A weekly deep dive into the latest spy stories and intelligence updates from across the globe. We spotlight the hidden dynamics driving security crises, geopolitical maneuvering, and covert operations—all with a sharp, unvarnished perspective. From cyber threats to clandestine influence campaigns, this episode pulls together the week’s most critical developments, cutting through the noise and spin. Join us as we uncover the storylines shaping tomorrow’s conflicts, power plays, and intelligence battles.
Tensions, truce, and tech warfare — all in one explosive episode of The Restricted Handling Podcast. In “RH 10.31.25 | China Truce, Nukes, Cyber Spies & Taiwan Tension,” we break down the biggest global power plays in the last 24 hours — and trust us, the drama’s better than any streaming thriller.
President Trump’s “twelve out of ten” meeting with Xi Jinping in Busan turned out to be less of a peace deal and more of a one-year ceasefire. We unpack the details: tariffs are dropping from 20% to 10% on key Chinese goods, and China’s promising a flood of soybeans and a temporary thaw in its rare-earth chokehold. But the real story? Beijing got Washington to pause its national security export bans — something no Chinese negotiator has ever pulled off. That’s not détente; that’s a tactical win.
Meanwhile, Xi’s working the world stage like it’s his red carpet moment at the APEC summit, meeting Japan’s new hardline prime minister and Canada’s Mark Carney while Trump jets home for a Halloween photo op. It’s global theater with massive economic stakes — and everyone’s wondering if the “one-year truce” is just Act I of a much longer game.
We dive into China’s faltering economy — seven straight months of factory contraction, export orders in freefall, and a government now begging its citizens to spend their savings to keep GDP afloat. Trump’s global tariff blitz keeps ricocheting through allies from Canada to India, while Beijing counters by building new alliances in Riyadh, Southeast Asia, and even Ottawa’s backyard. The Saudi naval exercise “Blue Sword-2025”? Yeah, that’s not just a workout — it’s Beijing flexing global muscle where Washington used to dominate.
And then there’s the nuclear curveball: Trump just ordered an immediate restart of U.S. nuclear weapons testing — the first since 1992. Russia and China aren’t thrilled, and global arms control just got thrown into chaos.
Plus, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth inks a decade-long defense deal with India, Malaysia calls China’s “gray zone” ship tactics a “clear provocation,” and Taiwan’s pilots keep scrambling as Chinese aircraft cross the median line daily. F-16 delays, PLA intimidation, and information warfare — it’s all part of Beijing’s psychological game plan.
We also uncover Beijing’s growing cyber footprint — from Chinese hackers breaching European diplomatic networks to “Typhoon” cyber units embedding themselves inside U.S. critical infrastructure. Add in China’s new influencer law, Myanmar’s deepening police partnership, and British warnings about Chinese espionage in academia — and you’ve got a global influence campaign playing out in real time.
If you want the sharpest, fastest, and most unfiltered brief on how China, the U.S., and their allies are shaping tomorrow’s world — this episode is your must-listen. Power politics, tech warfare, and nuclear brinkmanship — all before breakfast.
Subscribe now to The Restricted Handling Podcast — where the headlines hit harder, the intel’s deeper, and the energy stays high.
It’s Halloween, and Moscow’s wearing its favorite costume: nuclear superpower with a side of chaos. In this episode of The Restricted Handling Podcast, we dive headfirst into the madness of October 31st, 2025 — a day packed with missile launches, espionage twists, and geopolitical standoffs straight out of a Cold War reboot.
President Trump has just announced that the United States is bringing back nuclear weapons testing for the first time since 1992, following Vladimir Putin’s chest-thumping over Russia’s new “superweapons” — the Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile and the Poseidon underwater nuke drone. The Kremlin insists it’s all “routine,” but everyone else is sweating bullets. Meanwhile, Trump’s “on an equal basis” testing order is setting off global alarm bells and kicking the arms race into high gear.
But that’s just the start. We break down the collapse of the planned Trump–Putin Budapest summit, where Moscow demanded Ukraine surrender more territory and give up on NATO entirely — a deal Washington quickly torpedoed. As diplomatic drama unfolded, Russia launched over 700 missiles and drones in a single night, hammering Ukraine’s power grid and pushing the war into a new phase. Ukraine’s defenses managed to down 600+ of them, but several still slammed energy sites across Kyiv, Lviv, and Zaporizhzhia. Even Poland scrambled fighters as drones edged toward NATO airspace.
On the front lines, Pokrovsk is on fire — literally. Russian troops have forced their way deeper into the city, disguising themselves as civilians and flooding the area with drones, while Ukrainian forces fight building to building. Both sides are bogged down in brutal street warfare that’s turning the city into a symbol of resistance — and exhaustion.
Inside Russia, the rot is spreading. Reports confirm that Russian commanders are executing their own troops for refusing suicidal assaults. The Kremlin is papering over the cracks with new reservist laws, youth militarization, and volunteer militias near the Finnish border. It’s repression meets desperation, and Putin’s regime looks more paranoid than powerful.
We also unpack Moscow’s spy games — from a British ex-soldier caught passing intel to the FSB to Russian agents busted in Germany — plus Russia’s recruitment of Balkan mercenaries via shady Telegram channels. And just when you think the Kremlin’s stretched too thin, it resumes military flights to Syria, desperate to keep its Mediterranean foothold alive.
It’s nukes, drones, spies, and chaos — a front-row seat to the world’s most dangerous soap opera. Tune in to RH 10.31.25 | Russia: Nukes, Drones, Spies & Chaos for your unfiltered, unclassified look at the madness behind the headlines.
In this high-voltage episode of The Restricted Handling Podcast, we dive headfirst into Russia’s latest parade of power plays, propaganda, and panic buttons. Vladimir Putin is once again flexing like it’s the Cold War reboot — and this time, he’s brought his new favorite toy: the Poseidon nuclear-powered underwater drone. Yeah, that’s right — a nuclear torpedo designed to trigger a radioactive tsunami. If that sounds like a supervillain plot, it’s because it basically is. Putin’s calling it “a weapon with no equal.” The rest of the world’s calling it “a really bad idea.”
Meanwhile, over in Washington, President Trump isn’t letting Putin have the spotlight to himself. Just days after publicly scolding the Russian leader to “end the war and stop testing missiles,” Trump dropped a bombshell of his own — announcing the first U.S. nuclear weapons tests since 1992. He says it’s about keeping up with Russia and China; critics say it’s like poking a bear that’s already foaming at the mouth. Either way, the arms race vibes are back, baby.
On the ground in Ukraine, Pokrovsk is hell on earth. Russian forces have pushed into the city after nearly a year of fighting, and street battles are raging in the rubble. Ukrainian commanders report Russian infiltration teams disguised as civilians, turning neighborhoods into chaotic war zones. The weather’s grounding drones, but not the bloodshed. Putin’s betting everything on turning Pokrovsk into a victory he can sell back home — even as his troops are being chewed up in the process.
And while Russia’s firing off nukes and nostalgia, the U.S. is quietly pulling troops out of Romania. The Pentagon insists it’s just “force balancing,” but NATO allies aren’t exactly reassured. The timing — right as Russia is waving around its nuclear arsenal — feels… let’s just say “unhelpful.”
Inside Russia, the crackdown continues. Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin is reviving Stalin-lite rhetoric, declaring “if there is Putin, there is Russia.” The Central Bank’s independence? Gone. The army’s discipline? Replaced with fear. Reports are pouring in of cadets trapped in academies and officers executing their own soldiers for refusing suicidal orders. It’s a grim look at a military — and a regime — eating itself alive.
We’re also tracking the U.S. lifting sanctions on Moscow’s Balkan buddy Milorad Dodik, India’s quiet retreat from its Central Asian base under Russian and Chinese pressure, and Lebanon’s scramble to disarm Hezbollah before the next regional explosion.
It’s nuclear chest-thumping, trench warfare, and geopolitical juggling all in one place. Tune in for RH 10.30.25 — because in Putin’s world, the Cold War never ended… it just got a Wi-Fi upgrade.
Welcome back to The Restricted Handling Podcast, your daily high-octane brief for the national security crowd — where geopolitics meets adrenaline. Today’s episode, “RH 10.30.25 | China: Trump-Xi Truce, Chip Wars, PLA Purge, and Taiwan Heat,” dives straight into one of the most dramatic 24 hours in U.S.-China relations this year.
President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping finally sat down in Busan, South Korea, for what was billed as the summit that could “reset globalization.” Instead, we got a fragile handshake truce: tariffs down ten points, rare earth curbs delayed for a year, and promises of big soybean and energy buys that may or may not materialize. The deal? More a timeout than a turning point.
We unpack the details of the Trump-Xi trade agreement — the numbers, the loopholes, and the optics. Why is Beijing playing it cool? What’s the real value of that one-year grace period on rare earth exports? And what’s with Trump calling the meeting “a twelve out of ten”? We’re cutting through the noise to tell you what actually matters for Washington, Wall Street, and the world.
Then we pivot to the tech war, where the star of the show — Nvidia’s “Blackwell” AI chip — somehow didn’t make it into the conversation. Trump teased it, the markets reacted, and then he said, “We’re not talking about Blackwell.” We’ll break down why that decision might be the smartest (or dumbest) non-move of the week.
Meanwhile in Beijing, the plot thickens. The “Purge Plenum” continues to rattle China’s military, with nearly two-thirds of the People’s Liberation Army’s Central Committee missing in action. Xi promoted his top anti-corruption enforcer to vice chair of the Central Military Commission — a power play that screams control, not confidence. Combine that with the PLA’s own public “self-critique” about “deficiencies” in combat readiness, and you’ve got a leadership struggling to keep its boots on the ground.
And don’t miss the Taiwan update — from Beijing’s legal intimidation campaign against an elected lawmaker to China’s propaganda victory lap over delayed F-16 fighter deliveries. Plus, we zoom out to Europe and South Korea, where allies are recalibrating fast as the great-power rivalry keeps shifting under their feet.
It’s fast, sharp, and impossible to ignore — today’s Restricted Handling rundown on China’s truce, tech, turmoil, and tension.
Tune in, subscribe, and share. This is not your average foreign policy podcast — this is Restricted Handling.
Step beyond the headlines and official spin to uncover the deeper realities inside Russia and China’s economies. We take a close look at how Moscow and Beijing project power abroad while grappling with fragile foundations at home, from Russia’s unsustainable wartime spending to China’s faltering growth and anxious workforce. We cut through state narratives to reveal the costs of these economies, costs borne not by leaders, but by ordinary citizens facing higher prices and shrinking opportunities. With insights from data, policy shifts, and on-the-ground reports, we trace how these two authoritarian powers strain to maintain control, and how their choices reverberate across global markets, diplomacy, and the lives of millions.
It’s the day before the biggest geopolitical handshake of 2025, and we’re breaking down everything that’s gone down in the 24 hours leading up to the Trump–Xi summit in Busan. On today’s episode of The Restricted Handling Podcast, we’re diving headfirst into the drama, the deals, and the double-dealing—because when the world’s two biggest powers sit down for a “truce,” you know there’s a whole lot more going on behind the curtain.
First up, we’ve got the U.S.–China trade “framework” that’s still wobbling its way toward a deal. President Trump’s team is promising tariff cuts in exchange for Beijing cracking down on fentanyl precursors, while Xi’s crew is dangling a one-year pause on rare-earth export restrictions—the same minerals that power everything from F-35s to iPhones. It’s being sold as cooperation, but make no mistake: this is transactional diplomacy at its finest. And markets? They’re eating it up. Stocks are climbing, oil’s up, gold’s cooling, and everyone’s pretending this is fine.
But while the trade negotiators are smoothing things over, Beijing’s military looks like it’s imploding. Xi Jinping’s latest purge makes Game of Thrones look tame—nine generals gone, one-third of his top brass missing from the Fourth Plenum, and his new enforcer, Zhang Shengmin, elevated to vice chair of the Central Military Commission. We’ll unpack how this “clean-up” is actually a sign of serious instability inside the People’s Liberation Army, especially in the Taiwan-facing Eastern Theater Command.
Meanwhile, across the Pacific, the U.S. is locking in its alliance game. The Typhon missile systems in the Philippines are now a permanent fixture, Japan’s turning civilian airports into war-ready refueling hubs, and U.S.–India joint anti-submarine drills near Diego Garcia are showing off that “Indo-Pacific unity” everyone keeps talking about. China’s trying to save face with some friendly naval visits to Singapore and Cambodia, but it’s pretty clear who’s got the momentum right now.
We’ll also hit the tech and cyber front, where the FCC just tightened restrictions on Huawei and ZTE, Nvidia’s threading the needle between patriotism and profit, and Shanghai just launched the world’s first wind-powered undersea data center—because nothing says “peaceful innovation” like building your own ocean fortress of data.
And to top it off? A spy confession in L.A., a collapsed trial in London, and Trump doing what he does best—delivering a bravado-filled speech on an aircraft carrier, taking a swipe at China’s navy while the cameras roll.
From tariffs to tech wars, espionage to AI, this episode has it all. Tune in now—because when Trump and Xi shake hands tomorrow, you’ll already know what’s really behind the smile.
The Kremlin’s having a week — and not in the good way. In this latest episode of The Restricted Handling Podcast, we’re breaking down Russia’s wild 24-hour news cycle of nuclear showboating, sanctions pain, drone warfare, and economic denial so intense it could qualify as an Olympic sport.
We kick things off with the Burevestnik — yes, Putin’s “flying Chernobyl” is back in the headlines. This nuclear-powered cruise missile is supposedly capable of flying halfway around the world, but experts say it’s more “glow stick” than “game changer.” Still, Putin’s parading it as proof that Russia’s still got Cold War swagger, even as his troops slog through the mud in Donetsk. It’s geopolitical cosplay at its finest.
Then we dive into the real shockwaves: sanctions. The U.S. just turned the screws on Rosneft and Lukoil, and the fallout’s immediate. Lukoil’s fire sale is turning into a bonfire, India’s cutting back on oil imports, and China’s quietly backing off. The ruble’s dropping, Moscow’s oil money is drying up, and even state propagandists can’t spin this one into a “strategic realignment.” Putin calls it “unfriendly,” but the truth is, his economy’s bleeding faster than his army’s morale.
On the ground in Ukraine, Pokrovsk remains hell on earth. Russia claims it’s closing the noose; Ukrainian footage says otherwise. The city’s become a drone battleground, with both sides launching swarms like it’s a dystopian version of Top Gun. Weather’s playing spoiler, with fog grounding Russian drones — proving even Mother Nature’s not on Moscow’s side.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s hitting back hard. Three nights of drone attacks have forced Moscow to shut down airports again, while strikes on oil refineries are burning deep holes in Russia’s war chest. Zelensky’s not just fighting; he’s industrializing. With Sweden, Ukraine’s gearing up to build its own Gripen fighter jets and start exporting weapons by next month. Ninety-five percent of its long-range strikes are now homegrown — not bad for a country under siege.
Inside Russia, repression’s ramping up. Year-round conscription’s official, treason trials are spiking, and the FSB’s digital goon squad is in overdrive. And beyond the battlefield, China’s still playing puppet master — keeping the war going just long enough to keep America distracted from the Pacific.
It’s nukes, sanctions, drones, and denial — all in one 1,000-megaton episode of global chaos.
Tune in, turn it up, and get briefed — fast, sharp, and with just enough sarcasm to make geopolitics actually entertaining.
The Restricted Handling Podcast is back, and today’s episode is packed tighter than a Beijing bullet train at rush hour. We’re diving deep into the fast-moving storm around China — from power plays and purges to AI-driven warfare and a diplomatic showdown that could reset global trade.
President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping are heading into their Seoul summit with the fate of the global economy, rare earth supply chains, and the U.S.-China rivalry all hanging in the balance. Before boarding Air Force One, Trump inked a major rare earth minerals deal with Japan’s new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, calling it the start of a “new golden age” between Washington and Tokyo. It’s flashy, symbolic, and strategic — a direct challenge to Beijing’s control over the world’s most critical resources.
Meanwhile, Xi Jinping’s government is cleaning house — aggressively. The Chinese Communist Party’s Fourth Plenum just revealed a purge straight out of a Cold War thriller: missing generals, vanishing bureaucrats, and empty chairs where power players used to sit. Over 22 top officers from China’s Rocket Force have been removed, and Xi’s loyal enforcer Zhang Shengmin is now the second most powerful man in the military. The message is clear: absolute loyalty or absolute disappearance.
We also break down China’s AI militarization revolution, where the PLA’s DeepSeek system — a next-gen AI model — is being fused into battlefield command, autonomous vehicles, and even robot dogs that scout and clear explosives. Think Black Mirror meets Red Alert. Beijing says human commanders are “still in charge,” but when your AI can simulate 10,000 battle scenarios in under a minute, you have to wonder who’s really calling the shots.
On the diplomatic front, China’s Premier Li Qiang is busy signing an upgraded free trade pact with ASEAN nations while warning against “external interference” — a polite jab at Washington’s presence in Asia. Over in London, the UK’s espionage drama continues as a Chinese spy case collapses, and in Zambia, a massive toxic spill from a Chinese mine exposes Beijing’s darker side of global expansion.
We’ve got it all this week: trade truces, tech wars, AI arms races, environmental scandals, and the biggest U.S.-China faceoff since Trump’s first term.
If you care about geopolitics, global security, or just like your foreign policy with a bit of attitude — this episode’s for you.
Welcome back to The Restricted Handling Podcast, where geopolitics meets straight talk. In today’s episode — “RH 10.28.25 | Russia: Nukes, Sanctions, Drones & Desperation” — we break down the wildest 24 hours yet in Putin’s latest act of global brinkmanship. This one’s got it all: nuclear flexing, collapsing oil deals, battlefield chaos, digital spies, and a healthy dose of Kremlin-level denial.
Russia’s dusting off its Cold War cosplay again, parading the Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile — or as we like to call it, the Flying Chernobyl. Putin claims it flew for 14,000 kilometers in 15 hours, while his generals beam like proud parents at a science fair. But let’s be honest — a radioactive boomerang isn’t exactly the flex he thinks it is. President Trump isn’t buying it either, telling Putin to “end the war instead of testing missiles,” while casually reminding everyone that U.S. nuclear subs are parked just off Russia’s coast. It’s diplomacy, 2025 style: a mix of swagger, sarcasm, and submarine deterrence.
Meanwhile, sanctions just got real. The Trump administration hit Russia’s oil giants Rosneft and Lukoil with crippling restrictions, and the effects were immediate. India and China froze imports, Lukoil announced it’s selling off international assets, and the Kremlin started sweating bullets under its fur hat. Putin called the move “unfriendly,” but the numbers don’t lie — Moscow could lose over $7 billion a month in oil revenue. Europe’s energy politics are now in the blender, with Germany given six months to clean up Rosneft’s mess and Hungary’s Viktor Orban racing to Washington to plead his case.
On the ground, Ukraine’s holding firm and hitting harder. Drones slammed into Russia’s Belgorod reservoir dam, flooding trenches and cutting supply lines. Inside Pokrovsk, small Russian teams are trying to infiltrate through basements and rubble while Ukrainian troops fight block by block. Moscow’s propaganda calls it an “encirclement.” Reality says it’s a mess.
Beyond the frontlines, the hybrid war is spilling across Europe. Lithuania’s shooting down Belarusian balloons. Poland’s busting spies. Germany’s exposing Russian Telegram recruitment networks. It’s digital espionage meets discount sabotage — the kind of low-cost chaos that’s become Moscow’s specialty.
In Asia, Japan’s scrambling jets after Russian bombers buzz the coastline, and Tokyo’s new defense minister just dropped the big hint: nuclear-powered subs might be back on the table.
This episode packs everything — nuclear theatrics, energy warfare, cyber infiltration, and Putin’s growing panic behind the propaganda. If you want to understand how Russia’s desperation is reshaping the global chessboard, this is your briefing.
Get ready for one of the most jam-packed episodes yet — RH 10.27.25 | China: Tariff Truce, AI Warbots, and Xi’s Power Play. In this edition of The Restricted Handling Podcast, we dive headfirst into a wild 24 hours inside the world’s most strategically ambitious superpower. From Beijing’s backroom deals to battlefield AI, this one’s loaded with energy, intrigue, and a touch of chaos.
We start with the week’s headline: the U.S. and China have hit “pause” on their economic slugfest. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng hammered out a framework deal that puts Trump’s threatened 100% tariffs on ice. That alone would be huge — but toss in a deferral on China’s rare earth export curbs and the long-awaited TikTok divestment deal, and suddenly the chessboard looks different. Trump’s already claiming victory mid-flight to South Korea, while Xi’s keeping his poker face. The markets? Loving it. Currencies up, dollar down, global sigh of relief… for now.
But here’s where it gets spicy. Behind the diplomatic smiles, Xi Jinping’s been stockpiling like it’s the apocalypse. Oil, gas, soybeans, metals — you name it, China’s hoarding it. Its crude reserves have tripled in size since February, and the Dongjiakou facility alone now holds 24 million barrels. They’re buying sanctioned oil from Russia and Iran, snapping up copper mines in Chile, nickel plants in Indonesia, and grain from Brazil. Beijing’s not just preparing for trade turbulence — it’s building a war-proof economy.
Then we zoom into the power plays inside China’s elite. Xi’s purged nine generals this month in what one exiled journalist calls a “wartime reorganization.” Think of it as a military loyalty reboot. Commanders from the Rocket Force and Navy are out, replaced by political loyalists who’ll follow Xi’s orders without question. It’s not corruption cleanup — it’s obedience conditioning. The kind of purge that screams “readiness,” not reform.
And that’s before we even touch on DeepSeek — the AI platform now powering China’s military. We’re talking robot dogs, AI-guided drone swarms, autonomous command systems — all running on Huawei chips. DeepSeek’s reportedly analyzing 10,000 battle scenarios in under a minute. It’s not sci-fi; it’s military-industrial reality. Pair that with predictive policing and full-spectrum surveillance, and you get a glimpse of China’s “intelligentized warfare” strategy — an algorithmic army built for the next era of conflict.
We also hit the global side hustle: Beijing just wrapped Blue Sword-4, a joint naval exercise with Saudi Arabia in Jubail. Combat drills, mine clearance, counter-drone ops — all part of China’s growing military footprint in the Gulf. Meanwhile, Trump’s making his own moves in Southeast Asia, locking down trade deals in Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam to counter Beijing’s grip. And just when tensions seemed to cool, China offered humanitarian help after two U.S. Navy aircraft crashed in the South China Sea — a rare soft touch in an otherwise hard-nosed week.
This episode has it all — diplomacy, deception, digital warfare, and a dash of drama. Tune in to RH 10.27.25 | China and get the unfiltered rundown on how Beijing’s playing the long game — one barrel, one algorithm, and one purge at a time.
Strap in — this episode of The Restricted Handling Podcast is one you’re going to want to hear. It’s October 27th, 2025, and Russia just decided to remind the world that it’s still trying to cosplay the Soviet Union. We’re breaking down Putin’s latest nuclear stunt, Trump’s sanctions bombshell, Ukraine’s drone warfare revolution, and how all of it ties together into what’s fast becoming the most dangerous geopolitical winter in years.
In this episode, we dig into Vladimir Putin’s chest-thumping debut of the Burevestnik, a nuclear-powered cruise missile that’s part science fiction and part safety hazard. Putin claims it can fly forever and strike anywhere — experts call it a “flying Chernobyl.” We get into the bizarre optics of Putin donning a military uniform, bragging about his “nuclear shield,” and warning of “overwhelming retaliation,” all while Russia’s economy quietly sputters under sanctions and its defense industry runs out of gas (literally).
Meanwhile in Washington, President Trump drops the hammer on Russia’s two biggest oil giants — Rosneft and Lukoil — in what analysts say is the most consequential sanctions move of his second term. Oil prices spike six percent, India and China pause purchases, and the Kremlin starts sweating. But in true Cold War déjà vu fashion, China steps up with a backdoor energy route, helping Russia move liquefied gas through Beihai like nothing happened. It’s sanctions chess at its finest, and Beijing’s playing for both sides.
Then there’s Ukraine — the underdog that just won’t quit. The country’s drone war has evolved from garage-built prototypes to billion-dollar mass production. We tell the wild story of Fire Point, the drone company that started as a film casting agency and now manufactures long-range, low-cost kamikaze drones taking out Russian oil refineries. Think less “startup pitch” and more “Skynet with a GoFundMe.”
But Russia’s hitting back hard. Massive drone swarms are pounding Ukraine’s grid, aiming to freeze the country into submission. We’ll unpack how these attacks threaten to plunge Ukraine into a “dark winter,” with rolling blackouts and targeted strikes on heating infrastructure.
We also cover the quiet moves that don’t make headlines — like Russia turning an old Baltic ferry wreck into an underwater spy base, sabotage fires spreading across its own cities, and North Korea’s foreign minister arriving in Moscow for a mysterious visit just as Trump heads to South Korea. It’s all part of a global chessboard that’s getting tighter and meaner by the day.
If you want an unfiltered, high-energy breakdown of how nukes, sanctions, drones, and old-school espionage are shaping the next phase of this war, this episode is it.
📩 Subscribe for Daily Intel -> PDB-Style for FREE at restrictedhandling.com.
Stay ahead of the world’s most critical flashpoints with the Restricted Handling Daily Intelligence Brief — a PDB-style summary covering Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, and the Middle East. You’ll also get two companion daily podcasts focused exclusively on Russia and China.
🎙️ “Drones, Russia, and the Future of Warfare — with CW5 (Ret.) Joey Gagnard, Glenn Corn (Former CIA), and Ryan Fugit | Restricted Handling Podcast”
The future of warfare is already here.
In this episode of the Restricted Handling Podcast, former CIA Senior Intelligence Service Case Officer Glenn Corn and former Army Aviator and CIA officer Ryan Fugit, are joined by and U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 5 (Ret.) Joey Gagnard, who spent years at the tip of the spear in USASOC, to pull back the curtain on how drones, AI, and global geopolitics are reshaping the modern battlefield, from Ukraine’s front lines to America’s homeland defense.
Joey is an expert on drones, from his time in uniform to his new path since retiring. He's visited Ukraine with Glenn and they've seen the changing battlespace firsthand.
🛰️ What You’ll Hear
🚀 Inside the Drone Revolution: How unmanned systems and FPVs are rewriting the rules of combat in Ukraine and beyond.
💥 Russia & Ukraine Updates: Sanctions, cyber warfare, and why 2025 could redefine global power.
🧠 AI Meets the Battlefield: How machine learning is changing targeting, surveillance, and counter-drone defense.
⚙️ Critical Infrastructure Under Fire: Why the next attacks might target grids, ports, and pipelines — not soldiers.
🌍 The Global Drone Race: How China, Iran, and Turkey are shaping the future of unmanned weapons.
💡 The Good Side of Drones: From precision agriculture to emergency response — where civilian innovation meets military tech.
🧩 Featured Guests
🎖️ Joey Gagnard
Chief Warrant Officer 5 (Ret.), U.S. Army
Joey Gagnard concluded nearly three decades of distinguished service in the U.S. military, retiring from the special operations community in early 2025. His career included leadership roles across the Middle East and other operational theaters, where he helped pioneer advanced UAV and defense technologies.
A graduate of multiple intelligence and executive leadership programs, Joey now leads strategic innovation initiatives in the defense sector.
🔗 Find Joey at https://www.atlasprojects.org/
https://www.thecipherbrief.com/ukraine-drones-russia-china
🕵️♂️ Glenn Corn
Former Senior CIA Operations Officer, Member of the Senior Executive Service, and Adjunct Professor of Russian/Soviet Studies
With 34 years across the CIA, Defense, and State Department, Glenn Corn served as the U.S. President’s senior representative for intelligence and security issues, including 17+ years overseas in critical national security roles.
Today, he advises on global intelligence, risk, and strategic security challenges while teaching at the Institute of World Politics.
🔗 Find Glenn at https://greatsouthbayinc.com/
🎧 Ryan Fugit
Host | Former Army Aviator & CIA Officer
Ryan founded Restricted Handling to bridge the gap between national security professionals and the public conversation on global stability and defense innovation.
⚡ Episode Highlights
The truth about loitering munitions, kamikaze drones, and swarm warfare
How rare earth minerals and supply chains could decide the next major conflict
Why AI-driven avatars and cyber ops are redefining modern influence campaigns
Lessons from Operation Spiderweb and the new era of energy warfare
What the U.S. and NATO must learn from Ukraine before it’s too late
🔗 Learn More
Explore this episode’s topics in depth:
📘 https://www.restrictedhandling.com/drones
🕸️ https://www.restrictedhandling.com/spiderweb
📘 https://www.restrictedhandling.com/drones🕸️ https://www.restrictedhandling.com/spiderweb
A weekly deep dive into the latest spy stories and intelligence updates from across the globe. We spotlight the hidden dynamics driving security crises, geopolitical maneuvering, and covert operations—all with a sharp, unvarnished perspective. From cyber threats to clandestine influence campaigns, this episode pulls together the week’s most critical developments, cutting through the noise and spin. Join us as we uncover the storylines shaping tomorrow’s conflicts, power plays, and intelligence battles.
This is a deep dive on drones ahead of an episode where Glenn and I sit down with a drone expert. Read up to get the most from that discussion with this deep dive into the various drone families and capabilities in Ukraine today.
🎙️ Welcome to the most detailed breakdown of drone warfare in the Russia–Ukraine War you’ll find anywhere.
In this deep-dive podcast episode, we explore how unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have transformed the battlefield from the skies of Kyiv to the trenches of Bakhmut. From consumer quadcopters to long-range kamikaze drones, this conflict has become a real-time testbed for drone combat at scale. If you want to understand how drones are actually used in war—by both Ukraine and Russia—this episode is essential.
🔍 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
Bayraktar TB2s and the Rise of Affordable UCAVs: Why Turkish drones dominated early in the war, and how Russian air defense systems adapted.
Shahed-136 and the Era of Cheap, Long-Range Kamikaze Drones: How Iran's drone exports changed Russia’s strike strategy, and what it means for global security.
FPV Drone Warfare and DIY Kamikazes: How $300 first-person-view drones are taking out tanks, artillery, and fortifications—and the psychological effect they’re having on soldiers.
Lancet Loitering Munitions and the Hunter-Killer Drone Combo: Russia’s deadly precision-strike solution and how it’s reshaping Ukrainian artillery survivability.
Drone Walls, EW Battles, and Fiber-Optic Control: The unseen war in the air—electronic warfare, signal jamming, and how both sides are fighting drone vs. drone with novel tech.
Ukrainian Innovation and the “Army of Drones”: A look at Ukraine’s distributed drone manufacturing ecosystem and the plan to scale production to 4–8 million UAVs per year.
Global Drone Supply Chains: The hidden role of China in supplying components, and how Western, Iranian, and Turkish manufacturers are influencing drone proliferation.
What NATO, Taiwan, and the Pentagon Are Watching: Strategic implications for future conflicts in the Pacific, Middle East, and beyond.
🛠️ Featured Drone Families & Manufacturers:
Bayraktar TB2 (Turkey)
Shahed-136 / Geran-2 (Iran/Russia)
Orlan-10 & Lancet (Russia)
DJI Mavic, Phantom, Matrice (China)
Switchblade 300/600 & Phoenix Ghost (USA)
Warmate & FlyEye (Poland)
Vector (Germany)
Leleka-100, PD-2, Shark, Punisher, Bober (Ukraine)
💡 Why This Matters:
Drone warfare is no longer theoretical. From disposable quadcopters to advanced autonomous strike drones, unmanned systems are reshaping tactics, logistics, and geopolitics. This podcast breaks down everything you need to know—whether you're in defense, security, tech, policy, or just trying to make sense of modern war.
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The latest episode of The Restricted Handling Podcast takes you deep into the fast-moving world of U.S.–China tension — a geopolitical rollercoaster featuring trade threats, tech crackdowns, cyber espionage, and a looming Trump–Xi showdown that could reshape global markets.
Today’s episode dives into the heart of the storm as Beijing’s new rare-earth export licensing system goes live, giving China near-total control over critical materials used in everything from EVs to fighter jets. It’s a strategic chokehold disguised as a trade rule, and the U.S. isn’t having it. President Trump fires back, threatening 100% tariffs on Chinese goods starting November 1 if Beijing doesn’t back down. This sets the stage for a high-stakes face-off between two leaders who thrive on brinkmanship.
We break down the behind-the-scenes negotiations in Malaysia, where Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and China’s Vice Premier He Lifeng are trying to prevent an all-out tariff war. Spoiler: it’s tense, and neither side looks ready to blink. Meanwhile, Xi Jinping’s government is tightening its grip at home. We cover his massive military purge, the surprise promotion of anti-corruption enforcer Zhang Shengmin, and the new five-year plan built around AI, advanced manufacturing, and total self-reliance. Xi’s message is simple — China won’t depend on anyone, least of all the U.S.
From South Korea’s anti-China protests to Europe’s flood of cheap Chinese imports, the ripple effects of Beijing’s strategy are shaking capitals across the globe. We explore how European leaders are torn between protecting their markets and avoiding Chinese retaliation — and how online giants like Shein and Temu are exploiting trade loopholes to dominate the fashion and consumer scene.
Then we zoom out to the broader chessboard: China’s state oil giants pausing Russian crude imports, the massive cyber espionage campaign exploiting Microsoft’s ToolShell vulnerability, and Beijing’s “scientific research” ships creeping into Japan’s waters. Add in Xi’s floating “fish farms” in the Yellow Sea and a propaganda-friendly crackdown on scam networks in Myanmar, and you’ve got the full picture of a China that’s flexing hard — at home, online, and on the seas.
It’s all here: the rare-earth squeeze, the tariff brinkmanship, the espionage drama, and the digital shadow war shaping the next phase of great-power competition.
Tune in for sharp insights, dry humor, and the kind of geopolitical storytelling that cuts through the noise. The Restricted Handling Podcast — where intelligence meets attitude.
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.
Welcome back to The Restricted Handling Podcast — your unfiltered daily briefing on the moves, motives, and mayhem shaping global power. In today’s episode, “RH 10.23.25 | China: Purges, Power Plays & Rare Earth Wars,” we’re diving deep into Beijing’s latest high-stakes maneuvers that have the world watching and Washington sweating.
The episode opens with the fallout from Xi Jinping’s military purge, a political earthquake that continues to shake the foundations of China’s armed forces. We break down how Xi is clearing out his old guard — even loyalists from his Fujian days — to tighten control ahead of the CCP’s newly unveiled 15th Five-Year Plan. Think of it as a real-life political thriller: generals disappearing, airspace locked down, and a capital city buzzing with paranoia.
Next up, we get into the details of China’s new five-year plan, officially adopted at the Fourth Plenum. It’s not just bureaucratic jargon — this blueprint sets the course for the world’s second-largest economy through 2030. The focus: tech self-reliance, high-end manufacturing, and full military modernization by 2027. Xi is betting big that homegrown innovation and Party loyalty can outmatch American sanctions and semiconductor controls. Spoiler: that plan’s already in motion.
From Beijing’s conference halls, we shift to the battlefield — literal and digital. On the ground, Myanmar’s junta is roaring back with Chinese-supplied drones and aircraft, retaking key towns like Kyaukme and Hsipaw in a show of renewed strength. In the skies and seas, China’s refueling and resupply ops at Scarborough Shoal mark another quiet but bold escalation in the South China Sea — a move that lets Chinese Coast Guard ships stay indefinitely inside the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
Meanwhile, Taiwan’s Kinmen and Matsu islands are the next potential flashpoints. We break down how Beijing may use its new economic plan to claim “integration” over these strategically placed territories, just a stone’s throw from China’s Fujian coast. It’s economic warfare disguised as development — subtle, slow, and effective.
We also unpack the rare earth showdown dominating global markets. China’s new export licensing system has the West scrambling, forcing Washington, Brussels, and Canberra to rethink supply chains. Vice Premier He Lifeng is heading to Malaysia for emergency trade talks with U.S. officials, hoping to cool things off before next week’s Trump–Xi summit. But with tariffs, blacklists, and retaliatory controls flying around, “cool” isn’t exactly the word of the week.
And on the cyber front — the hits keep coming. Chinese hackers have exploited Microsoft’s “ToolShell” vulnerability, infiltrating telecom networks and government systems across Africa, South America, and the Middle East in record time. Forget spy thrillers — this is real-world cyber warfare unfolding live.
If you want the latest intel on China’s political drama, economic warfare, and cyber operations — delivered with sharp analysis, high energy, and zero fluff — this is your episode.
Subscribe, share, and tune in daily for the stories behind the headlines — because in geopolitics, nothing stays classified for long.
Get ready for a high-energy intel rundown — The Restricted Handling Podcast brings you today’s breaking developments out of Russia, Ukraine, and Europe in a way that’s sharp, fast, and impossible to tune out.
In this episode, “RH 10.23.25 | Russia: Trump’s Sanctions, Putin’s Nukes, Europe’s Money, and Ukraine’s Strikes,” we dive into a 24-hour stretch that flipped the geopolitical chessboard upside down. President Donald Trump has officially pulled the plug on the long-anticipated Putin summit in Budapest and instead dropped the biggest sanctions package of his second term. Rosneft and Lukoil — the twin engines of Moscow’s oil empire — just found themselves locked out of U.S. markets and facing the threat of secondary sanctions that could ripple across India, China, and the global energy trade. Oil prices spiked, banks panicked, and the Kremlin fumed.
Meanwhile, Europe decided to pile on. The EU approved its 19th sanctions package targeting Russia, banning Russian LNG imports, blacklisting hundreds of shadow-fleet tankers, and cutting off new crypto channels. At the same time, Brussels is preparing to flip the script on Moscow by using frozen Russian assets — yes, Putin’s own money — to back a €140 billion loan to Ukraine. It’s a bold, risky move that could redefine wartime economics and turn Europe into Ukraine’s financial backbone.
And Zelensky? He’s not just thanking allies — he’s rearming fast. From Stockholm, he inked a deal with Sweden to explore buying up to 150 Gripen fighter jets — the kind that can take off from a highway and outmaneuver Russia’s aging fleet. That’s on top of Ukraine’s latest long-range strikes deep inside Russian territory, hitting oil refineries, munitions plants, and the critical Pskov–St. Petersburg rail corridor.
Putin, feeling cornered, went for the usual theater — overseeing a full nuclear triad drill complete with ballistic missile launches from land, air, and sea. And just when you thought Russia’s military drama couldn’t get more Cold War, new revelations show the Kremlin secretly built an Arctic submarine surveillance system using Western tech smuggled through Cyprus. Yeah, “Made in the USA” gear guarding Russian nukes — you can’t make it up.
We wrap it all up with the ground truth from the front lines — the drone wars, the infrastructure blackouts, and Moscow’s growing paranoia. It’s geopolitics with attitude: no fluff, no filler, just the critical moves shaping tomorrow’s world.
Tune in now for RH 10.23.25 | Russia: Trump’s Sanctions, Putin’s Nukes, Europe’s Money, and Ukraine’s Strikes — the intel briefing that sounds like a conversation, not a classified memo.
Step beyond the headlines and official spin to uncover the deeper realities inside Russia and China’s economies. We take a close look at how Moscow and Beijing project power abroad while grappling with fragile foundations at home, from Russia’s unsustainable wartime spending to China’s faltering growth and anxious workforce. We cut through state narratives to reveal the costs of these economies, costs borne not by leaders, but by ordinary citizens facing higher prices and shrinking opportunities. With insights from data, policy shifts, and on-the-ground reports, we trace how these two authoritarian powers strain to maintain control, and how their choices reverberate across global markets, diplomacy, and the lives of millions.
