December 12th, 2025: Russia’s Shadow Fleet Hit Again & NATO Sounds The Alarm
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
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It's Friday, the 12th of December. Look at that. We are racing through this month towards Christmas. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed. First up, Ukraine keeps a pressure on Russia's shadow fleet of oil tankers. A fresh naval drone strike hits another tanker, tightening the squeeze on Moscow's wartime oil profits. We'll explain what happened. Later in the show, an extraordinary extraction operation at sea will tell you how a private American team pulled off a secret 15-hour mission to get Maria Corina Machado out of Venezuela and safely on her way to accept the Nobel Peace Prize. Plus, a warning from NATO's chief, Mark Rutte, tells member states to brace for the possibility that Russia could target the alliance within five years.
And in today's back of the brief, a major show of force in East Asia. U.S. nuclear-capable bombers join Japanese fighter jets over the Sea of Japan after China and Russia conducted their own drills nearby. But first, today's PDB Spotlight. We've been tracking Ukraine's campaign against Russia's so-called shadow fleet, that network of tankers Moscow uses to quietly move sanctioned oil around the world. And this week, there's another major development. Ukraine has crippled yet another one of those vessels, the third tanker hit in recent weeks. According to reports, Ukraine's security service, that would be the SBU, launched the attack in the Black Sea using its now-famous Seababy naval drones. If you haven't seen the video, here's what it shows.
A drone racing over choppy water at high speed, its camera locked forward as it closes in on a large tanker in the distance. It quickly closes the gap and then the explosion as the drone hits the target. Ukrainian officials say the strike hit exactly where they intended, damaging the tanker and forcing it out of service. The vessel targeted is part of Russia's Shadow Fleet, those tankers operating under obscure ownership, questionable registration, and often with their tracking systems turned off. They exist for one purpose, to move Russian oil in ways that evade Western sanctions. And that shipment network is critical for Moscow. It's a financial lifeline. Without it, the Kremlin has a much harder time keeping oil flowing and bringing in revenue and ultimately funding its war.
This latest strike follows two similar attacks over the past few weeks that we covered here, meaning Ukraine has now damaged or disabled at least three of these covert tankers. And Kiev's strategy is becoming clearer. They're hitting the ships that keep Russia's economy running. And the effects, well, they're beginning to show. A new report from the Financial Times highlights one of the most immediate consequences. That would be insurance rates in the Black Sea have now tripled, tripled just in the last month. That's an extraordinary spike and is directly tied to Ukraine's strikes on these tankers and on Russian port infrastructure. Shipping insurers are reassessing their risk models because several of these ships are now proven targets, so premiums are soaring, especially for vessels with unclear ownership or ones traveling close to Russian ports.
Some insurers are reportedly walking away from the region altogether. And when you're running a sanctions-evading network like the Russians are that already relies on unusual financing, undisclosed operators, and older vessels, adding massive insurance costs makes every voyage significantly more expensive. And it doesn't stop there, because the financial pressure is now showing up in Russia's broader energy revenues. A new analysis from Goldman Sachs, reported by Business Insider, finds that while Russia is still managing to export large quantities of oil, roughly the same volumes as before the latest U.S.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–5:04
2
How is Ukraine intensifying its campaign against Russia's shadow fleet?
5:04–6:40
3
What happened during the dramatic rescue of María Corina Machado?
6:40–8:16
4
What warning did NATO's chief issue regarding potential Russian aggression?
8:16–10:10
5
How are U.S. bombers and Japanese jets demonstrating military strength in East Asia?
10:10–11:22
6
What are the implications of Ukraine's attacks on Russia's oil tankers?
11:22–21:06
Speakers
2 identifiedMore from The President's Daily Brief
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