The latest episode of The Restricted Handling Podcast dives straight into the firestorm blazing across Russia’s political, military, and economic landscape — and trust us, this one’s got everything: sanctions, airspace violations, oil chaos, and even a cameo from North Korea. 

This isn’t your typical dry geopolitics briefing. We break down how President Donald Trump’s long-threatened sanctions finally dropped like a sledgehammer on Russia’s war economy — and how the shockwaves are rattling markets from Moscow to Mumbai. The U.S. has officially blacklisted Rosneft and Lukoil, cutting off the cash lifeline that’s been fueling Putin’s war. It’s not just symbolic; it’s seismic. China’s oil giants — PetroChina, Sinopec, and CNOOC — have hit pause on Russian crude, while India’s top refineries are quietly backing away too. The result? A nervous Kremlin, oil prices soaring over five percent, and Putin’s propaganda machine scrambling to pretend it’s all fine. Spoiler alert: it’s not. 

But that’s not all. The European Union doubled down within hours, dropping its 19th sanctions package like a coordinated one-two punch. Europe’s banning Russian liquefied natural gas imports by 2027, blacklisting another hundred ships from Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet,” and cracking down on Moscow’s financial middlemen. Brussels is also moving ahead with its plan to make Russia pay for Ukraine’s survival — literally — by using frozen Kremlin assets to fund a massive €140 billion loan. 

We’ve also got fresh action from London, where U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is hosting Zelensky and the “Coalition of the Willing” for a high-stakes summit. Expect missiles, money, and momentum. Meanwhile, Germany’s economy minister touches down in Kyiv to rebuild Ukraine’s power grid and deepen defense cooperation — because, let’s face it, rebuilding a country mid-war takes both grit and good business. 

And the Kremlin? It’s lashing out. From paranoid arrests inside Russia to another reckless airspace violation over Lithuania, Putin’s regime is acting cornered — and dangerous. We’ll tell you why NATO’s scrambling jets again, what’s really going on inside Russia’s shrinking economy, and how North Korea just pledged to send even more troops to fight alongside Moscow’s battered forces. 

All that and more, delivered with the trademark Restricted Handling blend of intelligence insight and pop-culture bite. If you want geopolitics without the boredom — think sanctions with swagger and strategy with attitude — this is the episode you don’t want to miss. 

Tune in now for RH 10.24.25 | Russia Sanctions Bite, Allies Unite, Skies Heat Up.