Welcome to The Restricted Handling Podcast, where geopolitics meets energy-drink intensity. In this episode — “RH 10.10.25 | Russia: Blackouts, Drones, and Desperation” — we dive deep into one of the most dramatic weeks yet in the Russia-Ukraine war, with a mix of chaos, tech, and Cold War vibes straight out of a modern thriller. 

Russia just unleashed its biggest air and missile assault of 2025, hurling 450 drones and 30 missiles at Ukraine’s already battered power grid. The result? Massive blackouts, fires across Kyiv, and a humanitarian crisis brewing as winter closes in. It’s Moscow’s favorite old-school playbook — weaponize the weather, freeze the enemy, and call it strategy. But Ukraine’s hitting back in 4K. With AI-guided drones and long-range strikes on Russian gas facilities, Kyiv isn’t just surviving — it’s innovating on the fly. 

We also break down how Europe and NATO are done playing defense. The European Parliament voted to call Russian drone incursions “state-sponsored terrorism,” and NATO pilots are debating shoot-down authority that could make future airspace violations a one-way trip to oblivion. Meanwhile, the Baltic states — Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania — are prepping mass-evacuation plans for hundreds of thousands of civilians. They’re not waiting for the next surprise from the east; they’re ready for it. 

Inside Russia, the cracks are spreading faster than Moscow can patch them. Putin finally admitted that his military shot down an Azerbaijani passenger jet last year, killing 38 people — a rare moment of truth that highlights just how chaotic the Russian system has become. Add to that an economy straining under sanctions, a $50 billion wave of nationalizations, and China quietly choking off exports of precision tech Moscow desperately needs, and the empire’s starting to look a lot less invincible. 

We’ll also get into Russia’s digital dark arts — AI-generated malware, disinformation campaigns hijacking Nobel Prize headlines, and even a GRU parcel-bomb plot that sounds straight out of a spy movie. And yes, while Putin’s hackers and propagandists play whack-a-mole across Europe, Russian submarines are surfacing near Japan just to remind everyone they’re still in the game. 

From energy blackouts to drone warfare, hybrid operations to global embarrassment, this episode covers it all with sharp insight, zero fluff, and a little bit of attitude. 

Tune in to The Restricted Handling Podcast — where geopolitics gets the adrenaline treatment. Russia’s spinning out; we’re just here to call the play-by-play.