Welcome back to The Restricted Handling Podcast. In today’s episode, we’re diving headfirst into the chaos of November 25th, 2025 — a day that perfectly captured the contradiction of Russia’s war effort: peace talks by day, missile strikes by night. 

The Geneva “peace summit” might have wrapped up, but peace is nowhere in sight. The U.S. and Ukraine trimmed Trump’s original 28-point peace plan (which once read like Putin’s Christmas list) down to 19 leaner, tougher points. We’re talking no forced territorial giveaways, no shrinking of Ukraine’s army, and no permanent exile from NATO. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the sessions “tremendously productive,” while Ukrainian negotiator Andriy Yermak said the final calls on NATO and borders will go straight to the big bosses — Trump and Zelensky. Let’s just say that’s going to be a conversation worth watching. 

Across the table, Europe wasn’t about to be sidelined. Macron, von der Leyen, and the rest of the EU brain trust came in swinging with their own counter-draft. The Europeans raised Ukraine’s troop limit, reasserted its right to choose NATO, and said frozen Russian assets should rebuild Ukraine — not fund shady investment ventures. Macron called the direction “right” but warned against any deal that looks like “capitulation.” If diplomacy had a scoreboard, Europe just dunked. 

But leave it to Putin to torch the mood — literally. Hours after the Geneva talks ended, Russia unleashed one of its biggest missile-and-drone barrages in weeks, slamming Kyiv’s energy grid and killing at least six people. Entire neighborhoods went dark. Zelensky called it “cynical terror,” and he’s not wrong. The timing couldn’t have been clearer: Russia doesn’t want peace; it wants leverage. 

Ukraine hit back overnight with a little shock therapy of its own — drone strikes deep inside Russia. A blaze erupted at the Beriev Aircraft Company in Taganrog, the plant that builds Russia’s A-50 spy planes, and fuel depots in Nizhny Novgorod went up in flames. So much for the myth of “impenetrable” air defenses. 

Meanwhile, the war grinds on in Donetsk’s Pokrovsk — Ukrainian forces clawing back city blocks, Russian troops slogging through mud and fog, and Putin claiming victory while losing bodies and money. Speaking of money, Russian regions are flat broke. Soldiers’ bonuses are going unpaid, enlistment incentives are being slashed, and even China’s making Moscow pay double for basic tech components. Some ally. 

And while Putin’s broke at home, he’s playing world traveler — heading to Kyrgyzstan with his entourage (and maybe a few oligarchs) to prove he’s still got friends. Meanwhile, Europe’s scrambling jets as Russian drones buzz NATO airspace again. 

In under ten minutes, we’ll break down every move, every missile, and every political meltdown shaping the Russia-Ukraine chessboard — all with the energy of a high-stakes game recap and the insight of an intel brief.