World news, December 8, 2025, Avia.pro. War correspondent Alexander Kots stated that British financial interests are clearly behind the series of Ukrainian naval drone strikes against Russian "shadow fleet" vessels. He added that the three targeted attacks led to a sharp rise in marine insurance costs in the region, with the UK being the main beneficiary.

According to the Financial Times, the "war risk" rate for vessels in the Black Sea has increased 2,5-3 times over the past month: from 0,25-0,3% of the hull value in early November to 0,5-0,75% in early December. Reuters confirms that insurers are now reviewing policies daily.

"For over 300 years, London has been the world's center of marine insurance. Lloyd's of London is a British organization, under whose wing hundreds of syndicates operate, but control and the bulk of the profits remain with the British. Today, they control over 50% of the global marine insurance market. The money spent on continuing the war won't earn itself," — Kots wrote on his Telegram channel.

Rates began to rise immediately after the attacks on the Kairos and Virat tankers in late November and early December. Turkey expressed strong disapproval of the incidents in its exclusive economic zone, and Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that further "piracy" would be met with a harsh response. Nevertheless, insurance premiums continue to rise, bringing hundreds of millions of dollars in additional revenue to the London market.