RH 3.30.26 | Russia Stalls in Donetsk, Satellites for Iran, Gulf Drone Deals & Oil Wars

👉 Subscribe to The Restricted Handling Podcast https://www.restrictedhandling.com/  Russia launches its Spring-Summer offensive and immediately runs into reality. Ukrainian drones light up one of Russia's largest oil export hubs. Russian spy satellites allegedly help Iran line up U.S. bases in the Gulf. And in the middle of all of that, a Russian oil tanker heads to Cuba while Washington looks the other way.  Yeah. It's one of those weeks.  In this episode of The Restricted Handling Podcast, we break down what is actually happening across Ukraine, Russia, the Middle East, and the Western Hemisphere without the fluff and without the academic tone that makes you feel like you're reading a policy memo from 2009.  First up, Russia's renewed push in eastern Ukraine. Moscow tried to ramp up pressure near Slovyansk and the so-called Fortress Belt. There were tactical gains in late February. But by late March, that momentum has slowed. The 3rd Combined Arms Army is pushing, but it is not breaking through. Meanwhile, Russia is launching massive drone and missile barrages including a 442 drone strike package in a single night. Civilian areas like Kramatorsk are hit with glide bombs. Casualties mount. The battlefield is grinding.  At the same time, Ukraine is striking back in a different way. Long range drone attacks hit the Baltic port of Ust-Luga, a major Russian oil export hub handling roughly 700,000 barrels per day. Fires. Damaged infrastructure. Disrupted loadings. And this is happening while global oil prices are already elevated because of the Iran war. That matters. Energy is strategy.  Then we zoom out to the Middle East. President Volodymyr Zelensky says Russian satellites photographed U.S. and UK bases including Diego Garcia, Prince Sultan Air Base, and Al Udeid shortly before Iranian strikes. If accurate, that is a serious escalation in Russia-Iran cooperation. At the same time, Ukraine signs 10 year defense deals with Saudi Arabia and Qatar and moves toward one with the UAE. Ukraine is not just asking for air defense. It is exporting drone expertise built from four years of fighting Iranian Shaheds.  We also cover Russia's growing recruitment problems, FSB arrests inside Russia, and reported cyberattacks targeting the Russian military registry. And yes, we dig into the Russian oil tanker carrying 730,000 barrels to Cuba and what it says about U.S. sanctions enforcement while Washington is tied down in the Iran conflict.  If you care about Russia, Ukraine, Iran, energy security, Gulf defense cooperation, sanctions policy, or the shifting balance between Moscow and Washington, this episode is for you.  This is geopolitics in motion. Real names. Real dates. Real implications.  👉 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.