Buckle up — this one’s loaded. In today’s episode of The Restricted Handling Podcast, we dive deep into the wild 24 hours shaking Russia’s war machine, political theater, and increasingly desperate power plays. From Putin’s nostalgic nuclear saber-rattling to drone warfare straight out of a dystopian sci-fi flick, this is the frontline of modern conflict — chaotic, high-tech, and darkly absurd. 

We kick things off with Vladimir Putin dusting off the Soviet playbook, ordering preparations for potential nuclear tests in the Arctic’s Novaya Zemlya — a move straight from the Cold War sequel nobody wanted. Why? Because U.S. President Donald Trump said he’s ready to restart American nuclear testing, and Putin, never one to be out-flexed, is grabbing the red phone and cranking up the tension. The Kremlin says it’s “just studying options,” but let’s be honest — this feels more like the opening credits to Dr. Strangelove 2: Still Strangin’. 

Meanwhile, down on Earth — or rather, in the mud and rubble of Pokrovsk, eastern Ukraine — one of the bloodiest battles of the war is grinding on. Russian forces have thrown in three combined arms armies and still can’t secure the city. The fighting’s so close-quarters that troops are literally swapping control of the same buildings hour by hour. Ukrainian forces, outnumbered but unbroken, are relying on every drone and bullet they can muster, as Zelensky himself shows up near the front to hand out medals and keep morale alive. 

But while Russia tries to inch forward in Donbas, Ukraine’s drones are flying deep into Russian territory, hitting oil refineries, ports, and pumping stations in Volgograd, Tuapse, and Yaroslavl. These aren’t symbolic strikes — they’re torching infrastructure, halting exports, and hitting Moscow where it hurts most: the wallet. Add in reports of North Korean engineers showing up in Russia to “help” with reconstruction (read: keep the lights on while the regular army bleeds out), and you’ve got a bizarre new axis forming between two regimes clinging to relevance. 

Back home, Russia’s paranoia is hitting a fever pitch. Putin’s regime is now labeling its own ultra-loyal propagandists as “foreign agents,” arresting ordinary citizens for supposed NATO “contacts,” and slashing enlistment bonuses as war costs skyrocket. The Kremlin’s propaganda machine is devouring itself — proof that even dictatorships can run out of villains and start eating their own. 

To top it off, Europe’s on high alert after coordinated drone incursions shut down Brussels and Liège airports, with Belgian officials suspecting Russian involvement. NATO’s not amused, and neither are travelers who spent the night on terminal floors. 

Nukes. Drones. Chaos. From the Kremlin’s panic room to the skies over Belgium, this episode breaks down the fast-moving crisis shaping the global chessboard — and it’s only November. 

Tune in, get briefed, and stay dangerous.