Welcome back to The Restricted Handling Podcast — your front-row seat to the fast-moving world of global power plays, espionage, and high-stakes diplomacy. In today’s episode, we’re diving into the wild 24 hours that just redefined the Russia–Ukraine war narrative. Think of it as part peace table, part battlefield, and part cyber showdown — all playing out under the spotlight of global scrutiny.

We kick things off in Berlin, where U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner (yes, that Kushner) joined Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to finalize what might be the biggest breakthrough since 2022: a “NATO-style” security guarantee for Ukraine. This isn’t NATO membership — it’s more like a fortified handshake between Washington, Kyiv, and Europe. The plan includes a European-led multinational defense force, U.S.-backed monitoring systems, and a standing Ukrainian army of 800,000 troops ready to hold the line. But don’t think it’s all smiles — the elephant in the room is still Donbas. The U.S. wants a so-called “economic free zone” there, while Zelensky’s not budging an inch.

Meanwhile, the war on the ground continues to rage. Ukraine made history with an underwater drone strike that wrecked a Russian Kilo-class submarine in Novorossiysk — the first successful attack of its kind in naval history. That same night, Kyiv’s drones hit a Lukoil oil platform and a major gas facility in Astrakhan, sending a fiery message that Russian territory is no longer safe. And as Ukraine innovates underwater, Russia’s trying to drag the fight back to the power grid — unleashing wave after wave of missile and drone strikes designed to freeze cities into submission. Odesa alone saw more than 400,000 people lose power.

Across Europe, the economic counteroffensive is gaining traction. The EU dropped its 19th sanctions package, going straight for the jugular of Moscow’s shadow oil network, blacklisting traders and tankers funding Putin’s war machine. Berlin rolled out a new defense pact with Ukraine, while the U.K.’s new MI6 chief Blaise Metreweli went public with a clear warning: Russia’s exporting chaos, and the “frontline is everywhere.”

All this while Moscow sues Euroclear for $230 billion, calls Europe “Nazis,” and bans Pussy Riot.

It’s a wild mix of diplomacy, defiance, and digital warfare — and it’s all in this episode. Tune in now to RH 12.16.25 for your daily injection of geopolitics, grit, and global drama — because in this world, nothing stays still for long.