A suspected Russian drone strike in Ukraine hit a Turkish tanker in the Odesa region on Monday, setting the ship on fire and sparking evacuations across the Danube in Romania.
The strike came a day after Ukrainian President Zelensky signed an agreement to import American liquefied natural gas through the region.
During his visit to Greece, he completed the agreement that American LNG would flow via pipelines from the northern Greek port of Alexandroupolis to Odesa from January.
According to the Associated pressAccording to the Turkish Directorate of Maritime Affairs, the MT Orinda, which was carrying liquefied petroleum gas, was struck while being unloaded at the port of Izmail. All 16 crew members were evacuated.
TALKING STALKS AND PUTIN GRINNING. WEAK GUARANTEES WILL ONLY PRODUCE MORE RUSSIAN STRIKES
Footage from across the river in Romania, where residents were being evacuated, showed the ship engulfed in flames and thick black smoke rising over the Danube River. (AP)
Footage from across the river in Romania, where residents were told to leave their homes, showed the ship engulfed in flames as thick black smoke rose into the sky over the Danube River.
Izmail is located at the mouth of the Black Sea and is one of Ukraine’s most important trading hubs.
The attack came amid renewed Russian attacks on the Odesa region’s energy and port infrastructure.
According to reports, regional military chief Oleh Kiper said drones caused several fires and damaged several civilian ships.
Following the blast, Romanian authorities ordered the evacuation of residents from the villages of Plauru and Ceatalchioi in Tulcea province, directly across the river from Izmail.
RUSSIA SAYS UKRAINIAN DRONES NUCLEAR PLANT DURING INDEPENDENCE DAY STRIKE
The attack came amid renewed Russian attacks on the Odesa region’s energy and port infrastructure. (AP)
The Romanian Ministry of Defense also said radar systems had tracked several air targets during the night but found no intruders in Romanian airspace.
The country has issued several warnings in recent months as Russian attacks near the border intensified.
A statement from the Ministry of National Defense said that during the night of Sunday 16 to Monday 17 November, the “troops of the Russian Federation attacked areas in Ukraine near the river border with Romania.”
“The Ministry of Defense radar monitoring and surveillance systems detected and tracked targets developing in Ukrainian airspace, in the vicinity of Tulcea County,” the statement said.
TALKING STALKS AND PUTIN GRINNING. WEAK GUARANTEES WILL ONLY PRODUCE MORE RUSSIAN STRIKES
In this photo from the Ukrainian Presidential News Agency, a Turkish Polarnet cargo ship loads Ukrainian grain at a port in the Odesa region, Ukraine, Friday, July 29, 2022. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Service via AP)
“MoND has informed the General Inspectorate for Emergencies regarding the establishment of alarm measures for the population in the north of the province (Izmail area).”
The Danube Corridor has also become more important for Ukraine’s export network since Russia withdrew from the UN-brokered Black Sea Grains Agreement in 2023.
Attacks on the area also raised NATO security concerns, with the alliance responding by expanding air defense operations under the Eastern Sentry initiative.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Zelenskyy’s US gas deal aims to secure Ukraine’s winter energy needs as Russia continues to bomb energy infrastructure across the country.
