RH 2.2.26 | Russia: Donetsk Demands, Starlink Shutdowns, and Peace-Talk Punches

👉 Subscribe to The Restricted Handling Podcast  https://www.restrictedhandling.com/  Russia talks peace, throws punches, and somehow does both at the same time. In this episode of The Restricted Handling Podcast, we break down one of the most revealing weeks of the war in Ukraine and the wider geopolitical chessboard surrounding it.  As February opens, Moscow is pushing hard on multiple fronts. Russian drones strike civilian targets including a maternity hospital and a bus carrying coal miners, killing at least twelve people, all while U.S.-brokered peace talks are delayed at the last minute. We walk through what actually happened, why the timing matters, and how Russia has long used civilian pressure as leverage heading into negotiations.  The diplomatic storyline is just as important. A surprise meeting between U.S. and Russian envoys in Florida, without Ukraine present, raises serious questions about the direction of talks ahead of the Abu Dhabi meetings on February 4th and 5th. Donetsk remains the central sticking point, with Russia demanding territory it has failed to fully seize on the battlefield and branding that demand as a so-called concession. We explain why Donetsk carries outsized symbolic and strategic value for the Kremlin and why Ukraine sees giving it up as politically and militarily dangerous.  This episode also dives into one of the most fascinating developments of the war so far. SpaceX moves quickly to shut down Russian use of Starlink-enabled drones, disrupting mid-range strike operations almost overnight. We explain how commercial space infrastructure has become a battlefield variable, why this mattered immediately for Ukrainian civilians, and what it says about modern warfare when a tech company can alter combat dynamics faster than most militaries.  Beyond Ukraine, the pressure map widens. Russia expands military infrastructure near Finland following NATO's northern expansion. Balloon incursions from Belarus probe Polish and Lithuanian airspace. Unidentified drones appear over a German military base. At the same time, destructive cyberattacks hit Polish energy facilities during freezing weather, showing how cyber, hybrid, and physical pressure are being layered together.  Inside Russia, the environment keeps tightening. Western journalists face growing hostility and restrictions even as the Kremlin continues to invite them to events. Meanwhile, senior Russian officials signal confidence in eventual victory, praise U.S. leadership when convenient, and warn about the looming expiration of the New START nuclear arms control treaty. We unpack what that means for global stability and why arms control is quietly becoming one of the most under-discussed risks right now.  👉 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.