The result came as a surprise to researchers at the Icaro Lab in Italy. They set out to examine whether different language styles — in this case prompts in the form of poems — influence AI models’ ability to recognize banned or harmful content. And the answer was a resounding yes. 

Using poetry, researchers were able to get around safety guardrails — and it’s not entirely clear why. 

For their study titled “Adversarial Poetry as a Universal Single-Turn Jailbreak Mechanism in Large Language Models,” the researchers took 1,200 potentially harmful prompts from a database normally used to test the security of AI language models and rewrote them as poems.

Known as “adversarial prompts” — generally written in prose and not rhyme form — these are queries deliberately formulated to cause AI models to output harmful or undesirable content that they would normally block, such as specific instructions for an illegal act.

Poetry as a jailbreak technique: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe probably would have approvedImage: akg-images/picture alliance

In poetic form, the manipulative inputs had a surprisingly high success rate, Federico Pierucci, one of the authors of the study, told DW. However, why poetry is so effective as a “jailbreak” technique — i.e. as an way to circumvent the protective mechanisms of AI — remains unclear and is undergoing further research, he says.

Poetry as a security weakness

What prompted the Icaro Lab’s research was the observation that AI models get confused when a manipulative, mathematically-calculated piece of text is appended to a prompt — known as an “adversarial suffix,” a kind of interference signal that can cause the AI to circumvent its own security rules. These are created using complex mathematical procedures. Major AI developers regularly test their models using precisely these types of attack methods to train and protect their models.

The lead researchers of the study: Piercosma Bisconti, Federico Pierucci and Matteo Prandi from Icaro Lab (from left to right)Image: Flavia Ostili

“We asked ourselves, what happens if we give the AI a text or prompt that is deliberately manipulated, like an adversarial suffix?” says Federico Pierucci. But not with the help of complex mathematics, but quite simply with poetry — to “surprise” the AI, he continues. He explains the thinking behind this: “Perhaps an adversarial suffix is a bit like the poetry of AI. It surprises the AI in the same way that poetry — especially very experimental poetry — surprises us,” says Pierucci.

The researchers personally crafted the first 20 prompts into poems, says Pierucci, who also has a background in philosophy. These were the most effective, he adds. They wrote the rest with the help of AI. The AI-generated poems were also quite successful at circumventing the safety guardrails, but not as much as the first batch. Humans are apparently still better at writing poetry, says Pierucci.

“We had no specialized author writing the prompts. It was just us — with our limited literary ability. Maybe we were terrible poets. Maybe if we had been better poets, we would have achieved a 100% jailbreak success,” he says.

For security reasons, the study did not publish specific examples.

Generative AI videos: Can you tell real from fake?

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Challenge for AI systems: The diversity of human forms of expression

The big surprise coming out of this study is that it identified a thus-far unknown weakness in AI models that allows relatively straightforward jailbreaks.

It also raises questions that beg further research: What exactly is it about poetry that circumvents the safety mechanisms?

Pierucci and his colleagues have various theories, but they can’t say for certain yet. “We are conducting this type of very, very precise scientific study to try to understand: Is it the verse, the rhyme, or the metaphor that really does all the heavy lifting in this process?” explains Pierucci.

A major field of research: How do AI models determine the content they deliver?Image: Google DeepMind/Unsplash

They also aim to find out if other forms of expression would yield similar results. “We have now covered one type of linguistic variation — namely poetic variation. The question is whether there are any other literary forms, such as fairy tales that work. Perhaps an attack based on fairy tales could also be systematized,” says Pierucci.

Generally speaking, the range of human expression is extremely diverse and creative, which could make it more difficult to train the machines’ responses. “You take a text and rewrite it in infinitely many ways and not all rewritten versions will be as alarming as the original,” says the researcher. “This means that, in principle, one could create countless variations of a harmful prompt or request that might not trigger an AI system’s safety mechanisms.”

The cultural sector is also involved in AI research

The study also highlights the fact that many disciplines are cooperating in research into artificial intelligence — like at the Icaro Lab, where teams work together with scholars from the University of Rome on topics such as the security and behavior of AI systems. The project brings together researchers from the fields of engineering and computer science, linguistics and philosophy. Poets haven’t been part of the team so far, but who knows what the future will bring.

Federico Pierucci is definitely very keen to pursue his research. “What we showed, at least in this study, is that there are forms of cultural expressions, forms of human expressions, which are incredibly powerful, surprisingly powerful as jailbreak techniques, and maybe we discovered just one of them,” he says.

Incidentally, the name of the lab is a nod to the story of Icarus: a figure from Greek mythology who dons wings made of wax and feathers and, despite all warnings, flies too close to the Sun. When the wax melts, Icarus plunges into the sea and drowns — a symbol of overconfidence and the transgression of natural boundaries.

The researchers therefore see themselves as a warning that we should exercise more caution when it comes to trying to fully understand the risks and limitations of AI.

Paul McCartney & Rosalía: Strategies for surviving AI music

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This article was originally written in German.

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In the wake of the mass shooting attack at Bondi Beach during a Hanukkah celebration, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced a national gun buyback program and proposed new hate speech laws.

While the legislation has not yet been drafted, it is already causing controversy as fears that the laws could be wielded as political weapons emerge. Critics have also said that neither the gun buyback nor the hate speech laws are addressing the root of what led to the terror attack.

“Well, it’s a bit hard for them to actually strengthen the laws. It’s not clear what they’re proposing to do,” Dr. Reuben Kirkham, one of the directors of the Free Speech Union of Australia, told Fox News Digital. “What they’re probably going to try and do is widen it to include a bunch of things that are not to do with hate speech, necessarily.”

Albanese told reporters on Friday that the government was working to “get the laws right” and acknowledged the complexities surrounding the issue. He said that “there are issues of free speech involved in this as well — we want to make sure that these laws don’t get passed and then get knocked over.”

SENATORS TED CRUZ AND JOHN FETTERMAN AGREE ON HATING ONE ‘EVIL’ DURING BIPARTISAN INTERVIEW

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese meets police officers during a visit to the NSW Police headquarters, following a deadly shooting incident during a Jewish holiday celebration at Bondi Beach, in Sydney, Australia, Dec. 16, 2025.  (Hollie Adams/Reuters)

The proposed changes include federal offenses for “aggravated hate speech,” aimed at preachers who promote violence and “serious vilification” based on race, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported. The outlet noted that just 10 months ago, the government strengthened federal hate speech laws with the goal of curbing antisemitism and Islamophobia.

Simultaneously, New South Wales (NSW), where the terror attack took place, is considering banning chants of the phrase “globalize the intifada,” which many consider to be an antisemitic call for violence against Jews. The ban would also apply to public displays of ISIS flags and extremist symbols.

Additionally, NSW Premier Chris Minns said, under the ban, police would be given more powers to demand that protesters remove face coverings during demonstrations, according to The Associated Press.

People add to a floral tribute outside Bondi Pavilion at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025.  (AP Photo/Steve Markham)

THOUSANDS GATHER AS BONDI BEACH REOPENS, COMMEMORATING VICTIMS OF HANUKKAH ATTACK

Kirkham told Fox News Digital that existing anti-vilification laws have already been used to shut down speech that opposes government views. He believes that if these laws are strengthened in the wake of the Bondi Beach shooting, they would be used as political weapons, rather than protections for everyday people. Additionally, Kirkham said that he sees this as the government using the attack as an opportunity to pass laws that fit its views.

Furthermore, Kirkham argues that Albanese’s proposal could actually increase antisemitism rather than put an end to it.

“What they’re basically saying is, ‘Well, we need more censorship laws. Why? Well, apparently to protect Jewish people.’ So what they’re saying to these communities is, ‘We’re censoring you to protect the Jews.’ I mean, how is that going to go down? Is that going to improve the issue of antisemitism, or is it going to make it worse?”

While the Australian government has focused its response on hate speech and gun laws, critics, such as Kirkham, say the Bondi Beach attack revealed intelligence failures.

Albanese said Friday that intelligence indicated that the attack at Bondi Beach was in fact inspired by ISIS.

“We’ve been informed that the Office of National Intelligence has identified a regular online video feed from ISIS that reinforces that this was an ISIS-inspired attack. Further work has been done by the security agencies around motivation, and we’ll continue to meet and provide them with whatever support they need at this difficult time,” Albanese told reporters.

Fox News Digital reached out to Albanese’s office for comment.

Bystanders were seen confronting one of the gunmen behind the deadly attack on a Hanukkah celebration at Australia’s Bondi Beach. (Jenny/Reuters)

FAMILIES MOURN LOVED ONES LOST IN BONDI BEACH TERROR ATTACK: ‘NO WORDS CAN DESCRIBE THE PAIN’

Bill Roggio, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital that governments in the West have routinely failed to tackle the problems behind Islamic extremism-inspired attacks.

“The problem here is there’s this radical Islamist ideology that spans a spectrum from political Islam, the Muslim Brotherhood, to Hamas and Palestinian terrorist groups, to al-Qaeda and Islamic State, and we in the West refuse to, and have from the very beginning since 9/11, refuse to actually take that on,” Roggio said. “We don’t want to admit that there is an actual problem within Islam, not with Islam, but within Islam.”

As authorities investigate the shooting attack, a focal point has become the father-son gunmen’s trip to the Philippines just before the shooting at Bondi Beach.

The GV Hotel in Davao City said that the men booked their stay through a third party and were initially scheduled to arrive on Nov. 15 but instead arrived on Nov. 1, according to Reuters. An employee told Reuters the two booked the room for seven days but extended their stay three times and paid in cash. The hotel worker also said that the men barely interacted with staff and that they had no visitors.

Philippine National Police Brig. Gen. Leon Victor Rosete, the Davao region’s police director, told the Guardian that the older gunman was interested in firearms. He also spoke of the gunmen’s “jog walk” that was captured on CCTV, adding that the two appeared to be doing “physical conditioning” exercises.

“The father has shown interest in firearms. He entered a firearms shop,” Rosete told the Guardian. He later said that they did not visit any firing ranges in Davao.

A split image shows an ISIS flag held by masked men, left, and a police-secured crime scene at Bondi Beach in Australia following a shooting. (Tauseef Mustafa/David Gray/AFP via Getty Images)

BYSTANDERS SEEN CONFRONTING AUSTRALIAN GUNMAN DURING ISIS-INSPIRED DEADLY RAMPAGE

Davao City is located on the island of Mindanao, which has been under a “Level 3: Reconsider Travel” advisory since May. However, the State Department said Davao City, in addition to a few other locations, is an exception to the advisory.

Roggio told Fox News Digital that Mindanao is a “known hotbed for Islamist groups.”

“If they weren’t at actual camps to get training, they could have been getting advice on how to plot the attack, where to plot the attack, what the target should be,” Roggio told Fox News Digital. He said the two could have also received additional “indoctrination” while in the Philippines.

People visit a floral tribute outside the Bondi Pavilion following Sunday’s shooting at Bondi Beach, in Sydney, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025.  (Steve Markham/AP Photo)

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“Three weeks-plus isn’t enough to become a highly efficient two-man fire team, but they clearly got enough training to make that happen,” Roggio said.

As authorities work to piece together how and why the Bondi Beach attack occurred, the debate over the government’s response continues, with critics warning that a band-aid solution will fail to address the root of the problem.

Rachel Wolf is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital and FOX Business.

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In Brooke Shields’ denim recommendations I trust.

I spoke to the 60-year-old supermodel earlier this month to pick her brain about the best holiday gifts for the season. She highlighted several giftable goodies, but one pick stood out to me in particular: Her “favorite” jeans. Shields exclusively told PEOPLE that her current go-to denim style is a “vintage Levi’s straight-leg [that’s] not too high-waisted but not low-rise.” 

She dubbed the cut as “old school” and ’70s-inspired, which led me to find the Levi’s Classic Straight-Leg Jeans. They check all of the boxes that Shields laid out — and you can snag them on sale for just $35 at Amazon right now.

Levi’s Classic Straight-Leg Jeans

Amazon

The jeans are aptly named for their timelessly cool look, complete with a mid-rise waistline that multiple reviewers find “flattering,” plus straight legs that are far from restrictive. If you’re looking for a “just-right” pair on the denim spectrum — á la Goldilocks — this straight-leg design is a happy medium between the baggy trend and skinny jeans. 

Another perk? They don’t have the stiff and scratchy feel that often comes with rigid denim. One reviewer wrote, “They feel relatively soft (as jeans go) and stretchy against my skin, but the fabric feels sturdy and durable.” They added, “They are insanely flattering and make my butt look so good.”

The jeans are available in seven washes that are great for everyday wear — no matter if you’re dressing them up with a luxurious sweater or a blouse for a night out, or keeping them casual with a tee during the day. They also come in regular, long, and short lengths.

Take a style note from Brooke Shields and pick up the Levi’s Classic Straight-Leg Jeans while they’re marked down at Amazon now. Below, you’ll find even more pairs of straight-leg jeans on sale, including styles from high-end brands like Lucky Brand and Madewell.

More Brooke Shields-Inspired Straight-Leg Jeans

Levi Strauss Signature Gold Heritage Loose Straight-Leg Jeans

Amazon

Levi’s Ribcage Straight-Leg Jeans

Amazon

Lucky Brand Mid-Rise Sweet Straight-Leg Jeans

Amazon

Madewell Dean Easy Straight-Leg Jeans

Amazon

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By DARREN BOYLE, DATA JOURNALIST

Published: 05:30 EST, 21 December 2025 | Updated: 07:50 EST, 21 December 2025

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Ripped from their seats and left to plunge 31,000ft out of the night’s sky after a bomb smuggled onboard inside a radio detonated over Lockerbie. The haunting final moments of flight Pan-Am 103 – Britain’s deadliest terror attack

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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said Elon Musk’s exploding Starship could have caused a ‘potential extreme safety risk’, adding FAA personnel were not informed

A massive debris field spat out by an exploding SpaceX rocket caused chaos on a local flight path(Image: Bob Beresh/Youtube)

Elon Musk’s SpaceX was involved in a rocket explosion in the middle of a busy flight path that saw multiple passenger jets placed at “extreme safety risk”.

The seventh test flight of the company’s uncrewed Starship rocket ended in disaster early this year when it spectacularly detonated after lifting off from a landing platform in Texas. The ship – which Musk hopes will eventually take humanity to Mars – caused mass panic, according to new records, when debris was scattered into a busy flight path.

Multiple flights were impacted by the explosion – which Musk would later call “entertainment” – with one forced to declare “mayday” so it would be able to undertake an emergency landing.

READ MORE: Elon Musk branded ‘weird’ after social media comment on Sydney Sweeney’s breastsREAD MORE: Grimes reveals petty treatment by Elon Musk after he ‘blocked’ herThe January ship explosion was a massive but dangerous spectacle(Image: Sajaa K/Youtube)

Three flights carrying 450 people altogether were endangered on the night of the explosion, with crewmembers aboard a JetBlue trip to San Juan told the trip would be made “at your own risk”. Among the risks cited at the time was a potential debris field caused by the explosion, which it was feared could remain airborne above the Caribbean for up to an hour.

Debris is extremely dangerous to planes, as it can cause Foreign Object Damage (FOD), with even small pieces able to permanently damage and even stall an engine on entry.

FOD was blamed for the famous 2000 Concorde disaster, when a Concorde embarking on its final flight crashed into an airport in France, killing everyone on board, after a titanium strip punctured its landing gear. Following the January SpaceX incident, two other planes flying too close to one another were saved from disaster by an air controller.

Elon Musk hailed the explosion as ‘entertainment’(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

They told one of the pilots they would need to declare an emergency and land at San Juan. The response from the aircraft in question was: “In that case we declare emergency: Mayday. Mayday. Mayday.”

SpaceX posted after the botched test that the Starship had undergone “rapid unscheduled disassembly” while ascending, but did not comment on the overall impact to local aerial operations. Instead, the company said in a post on social media that the destruction would still help the rocket-maker make improvements.

A spokesperson said at the time: “Starship experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly during its ascent burn. Teams will continue to review data from today’s flight test to better understand root cause. With a test like this, success comes from what we learn, and today’s flight will help us improve Starship’s reliability.”

The debris field was so significant that it could be seen from the ground(Image: Greg Munch / TMX / SWNS)

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) would later determine in a report that the explosion posed a “potential extreme safety risk”.

The agency went on to claim SpaceX had failed to officially inform officials about the explosion in the aftermath, saying its controllers in Miami had only learned about the risk from impacted pilots. The FAA later investigated how to better deal with debris fields stemming from explosions, an effort it stepped up when another SpaceX test vehicle exploded a few months later, in March.

But the review was ended then because the FAA said recommendations had been implemented, with a spokesperson saying: “The FAA will not hesitate to act if additional safety measures are required.”

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Pictures of Donald Trump are included among at least 16 documents that have disappeared from the Epstein files released by the Department of Justice (DOJ).

The Democrats from the House Oversight Committee drew attention to the apparent removal of an image showing two printed pictures of Mr Trump in a desk draw.

One picture has Mr Trump standing surrounded by women in bathing suits, while the second appears to be an already known picture – partly obscured – of him, his wife Melania, Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein.

After the Democrats flagged the missing image on Saturday, Sky News went back to the files online and confirmed that it did appear to be missing, despite the fact they downloaded it when the files were initially released on Friday.

Image:
List of documents online now shows a gap where the file ending ‘468’ was on Friday

Image:
The file ending ‘468’ seen in Sky News’s downloads from Friday

The other photos removed from the trove of documents were almost all nude paintings of women in Epstein’s home.

Mr Trump has not commented on the release of the files and has not been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein’s case.

Sky News has contacted the DOJ for comment.

Questions over heavy redactions

Image:
Pic: New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services/Handout via Reuters

Thousands of documents relating to the dead paedophile financier were made public by the DOJ on Friday – hours before a legal deadline following the passing of the Epstein Files Transparency Act.

Many of the pages were either partially or fully redacted, which the DOJ says is to protect the more than 1,200 victims and their families identified in them.

Some of Epstein’s victims, legal experts and members of the public have questioned whether this is the sole reason for the redactions, while the Oversight Democrats have claimed: “This is a White House cover-up.”

Ashley Rubright, who was abused for several years after meeting Epstein in Palm Beach when she was 15, told Sky News: “Seeing […] completely redacted pages, there’s no way that that’s just to protect the victims’ identities, and there better be a good reason. I just don’t know if we’ll ever know what that is.”

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Epstein ‘was a monster’: Survivors speak to Sky News

Gloria Allred, a lawyer who has represented some of Epstein’s victims, says she has been told that despite the heavy redactions, some compromising pictures of survivors and their names were left in the files released on Friday.

“We have had to notify the Department of Justice about names that should have been redacted that weren’t redacted,” she told Sky News.

“So this is further trauma to survivors, and apparently also some of the images of some of the survivors appear not to have been redacted, and they are nude or not completely dressed.

“This is a major concern because the law clearly indicates, and the judges have indicated, that the names and any identifying information of the survivors must be redacted.”

Read more:
Epstein victims react to partial release of files
Links between Epstein and the UK revealed in new files

In a letter to the judges overseeing the Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell cases, US attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton acknowledged that a review “of this size and scope is vulnerable to machine error [or] instances of human error”.

He also said the DOJ had opted to redact the faces of women in photographs with Epstein “even where not all the women are known to be victims,” as it was not viewed as practical for the DOJ to identify every person in all the photos.

The methodology has led to some confusion and misled speculation online.

Image:
Epstein died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges

Many celebrities and public figures appear with Epstein in the photos published by the DOJ, often included without context.

There is no suggestion that these pictures imply anyone has done anything wrong, and many of those featured in them have denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.

Through its release, the Trump administration has claimed to be the most transparent in history, despite the fact Congress forced their hand by voting to make the files public by 19 December.

But some have been held back, with Todd Blanche, deputy attorney general and a former personal lawyer for Donald Trump, saying more would follow in the coming weeks.

Many Democrats and some Republicans have criticised the partial release as failing to “comply with law,” as have lawyers including Ms Allred.

“So clearly, the law has been violated. And it’s the Department of Justice letting down the survivors once again,” she said.

She labelled the incomplete release of the files a “distraction”, adding: “This is not over, and it won’t be over until we get the truth and transparency for the survivors.”

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“These peace negotiations are a farce.”



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The “shadow fleet” used by Russia, Iran and Venezuela to avoid western sanctions and ship cargo to customers including China and India is “exploding” in its scale and scope, and there are concerns that efforts to counter it are drawing closer to dangerous military confrontations.

Complicating the issue is that Russia has begun putting its own flag on some former shadow fleet tankers, in an open challenge to Europe.

The constellation of ageing oil tankers – under opaque ownership and questionable flagging – has become the focus of rising international attention this year. There have been maritime interdictions to enforce sanctions, and the recently announced US blockade of sanctions-busting ships in Venezuela.

Earlier this month US special forces rappelled from helicopters to board the Skipper, a tanker off Venezuela that the US treasury had placed under sanctions in 2022 amid allegations it had been smuggling oil on behalf of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and Hezbollah.

Loop of US special forces boarding a tanker off VenezuelaFootage shows US special forces boarding a tanker off VenezuelaMap of tankers around Venezuela

On Saturday US forces apprehended a second merchant vessel carrying oil off the coast of Venezuela in international waters, even though it does not appear to be on the list of vessels under US sanctions.

A US military helicopter flies over a Panama-flagged ship. Photograph: Department of Homeland Security/Reuters

The US seizures follow incidents this year where Estonia and France interdicted vessels suspected of belonging to Russia’s shadow fleet, and recent attacks by Ukrainian air and sea drones on Russian shadow tankers accused of being involved in sanctions evasion.

The increasingly aggressive efforts to police the shadow fleet and evidence that Russia is willing to use military assets to protect tankers, has led experts to warn of the risk of confrontation.

That was dramatically underlined on Friday when Ukraine announced it had struck a Russian tanker with aerial drones in neutral waters off the coast of Libya, after previous similar attacks in the Black Sea.

A source in the Security Service of Ukraine said it was a “new, unprecedented special operation”, Kyiv’s first attack on a Russian tanker in the Mediterranean, carried out 1,200 miles (2,000km) from Ukraine’s borders.

“The shadow fleet itself is not a new threat,” said Gonzalo Saiz Erausquin, a research fellow at the finance and security centre at the Royal United Services Institute. “But [it] has expanded drastically after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. That saw what we call the shadow fleet explode to some 900-1,200 vessels globally.

“It is not highly structured or homogeneous. These are vessels that Russian interests are able to purchase secondhand, opaquely owned tankers or owned by companies prepared to engage in illicit activity.”

Map of ‘shadow fleet’ tankers attacked by Ukraine

The shadow fleet has spawned a whole illicit network to support it, including a recent proliferation of fake flag registration websites, unscrupulous brokers and a cast of opaque companies that will facilitate the trade.

The vessel Boracay, off the coast of Saint-Nazaire in France. Photograph: Stéphane Mahé/Reuters

The tanker Boracay, which was interdicted by Estonia and France earlier this year, is a case in point.

It was acquired in 2020 by a so-called brass plate company – meaning one that exists in name only – in Seychelles called Baaj Shipping. It was blacklisted by both the UK and EU for its suspected links to transporting Russian oil products, “irregular and high-risk shipping practices” and allegations of operating under a fraudulent Benin flag listing, following several other false flag listings in Gambia and Malawi.

According to Lloyd’s List, the ship – a “textbook example of deceptive shipping practices” – had also been investigated by Denmark’s intelligence services over its possible use to launch drones against Copenhagen’s airport, while operating under a different name. The ship had itself allegedly been targeted at one point with a limpet mine.

Map of Boracay’s sailing route

Countries that have sought to counter the shadow fleet are forced to rely on international laws and conventions over seaworthiness, insurance and safe navigation practises to put pressure on the vessels.

But an increasing international appetite for enforcement – including the Trump administration’s announcement in December that it would enforce a blockade against ships under sanctions visiting Venezuela – has brought it own risks.

It is not only Washington that has indicated it is prepared to intercept shadow fleet tankers. In October, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, signalled a greater willingness from Europeans to tackle vessels in its waters.

“We have decided to take a step forward by adopting policies to impede suspicious ships,” said Macron at a meeting in Copenhagen.

The risks implied in such a policy were underlined by an incident involving an oil tanker known in quick succession as Jaguar, Blint and then finally as the Russian-flagged Nasledie. An attempt by the Estonian navy to intercept the vessel in the Gulf of Finland in May prompted an incursion by a Russian Su-35 jet into Estonian airspace.

For Erausquin that suggests a more direct interest from the Kremlin in the shadow fleet, as demonstrated by Russia’s willingness to protect it.

As Chris Kremidas-Courtney, a senior fellow at the European Policy Centre argued in November, the shadow fleet poses greater threats than its key role in economically sustaining Russia’s war effort in Ukraine.

Kremidas-Courtney said: “Recent incidents underscore this threat. Russia-linked vessels have been implicated in drone incursions, cable disruptions and reconnaissance of critical infrastructure. The Eagle S [a suspected shadow tanker] severed undersea cables after cycling through multiple flags, and Estonia’s attempted interdiction of the Jaguar crude oil tanker prompted the scrambling of Russian fighter jets – proof that Moscow sees this fleet as a strategic asset and is willing to protect it. Europe cannot afford to let these incidents pass unanswered.”

Despite the tougher language from Europe, including discussion of seeking permission to board suspect tankers, some analysts do not detect a huge appetite for maritime confrontation with Russia.

“It is one thing for the US to board a sanctioned and stateless tanker off Venezuela because what is Venezuela going to do?” said one. “It feels like a very different calculation for the Europeans with Russia. It risks upping the stakes in what has become a game of chicken.”

If the shadow fleet, in particular the Russian element of it, has flourished in the past three years, it is partly due to US resistance to imposing sanctions on the major Russian oil producers, Rosneft and Lukoil, and through the continued reliance of China and India on Russian oil.

Russia has moved quickly to try and evade the new US sanctions, with several new companies emerging who are suspected of exporting Rosneft and Lukoil crude.

Despite the recent US sanctions, one of Russia’s most important markets for its crude appears to have been largely unaffected, despite pressure from Trump: Indian imports of Russian crude have increased since October.

In part that has been because of both Russia’s adaptability to sanctions over the past three years and the complex structuring of its shadow fleet operations, mirrored by similar activities over the years by Iran and Venezuela.

How Russia has operated in recent years was made clear this month in new EU sanctions announced against nine businessmen and entities, including shipping companies based in the UAE and Vietnam as well as Russia, accused of involvement in the shadow fleet.

Map of UAE-owned tankers named in EU sanction as ‘shadow fleet’ vessels

Tomer Raanan, a specialist reporter for Lloyd’s List who closely follows developments in the shadow fleet both in the trade in Iranian energy products and Russia, believes it remains attractive to ship owners because of the potential profits that can be earned operating the sometimes dilapidated ships.

“Earlier this year, we noticed several sanctioned tankers suddenly began broadcasting AIS messages indicating that they are registered with Malawi.

“We found a website purporting to be the Malawi Maritime Administration which did not have a Malawi government domain and was later confirmed by Malawi officials as fraudulent. Since then, Lloyd’s List has uncovered an elaborate fraudulent flag operation linking over 20 separate fake registry websites, many of which using the same holding text.”

Such “scam” registrations were being used by ships in the shadow fleet, he said.

Raanan also believes the proliferation of fraudulent flags and falsely flagged ships highlights a critical problem with the shipping industry’s registry system.

In the meantime, he expects the sanction-busting trade in oil to continue despite the efforts to police it.

“Sanctioned oil is often sold at a discount, while shipowners moving these cargoes typically earn premiums for taking on the risk. I think that as long as market participants view the economic incentives as outweighing the risks, sanctions evasion will likely continue.”

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Katy Watson,Australia correspondentand

Tiffanie Turnbull,Bondi Beach

Reuters

Mourners in Australia have fallen silent in honour of the victims of the Bondi Beach attack.

The memorial was part of a national day of reflection to mark a week since the shooting in which two gunmen opened fire on an event celebrating the Jewish festival of Hannukah.

A 10-year-old girl, a British-born rabbi and a Holocaust survivor were among the 15 people killed during the attack.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was booed when he arrived at the memorial event – an expression of anger by Australia’s Jewish community against his government after a rise of antisemitic attacks over the past few months.

As the sun set over Sydney on Sunday evening, a minute’s silence was observed at 18:47 (07:47 GMT) – exactly one week since the first reports of gunfire at the famous beach.

There was heavy security at the memorial event. Some cordoned-off areas were guarded by armed riot squad officers who had their faces covered, while a police patrol boat was visible off the coast of Bondi Beach.

For many Australians, this level of security is an unfamiliar sight.

A large crowd – many wearing kippas [the Jewish skullcap] or draped in Australian flags – gathered to listen to speeches after the observing the silence.

Bee balloons floated in the wind in honour of the youngest victim of the attack, Matilda – a reference to her nickname, “Matilda Bee”.

And later in the ceremony, the crowd sang Waltzing Matilda, the song for which the 10-year-old was named.

Soon, they were chanting the name of another child – Chaya, a 14-year-old who put herself in the firing line to protect a stranger’s children. Shot in the leg, she used crutches to take to the stage and urge the nation to be brave and kind.

“If you guys get inspired by one thing, one thing on all this, be the light in that field of darkness,” she said.

The event ended with the lighting of the menorah – something the crowds gathered for Hannukah last week couldn’t do.

Sunday’s memorial was not limited to Bondi Beach – or the state of New South Wales. In a nation-wide gesture of “light over darkness”, the windowsills of countless homes were lined with candles.

Watch: Moment Australian PM Anthony Albanese booed at Bondi memorial

As Albanese arrived for the ceremony, one person in the crowd shouted: “Blood on your hands.”

The prime minister looked startled at the hostility, his wife Jodie Haydon grasping his arm in support.

At least one member of the crowd was tackled by police after moving towards the prime minister.

The Jewish community in Australia has repeatedly said this attack was a shock, not a surprise after a rise in antisemitic attacks in Australia since the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel and the subsequent military retaliation war launched by Israel in the Gaza Strip.

The overwhelming view is that more could and should have been done to prevent the Sydney attack from happening.

Albanese has acknowledged the criticism, saying “I accept my responsibility for the part in that as prime minister of Australia.”

More widely, Albanese has been accused by some of siding with the Palestinians over supporting Israel and the relationship worsened when he moved to recognise the state of Palestine earlier this year.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused him – as well as the leaders of other countries that have recognised a Palestinian state – of rewarding Hamas.

After the Bondi beach attack last Sunday, Netanyahu said Albanese’s government “did nothing to stop the spread of antisemitism in Australia”.

In contrast to the reception for the Australian prime minister, Chris Minns, the Premier of New South Wales, was praised at the Sydney memorial service as an exemplary leader, partly for the speed with which he admitted government errors in the lead-up to the attack.

He also attended the funerals of several victims this week. Albanese was not invited to some.

“We are deeply sorry.” Minns said at the event. “We grieve with you, and with humility, I acknowledge that the government’s highest duty is to protect its citizens. And we did not do that one week ago.”

The shooting had “highlighted a deep vein of antisemitic hate in our community”, Minns said, adding: “This must be confronted.”

The president of the New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies, David Ossip, was hailed with loud cheers as he called for a “Royal Commission which goes beyond New South Wales, to get to the bottom of how this catastrophe took place”.

Naveed Akram, 24, has been charged with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder and one of committing a terrorist act. His father Sajid was killed during the attack.

Days after the attack, Prime Minister Albanese announced a raft of measures to crack down on hate speech and incitement to violence.

Before Sunday’s ceremony, he announced a review into the police and national intelligence agencies.

“The ISIS-inspired atrocity last Sunday reinforces the rapidly changing security environment in our nation,” Albanese said, using an acronym for the Islamic State group.

He has also said he will reform gun laws and the government has launched a gun buyback scheme – the largest since the Port Arthur massacre in 1996, which left 35 people dead and prompted Australia to introduce world-leading gun control measures.

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Skip next section Putin ready to talk to France’s Macron, Kremlin says

12/21/2025December 21, 2025

Putin ready to talk to France’s Macron, Kremlin says

Russian President Vladimir Putin is willing to hold talks with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, a Kremlin spokesman said on Sunday.

Dmitry Peskov said Putin “expressed readiness to engage in dialogue” in comments carried by Russian state news agency Ria Novosti. He added that with mutual political willingness, talks between both sides could be beneficial.

It follows Macron saying on Friday that Europe and Ukraine should hold direct talks with Putin as they seek to reach an agreement on a peace deal that would bring an end to Russia’s invasion of their neighbors.

“Otherwise, we are discussing among ourselves with negotiators who will negotiate on their own with the Russians. That is not optimal,” the French president had said.

Paris on Sunday welcomed Putin’s openness to the idea.

“We will decide in the coming days on the best way to proceed,” the Elysee said.

https://p.dw.com/p/55ltz

Skip next section Kremlin squashes chances of three-way talks in Miami

12/21/2025December 21, 2025

Kremlin squashes chances of three-way talks in Miami

The Kremlin emphasized that three-way talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United States were not on the cards, despite diplomats from all parties currently being in Miami.

According to Russian news agencies, Vladimir Putin’s foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov, told reporters that discussions for such a meeting had not taken place and no preparation was therefore being made.

The comments came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday that Washington had spoken of a possible trilateral format, though he too expressed scepticism.

Despite saying it would be a logical step for a first face-to-face meeting in almost six months between Russia and Ukraine, Zelenskyy added: “I am not sure that anything new could come of it.” 

The Day with Nicole Frölich: Financial lifeline for Ukraine

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On Saturday, Ukrainian and European negotiators met with US diplomats while Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev also travelled to Florida to meet with US special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner in a separate meeting at different locations.

Those talks will continue on Sunday, after which Ushakov said Dmitriev “will return to Moscow, make his report, and we will discuss what to do next.”

Meanwhile, Ushakov also expressed doubts that any changes put forward by European and Ukrainian diplomats to the current US peace plan would yield a positive outcome.

“I am sure that the proposals that the Europeans and Ukrainians have made or ‍are trying to make definitely do ​not improve ​the document and do not improve the possibility of achieving long-term peace,” he said.

https://p.dw.com/p/55lqb

Skip next section Kyiv holds firm on territory as Russia, US talk in Miami

12/21/2025December 21, 2025

Kyiv holds firm on territory as Russia, US talk in Miami

As fierce fighting continues on Ukraine’s eastern frontline, soldiers say any peace deal that trades territory for an end to the war is unacceptable.

At the same time, Kyiv is bolstering European backing following Tuesday’s talks in Berlin as it seeks leverage in ongoing US-led negotiations.

Kyiv holds firm on territory as Russia, US talk in Miami

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https://p.dw.com/p/55lgw

Skip next section US-Russia talks in Florida end ‘constructively’

12/21/2025December 21, 2025

US-Russia talks in Florida end ‘constructively’

Officials from Russia and the United States ended a day of peace talks in the southern US state of Florida and will continue their efforts on Sunday. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s envoy Kirill Dmitriev told reporters that the meeting with US counterparts Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner had been constructive. 

“The discussions are proceeding constructively. They began earlier and will continue today, and will also continue tomorrow,” Dmitriev said.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio might also join the talks, Dmitriev had said.

Saturday’s negotiations with Russia come after the US spent Friday in talks with Ukraine and European officials. They reported progress on security guarantees for Ukraine. However, it remains unclear to what extent Moscow will accept those terms.

https://p.dw.com/p/55lRx

Skip next section Ukraine calls for US to exert ‘full pressure’ on Russia

12/20/2025December 20, 2025

Ukraine calls for US to exert ‘full pressure’ on Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on the United States to put more pressure on Russia to end the war in Ukraine.

“America must clearly say: if not diplomacy, then there will be full pressure,” Zelenskyy said. “Putin does not yet feel the kind of pressure that should exist.”

Zelenskyy also called for increased arms supplies to Ukraine and sanctions on the entire Russian economy.

Earlier on Saturday, the Ukrainian president said that Washington had proposed trilateral negotiations between Ukraine, Russia and the United States (see entry below).

https://p.dw.com/p/55lO5

Skip next section Baltic states urge IOC not to ease restrictions on athletes from Russia, Belarus

12/20/2025December 20, 2025

Baltic states urge IOC not to ease restrictions on athletes from Russia, Belarus

Athletes from Russia and Belarus have either been banned or must compete as neutralsImage: ndre M. Chang/ZUMA Press Wire/picture alliance

Sporting authorities in Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia have urged the International Olympic Committee (IOC) not to ease restrictions against athletes from Russia and Belarus.

In a joint letter sent to IOC president Kirsty Coventry, the Baltic trio’s respective National Olympic committees said they had “fundamental concerns” about a recent IOC recommendation to allow Russian and Belarusian youth athletes to compete internationally under their countries’ flags.

Athletes from Russia and Belarus have only been allowed to compete in some sports as neutrals, while they have been completely banned from participating in others.

The restrictions were imposed in the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which Belarus has supported.

“We strongly oppose any measure that would permit athletes representing Russia or Belarus to participate under national flags, anthems, colours, uniforms, or as team entries while the ongoing aggression against Ukraine continues,” the statement said.

 “We firmly believe that the credibility of Olympism depends on the consistent defence of peace, human dignity, and respect for international law,” it added.

https://p.dw.com/p/55lJZ

Skip next section Russian envoy arrives in Miami for talks with Witkoff, Kushner

12/20/2025December 20, 2025

Russian envoy arrives in Miami for talks with Witkoff, Kushner

Dmitriev (center) also attended talks with Kushner (2nd-left) and Witkoff (right) at the Kremlin this month [FILE]Image: Kristina Kormilitsyna/Sputnik/AP Photo/dpa/picture alliance

Kirill Dmitriev, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy, has arrived in Miami.

Dmitriev is set for talks with US President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law and advisor Jared Kushner, Russian sources told AFP and Reuters news agencies.

https://p.dw.com/p/55lIO

Skip next section US proposes new talks format that includes Russia and Ukraine — Zelenskyy

12/20/2025December 20, 2025

US proposes new talks format that includes Russia and Ukraine — Zelenskyy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the United States has offered a potential new format for peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, which would include American and possibly European envoys.

“The US said they would have a separate meeting with representatives of Russia. And they proposed the following format, as far as I understand: Ukraine, America, Russia, and, since there are representatives of Europe there, probably ‍Europe as well,” Zelenskyy told reporters in Kyiv.

Kyiv will decide on the format after assessing whether the bilateral discussions with US negotiators that resumed on Friday are positive. Zelenskyy said he planned to discuss the matter with Ukraine’s delegation chief, Rustem Umerov.

Ukraine and Russia have not negotiated face-to-face since July, but US-led shuttle diplomacy to end the nearly four-year-long war has intensified in recent weeks. 

US negotiators were set to meet with Russian officials in Florida on Saturday.

https://p.dw.com/p/55ksO

Skip next section Zelenskyy rules out holding election in Russia-occupied parts of Ukraine12/20/2025December 20, 2025

Zelenskyy rules out holding election in Russia-occupied parts of Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that any election in Ukraine cannot be held in Russia-occupied parts of the country.

He also said that the voting process can only take place if security is ensured.

Zelenskyy emphasized that Moscow must not have a say in organizing elections in Ukraine.

His statement comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested halting strikes so that Kyiv could hold a presidential ballot.

“It is not Putin who decides when and in what format the elections in Ukraine will take place,” Zelenskyy said. 

He added that Ukraine’s foreign minister had begun work on the infrastructure needed to enable Ukrainians living abroad to vote.

Russia’s Putin blames Ukraine, NATO for war during live Q&A

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https://p.dw.com/p/55ks1

Skip next section Ukraine says it struck Russian warship 1,800km away

12/20/2025December 20, 2025

Ukraine says it struck Russian warship 1,800km away

Ukrainian forces say they used drones overnight to attack and damage a Russian warship in the Caspian Sea, some 1,800 kilometers (1,118.4 miles) from the Ukrainian coast.

The General Staff in Kyiv wrote on Telegram on Saturday that the Russian ship ‘Ochotnik’ was on patrol near an oil and gas production platform when it was hit.

Additionally, a drilling platform said to belong to Lukoil was also struck. According to the General Staff, the facility helps supply Russian forces.

That information could not be independently verified, and there has been no confirmation from Russian authorities.

Lukoil was sanctioned by the US Treasury, along with Russia’s other largest oil company, Rosneft, in late October over what Washington called Moscow’s “lack of serious commitment to a peace process to end the war in Ukraine.”

Ukraine, which has recently intensified attacks on Russian oil infrastructure, says they are legitimate targets as they are used to fund Russia’s war efforts.

https://p.dw.com/p/55khx

Skip next section Russian missile strike on Odesa port kills 8

12/20/2025December 20, 2025

Russian missile strike on Odesa port kills 8

Eight people have been killed and at least 27 wounded following a Russian missile strike on port infrastructure in Odesa late on Friday, emergency services have said.

According to a Telegram post from the Ukrainian Emergency Service, some of those injured were on a bus that was at the epicenter of the strike.

Oleh Kiper, the head of the Odesa region, said the port was struck by ballistic missiles. Trucks and cars in a parking lot were damaged as a result.

Ukraine suffers blackouts after Russian attack

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There was no immediate confirmation of the strike by Moscow. However, on Saturday morning the Russian Defense Ministry announced it had struck on Friday unspecified “transport and storage infrastructure used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.”

They also claimed to have aimed at energy facilities supplying Kyiv’s war efforts.

https://p.dw.com/p/55kgH

Skip next section Russia claims seizing two Ukrainian villages in Donetsk, Sumy

12/20/2025December 20, 2025

Russia claims seizing two Ukrainian villages in Donetsk, Sumy

Russia’s Defense Ministry has claimed to have captured two more villages in eastern Ukraine.

The Defense Ministry claimed in separate statements on Saturday to have captured the ‍village of Svitle in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk ‍region and the village of Vysoke in the northeastern Sumy region.

The claims could not be independently verified and Ukrainian authorities have yet to comment.

https://p.dw.com/p/55kec

Skip next section Russian envoy joining talks in Miami

12/20/2025December 20, 2025

Russian envoy joining talks in Miami

New talks are set to take place between Ukrainian, European and United States negotiators as they continue to seek an agreement to a peace plan that would bring an end to the war.

Negotiators, who are already in Florida, will meet with Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and the US president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. 

Meanwhile, Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev announced on social media platform X that he was also heading to Miami.

It is unlikely that Dmitriev will meet with anyone from the Ukrainian or European parties with the relationship continuing to be strained. 

Moscow has claimed that Europe’s involvement in helping negotiate a peace deal will only hinder the process.

The US have been pushing for a peace plan that would see Washington offer security guarantees to Ukraine, but would also mean Kyiv will likely be expected to surrender some territory.

Kyiv has thus rejected ceding territory to Moscow.

Ahead of Saturday’s discussions, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio promised Ukraine would not be forced into making any agreement they were uncomfortable with, saying “there’s no peace deal unless Ukraine agrees to it.” 

Rubio said he may join the talks in Miami but did not commit to doing so.

https://p.dw.com/p/55keH

Skip next section Welcome to our coverage12/20/2025December 20, 2025

Welcome to our coverage

Thank you for joining our coverage of Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

On Saturday, talks between the United States, Ukraine, Europe and Russia will take place in Miami as all parties seek to agree to a peace plan.

However, it is unlikely that Russia’s envoy Kirill Dmitriev will meet with Ukrainian or European negotiators as tensions between the parties remain high.

Meanwhile, fighting continues to rage, with Moscow claiming to have captured two villages in Ukraine’s Sumy and Donetsk regions and at least eight people have been killed following a strike on Odesa’s port.

https://p.dw.com/p/55kan

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