Welcome back to The Restricted Handling Podcast, where we break down global flashpoints with the energy of a live-wire briefing and the insight of an intel report. Today’s episode dives into the chaos swirling around Russia’s brutal offensive in Pokrovsk, Ukraine’s deep-strike drone campaign inside Russian territory, and the latest in Putin’s nuclear saber-rattling — all while Europe and its allies tighten the screws on Moscow’s war machine. 

Russia’s grinding 21-month push to capture Pokrovsk — that key “gateway to Donetsk” — just hit another fever pitch. We’ve got Russian forces clawing through the ruins of the city while Ukrainian troops hold firm and counter from the flanks. Zelensky’s back at the front again, boosting morale and vowing that Pokrovsk will stay Ukrainian. We break down how Russia’s infiltration teams, drone suppression tactics, and staggering manpower losses are shaping one of the bloodiest urban battles of the war — and why the Kremlin can’t afford to lose here politically or militarily. 

Then, we shift to the skies (and beyond them). Ukraine’s long-range drone strikes are rewriting the rules of modern warfare. Kyiv’s drones have now reached 1,200 kilometers inside Russia, torching the Lukoil refinery in Nizhny Novgorod and the Sterlitamak petrochemical plant in Bashkortostan. Russia’s once-untouchable energy empire is taking direct hits — and it’s forcing Putin’s government to quietly import fuel from Belarus and China. We unpack how these strikes are cutting into Russia’s logistics, shrinking its war budget, and flipping its “energy superpower” narrative on its head. 

But Putin’s not backing down. He’s showing off his shiny new nuclear arsenal — boasting about the Poseidon underwater drone, the Burevestnik cruise missile, and the launch of the new Khabarovsk nuclear submarine. It’s Cold War cosplay with 21st-century tech, and we break down what these “superweapons” mean (and don’t mean) for real-world deterrence. Spoiler: it’s more about optics than operational readiness. 

Meanwhile, Europe’s holding the line. Germany’s ramping up Ukraine aid by another €3 billion. EU officials are fast-tracking Kyiv’s membership talks, despite Hungary’s obstruction. And NATO’s dealing with a fresh wave of drone incursions across European airspace — from Berlin to Brussels — in what looks a lot like Russia’s latest round of hybrid warfare. 

We also spotlight how North Korea’s labor troops are quietly helping Russia rebuild, how Ukraine’s new fixed-term contracts are reshaping its military, and why the war’s now as much about endurance as territory. 

It’s war, geopolitics, and global maneuvering with zero fluff and full throttle. 
Listen now to “RH 11.05.25 | Russia: Pokrovsk Burns, Drones Hit Deep, Nukes Flex, Allies Tighten Up.”