Buckle up for another breakdown of global power plays in The Restricted Handling Podcast, where we cut through the Kremlin smoke and get straight to what’s really happening behind Russia’s iron-curtain theatrics. In this 12.2.25 episode, we’re diving deep into the latest chaos from Moscow, the battlefield grind in eastern Ukraine, and the diplomatic circus trying to pass itself off as a peace process. 

Vladimir Putin is once again center stage—this time hosting U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump insider Jared Kushner in Moscow for what’s billed as a “peace meeting.” The catch? It looks more like a high-stakes PR stunt than real diplomacy. The Kremlin claims it’s ready to “negotiate,” but behind the cameras, it’s tightening control at home, silencing critics, and feeding its population the usual state-sponsored fairytales of inevitable victory. We’ll unpack what’s actually happening in these U.S.–Russia talks, why Putin’s timing around his claimed “victory” in Pokrovsk is suspect, and how this meeting could reshape—or totally derail—the current trajectory of the war. 

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky is making his own diplomatic tour across Europe. After huddling with Emmanuel Macron in Paris, he’s now in Dublin, winning hearts, headlines, and promises of support while trying to prevent Washington from cutting a deal that sacrifices Ukrainian land for “peace.” We’ll explain how Europe’s leaders are balancing optimism with suspicion and why even the phrase “peace plan” has become political dynamite. 

On the ground, the fighting in Pokrovsk is brutal. Russia says it’s captured the city; Ukraine says not so fast. We’ll break down what’s real, what’s propaganda, and how both sides are using the battle to shape global perception. Plus, we’ll talk about Ukraine’s drone campaign hammering Russian oil refineries and tankers, shaking global markets and showing that Kyiv’s reach is far greater than Putin wants to admit. 

Inside Russia, things are just as chaotic. The government is restricting WhatsApp, blaming it for “terrorism” and “espionage” right after a leak of high-level Kremlin phone calls involving Witkoff himself. The irony writes itself. Add in collapsing discipline on the front lines, corruption scandals in Moscow’s elite banks, and an army so desperate it’s looting its own dead—and you’ve got the full picture of a regime spiraling under its own weight. 

From balloon incursions over NATO skies to crumbling launchpads at Baikonur, this episode captures Russia’s frantic attempts to project power while everything underneath starts to shake. We’ll keep it sharp, smart, and just irreverent enough to make geopolitics entertaining. 

Tune in now—because if the Kremlin’s calling this “peace,” you can bet the truth looks very different.