RH 2.13.26 | Russia Blocks WhatsApp, Ukraine Strikes Deep, NATO Reloads

👉 Subscribe to The Restricted Handling Podcast  https://www.restrictedhandling.com/  Russia is not just fighting on the battlefield. It is fighting online. Moscow moved to block WhatsApp for more than 100 million users and throttle Telegram using its state controlled DNS system. Instead of simply blocking sites, Russian authorities are making platforms like YouTube, WhatsApp Web, BBC, and VPN services effectively disappear inside the country. This is not just censorship. It is digital control ahead of 2026 legislative elections. And here is the twist. Russian troops and pro war bloggers rely heavily on Telegram for coordination and communication. So what happens when your own regulator starts slowing down your war time messaging platform?  At the same time, Ukraine is pushing deeper into Russian territory. We walk through the reported Ukrainian strikes on a GRAU ammunition arsenal near Volgograd, the Ukhta Oil Refinery in Komi Republic, and the Michurinsk Progress Plant tied to missile control systems. These are not symbolic drone hits. These are logistics, fuel, and defense industry targets. That matters.  Russia responded with a large scale missile and drone barrage across Ukraine. We cover the numbers, the intercept rates, and the impact on energy infrastructure in Kyiv, Dnipro, and beyond. More than 100,000 families without power. Thousands of apartment buildings without heat. The winter pressure campaign continues.  On the diplomatic front, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio heads to Munich for talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky as NATO members pledge hundreds of millions more for air defense under the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List. The UK announces a £540 million package. Norway and France add funding. The Netherlands moves F 16 simulators to accelerate pilot training. Zelensky signals openness to elections and a referendum but only after a ceasefire and formal security guarantees.  We also cover President Vladimir Putin's move to establish a General Staff inside Rosgvardia, expanding the National Guard's operational and intelligence role. Add in growing financial strain in Russian regions and ongoing recruitment of foreign mercenaries through Mordovia, and you start to see the internal pressures building alongside the external war.  If you are tracking Russia, Ukraine, NATO, US foreign policy, energy security, information warfare, or the evolving shape of modern conflict, this episode connects the dots.  👉 Subscribe to The Restricted Handling Podcast  https://www.restrictedhandling.com/    Get the daily intelligence brief Ryan and Glenn read covering Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, the Middle East, geopolitics, sanctions, military and intel operations. Save a few hours of your time getting ahead of the news cycle at restrictedhandling.com.