Russia’s at it again — and this time, the fog isn’t just outside, it’s in the Kremlin’s head. In this episode of The Restricted Handling Podcast, we break down how Moscow’s forces are clawing through the haze to push deeper into the shattered Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk while Ukraine fires back — literally — torching Russia’s refineries and exposing cracks in Putin’s war machine. From burning oil fields to burning credibility, the chaos just keeps spreading.

We’ve got boots-on-the-ground updates from Donetsk where the battle for Pokrovsk has turned into a slow-motion slugfest straight out of a post-apocalyptic movie. Russian troops are creeping forward on motorbikes and busted cars, using the fog to hide their moves while Ukrainian drones fight blind. Meanwhile, Kyiv’s striking deep inside Russia — hammering the Saratov and Orsk oil refineries yet again, lighting up the night sky and showing the world that Ukrainian long-range warfare is alive and lethal.

But the battlefield isn’t just made of mud and missiles — it’s also spreadsheets and sanctions. Putin’s economic armor is cracking. Sberbank’s CEO, normally one of the Kremlin’s cool-headed loyalists, finally admitted Russia’s economy is struggling, calling growth “very modest” as sanctions bite deeper and allies like China and Serbia start backing away from Moscow’s oil deals. Add the chaos of Serbia’s Russian-owned refineries running dry, and it’s clear the empire’s starting to wobble.

And when things get rough, Russia does what it does best: spins a story. The Kremlin’s security service, the FSB, claims it stopped a Ukrainian-British plot to hijack a MiG-31 fighter jet — complete with laughably bad video “evidence.” We’re talking Cold War cosplay levels of propaganda. At the same time, Moscow’s launching digital crackdowns at home and digital attacks abroad, using AI-driven disinformation networks to meddle in elections and even influence chatbots. Yes, Russia’s trying to hack the algorithm now.

We’ll also take a look at the bizarre nuclear posturing — Lavrov offering to extend the New START treaty while a Duma deputy boasts that a new Russian missile could wipe out “an entire U.S. state.” Because nothing says “stable superpower” like nuclear threats mixed with bad CGI patriotism.

From fog-shrouded firefights to fake spy plots, this episode dives into the surreal mix of real war and propaganda theater that defines Russia’s modern chaos. Buckle up — it’s geopolitical madness served straight with no chaser.