Russia is pushing the limits—and NATO is finally forced to react. In this episode of The Restricted Handling Podcast, we break down a wild 48 hours that saw Russian drones violate Polish airspace, NATO fighters scramble, Zapad-2025 military drills kick off on Europe’s doorstep, and Ukraine hammer Russia’s oil infrastructure with long-range drone strikes. If you want a front-row seat to the most important geopolitical and military moves shaping global security right now, this is the one you don’t want to miss.

Let’s start with the headline-grabber: nineteen Russian drones crossed into Polish airspace in a calculated move to test NATO defenses. Poland says it was deliberate. NATO engaged Russian weapons over alliance territory for the first time since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. That’s not just a footnote—that’s history being written. We’ll walk you through how the incursion unfolded, what kind of drones were used, how NATO scrambled jets and helicopters, and why Poland is now deploying 40,000 troops to the Belarus border.

At the same time, Russia and Belarus launched the massive Zapad-2025 joint military exercises. Officially they’re “defensive.” But history shows us these drills often double as rehearsals for real wars. We connect the dots from Zapad-2021 before the Ukraine invasion to today’s saber-rattling in Belarus, and what NATO is doing to counter with its own exercises across Poland and the Baltics.

Meanwhile, Ukraine isn’t sitting still. For the first time, Ukrainian drones struck Primorsk—Russia’s biggest Baltic oil export terminal near St. Petersburg—setting fires and forcing St. Petersburg’s airport to shut down. It’s part of a growing campaign of deep strikes that are fueling gasoline shortages across Russia and rattling civilians who thought they were safe hundreds of miles from the front.

Western governments are hitting back economically, too. The UK just rolled out 100 new sanctions against Russia’s shadow oil fleet and weapons supply chain. Sweden dropped nearly a billion dollars in its latest aid package to Kyiv. And London is mass-producing Ukrainian-designed interceptor drones that could soon be protecting NATO skies as well.

We also dive into the less visible but equally important side stories: Russian soldiers smuggling weapons home, fueling crime and instability; Moscow exploiting the assassination of Charlie Kirk to spread disinformation; and even Prince Harry making a surprise trip to Kyiv to highlight the human cost of this war.

This episode covers drones, sanctions, military drills, and battlefield strikes—all with the high-energy vibe you’ve come to expect. Russia’s provocations are growing bolder. NATO’s response is being tested in real time. Buckle up—this is geopolitics with the volume turned up.