Welcome back to The Restricted Handling Podcast — your daily injection of high-stakes geopolitics, cutting-edge warfare, and a little unapologetic attitude. In this episode, we’re zeroing in on Russia’s chaotic 24 hours that look like a mashup of Cold War nostalgia, modern tech warfare, and a dash of geopolitical desperation. 

Russia’s military is grinding forward in its brutal assault on Pokrovsk, the Ukrainian city known as “the gateway to Donetsk.” The Kremlin’s forces are going full Soviet mode — human-wave attacks, scorched-earth tactics, and sky-high casualty rates. Ukraine’s not backing down either; they’ve deployed special operations forces to hold the line in what’s becoming one of the most intense urban battles since Avdiivka. Hostile infiltrations, drone ambushes, and artillery duels are lighting up the eastern front, and we break down who’s moving where, which units are getting wrecked, and why Pokrovsk could decide the next phase of the war. 

Meanwhile, Russia’s firing off 1,500 drones and 70+ missiles in a week-long blitz aimed at crushing Ukraine’s power grid — leaving millions without electricity as winter rolls in. We unpack how this fits into Moscow’s long-running “freeze them out” strategy and what it says about their shifting priorities heading into the cold season. But Ukraine’s not taking that lying down. Their drone warfare campaign is torching Russia’s oil infrastructure — from the massive Tuapse oil terminal on the Black Sea to the Saratov refinery deep inside Russian territory. With refinery output dropping and fuel shortages spreading to 57 regions, the so-called energy superpower is starting to look more like a super dumpster fire. 

And while Russia’s oil burns, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin is in China trying to keep the lights on — literally. His trip to meet Xi Jinping and Li Qiang highlights just how dependent Moscow’s become on Beijing for trade, tech, and political cover. We dig into what that means for Russia’s long-term survival and why even China’s patience with the Kremlin might be wearing thin. 

Also on deck: NATO’s air defense upgrades, mystery drones flying over Belgium’s nuclear-linked air base, and Ukraine’s sci-fi–level “Army of Drones Bonus System” that gamifies combat and turns battlefield kills into leaderboard points. It’s innovation, desperation, and digital warfare all rolled into one. 

If you want the sharpest, smartest, and slightly irreverent take on global power plays — this episode delivers. 

Listen to RH 11.03.25 | Russia: Pokrovsk Siege, Drone Wars, Power Strikes, and Beijing Backup — where strategy meets attitude.