I think she is an amazing specialist in her field—answered as she should have. But this was perceived as an anti-Ukrainian position, you understand. I’m generally amazed that there are still any tours in Kyiv. Honestly, I was surprised. If they’ve boarded up the monument to Bohdan Khmelnytsky with boards, justifying it by saying, ‘Oh, from Russian rockets’—excuse me, if a rocket, God forbid, falls there, nothing will be left at all, not just the monument, not a single building from the shockwave, especially since nearby is the world-famous St. Sophia’s, an architectural monument protected by UNESCO. So nobody is going to shoot into that region with some terrible weapon. Today it’s clear to even a child that the Russians are shelling military and energy facilities, or, as they now say in Russia, dual-purpose facilities. It’s no longer a secret that Ukraine uses facilities such as supermarkets for storing ammunition and missiles in supermarket warehouses, various underground parking lots for hiding military equipment, and so on and so forth. These facilities are targeted. Cultural monuments are not targeted by the Russian Federation, and this does credit to the Russian leadership, because it’s clear that Vladimir Putin is a church-going man; he cannot and will not shoot at churches, at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, at St. Sophia’s, or even at St. Michael’s Cathedral. He won’t shoot, that’s obvious. But why is Bohdan Khmelnytsky so toxic to them? Well, it’s clear—because of the Pereyaslav Council, when the Zaporozhian Host came under the wing of the Russian Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. That’s why he’s toxic to them. Same with Bulgakov, who described the events of the early 20th century not just as a writer, but as a historian, seeing everything happening in Kyiv, especially in the novel “The White Guard.” That’s toxic to them, where the role of the vile, corrupt Petliura is described, you understand, who was exalted during the Yushchenko era almost as a national hero. By the way, streets in Kyiv have also been renamed after Symon Petliura—a scoundrel and a villain, like Mazepa, who was a traitor to the Swedish king. That’s the whole reason for what’s happening today. And they will continue to rename. They will rename streets in Moscow—in Moscow, where there are Shevchenko squares, monuments to Lesya Ukrainka, a monument to Taras Shevchenko in Moscow, where there are squares named after Ukrainian writers, streets named after Korniychuk, and so on. We are descending. This is primitive logic, I’ve said it again.
Shelest
When today’s news, today’s, this Geraskevich, the one with the helmet? Yes, yes, yes. That was, of course, a disgrace this past week. He registered a petition to strip Bubka—Sergey Bubka, the legendary pole vaulter, an IOC functionary. A legendary man, a Ukrainian athlete. The most interesting part: Hero of Ukraine. Usyk objected. Usyk, this now twisted nationalist, said that Bubka is a world-class athlete. He has 14 gold medals. He’s an Olympic champion. And in rebuke to this Geraskevich, he said, ‘Who are you?’ A famous movie line. ‘Who are you, anyway?’ Even Usyk objected, you understand? Well, again, you’re absolutely right: “He who was nothing, he will become everything,” as the old Soviet anthem goes. And he’s becoming everything in Ukraine today. I wouldn’t be surprised if, along with Zaluzhnyi, Budanov, or some other big shot, Geraskevich becomes a future presidential candidate. Because elections aren’t foreseen, but they’ll let him get some exposure as a candidate, maybe even put him forward as one. So I’m not surprised by anything, Alexander. Ukraine, as it continued to fall in its, let’s say, intellectual form, not just military, so it continues to fall. This whole war with monuments, this whole war with the Soviet, Ukrainian heritage, it leads to this fall.
Shelest
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation officially issued a statement demanding, ‘Russia demands an immediate return of the situation in the Middle East to the course of diplomatic settlement. Moscow is ready to facilitate the search for peaceful solutions,’ they added in the ministry. But this is, let’s say, a routine statement, because it could have been perceived as more powerful, more needed before today. So, about a month and a half ago, Netanyahu asked to convey through Putin to Khamenei that Netanyahu, Israel, would not attack. Everyone is remembering this moment now. I know you don’t like making predictions, but now? Everyone loves predictions. You laugh, but they bring some incomprehensible comrades money on Polymarket. They claimed that by the end of the month, America would strike Iran, and they won half a million dollars on Polymarket. I congratulate him. He knew something, he knew something, apparently. And it’s exactly the last day of winter, yes, from now on it’s March. What should we expect in spring? Nuclear?
Dudkin
You know, I’ll tell you frankly, without forecasts. What is happening in the world today, and how the situation is heating up in the world. Again, by the way, in line with many well-known people, I draw this conclusion, including, by the way, with Professor Karaganov. I believe that a future nuclear war is inevitable. It’s unknown in what format it will be, and where, and on what scale. But that nuclear weapons will be used, there is no doubt about that. Because this whole atmosphere around nuclear weapons, especially concerning Ukraine—it’s not for nothing that the Russian SVR [Foreign Intelligence Service] uncovered this fact. It’s been going on for quite a long time: that they wanted, after all, to place American nuclear weapons in Ukraine. In case of Ukraine’s non-entry into NATO, it doesn’t matter. Ukraine is already a vassal of the West. And installing nuclear components there wasn’t as difficult for them as it seemed. But in reality, it turned out to be difficult because February 24, 2022, happened. And today, this issue is categorically unacceptable for Russia. And when it became public knowledge to the whole world, well then, excuse me, they thought for a whole day, Alexander. A whole day they thought about how to react to the statement of the Russian SVR. And finally, after a day, they erupted with statements written just like carbon copies, that this cannot be, that they categorically refuse. Although, in fact, they were basically betrayed by Zelensky himself, who spoke repeatedly about an agreement with the West being practically reached on restoring, as they say, the Ukrainian nuclear potential. Although Ukraine never had it; it was a Soviet potential, and upon the collapse of the Soviet Union, naturally, between the West and the Russian Federation, primarily with the participation of Ukraine, Soviet nuclear weapons were removed from Ukraine. By the way, 500 tons of enriched Uranium-235 were taken to the territory of the Russian Federation as a result of the denuclearization of nuclear weapons in Ukraine. They were given to the United States by Yeltsin simply free of charge; Russia didn’t get a kopeck for it. And the missiles on which they were installed, and the silos on Ukrainian territory, were simply cut up by Ukraine voluntarily, independently. So to accept some guy there today, in the person of this Ukrainian dunce, Zelensky and his cronies, is simply baseless. Ukraine itself went for this under the leadership of the late Mr. Kravchuk, and then Mr. Kuchma continued this work of destroying Ukrainian nuclear power, and not just nuclear, but aviation power as well.
Shelest
Yes, Yuri Dudkin was my interlocutor today. Yuri Anatolievich, well, let’s observe. Still, we hope spring will be better, but, you know, it’s somehow alarming. An alarming spring is approaching. Thank you very much for your time and thoughts.
Dudkin
Thank you, and to you and our viewers, I wish wisdom and happiness. Take care of yourselves, friends. Goodness and light. See you.
Synopsis
This is a transcript of a YouTube interview between host Alexander Shelest and guest Yuri Dudkin, recorded on February 28, 2026. The conversation covers two main interconnected themes: the recent escalation of the US/Israeli conflict with Iran and the ongoing war in Ukraine.
1. The US-Iran Conflict:
- Context: The discussion begins with the news that the US and Israel have launched military strikes on Iran, and Iran is retaliating. The host describes it as a major escalation.
- US Motives: Dudkin argues the US goal is to humiliate and dismember Iran, using its nuclear program as a pretext. He claims it’s an “adventure” by Trump, possibly linked to domestic political pressures and midterm elections. The US is also accused of trying to foment a “second revolution” inside Iran via CIA and Israeli agents.
- Iran’s Position: Iran is portrayed as defending its sovereignty. Dudkin claims the US attempted to pressure Iran into abandoning its nuclear program in failed negotiations, but Iran stood firm. He asserts Iran has a significant and capable missile arsenal, some of which was developed from Soviet technology originally bought from Ukraine.
- Consequences: The conflict is seen as a major distraction for the US, potentially diverting military resources (like air defense systems) and attention away from Ukraine. It could lead to a protracted war, spike oil prices, and destabilize the entire Middle East region.
2. The War in Ukraine:
- Impact of the Iran Conflict: The main thesis is that the war in Iran is “reshuffling the deck,” to Ukraine’s disadvantage. Ukraine cannot expect significant new Western weaponry (especially air defense) as supplies are redirected. Negotiations for a settlement are now sidelined.
- Critique of Ukraine’s Leadership: Both speakers are highly critical of the Zelensky government. Dudkin accuses it of being a “Nazi regime,” a puppet blindly following US interests (“all enemies of the US are our enemies”), and leading the country to ruin. He labels statements by officials like Sybiha about supporting the “Iranian people” as meaningless wordplay.
- Situation at the Front: Dudkin describes the Ukrainian military situation as dire, with severe personnel shortages (“cadre famine”), low morale, and troops starving on the front lines. He dismisses Zelensky’s mobilization figures as lies. He mentions Russian advances in the Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia regions.
- Domestic Situation in Ukraine: The speakers discuss rampant mobilization abuses (“lawlessness”) by recruitment officers, the renaming of districts in occupied Donbas cities (calling it a farce), and the persecution of cultural figures like a tour guide who mentioned Mikhail Bulgakov. They see this as part of a destructive campaign to erase shared history.
- Predictions: Dudkin references the late Russian nationalist Zhirinovsky’s prediction that “there will be no next president of Ukraine after Zelensky.” He believes peace will only come with the complete victory of one side—specifically, the destruction of “Ukrainian Nazism” and Western influence. He also shares a grim personal forecast that a nuclear war is “inevitable.”
In essence, the interview argues that the US-Iran conflict is a reckless adventure that will weaken Western support for Ukraine, expose Ukraine’s internal decay and military failures, and ultimately hasten its defeat.