A suspected Russian drone hit the Turkish-flagged tanker MT Orinda on Monday while it was offloading liquefied petroleum gas at Izmail port in southern Ukraine, setting the vessel on fire, officials said. All 16 crew members evacuated safely, with no injuries reported.
Rusya, Ukrayna’nın Odessa bölgesinde yaklaşık 4.000 ton LNG taşıyan Türk gemisi ORINDA’yı vurdu.
— Gemide bulunan 16 Türk mürettebat patlama riski nedeniyle tahliye edildi.
— Olayda yaralanan olmadı.pic.twitter.com/3zuiku7vVj— BPT (@bpthaber) November 17, 2025
The attack came a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy finalized a U.S. liquefied natural gas deal to supply Odesa via pipelines from northern Greece starting in January.
Regional military head Oleh Kiper reported that drone strikes in Odesa sparked multiple fires and damaged several civilian vessels. The attacks also prompted evacuations in Romanian villages along the Danube River, directly across from Izmail port.
Romania, a NATO and EU member that shares a 614-kilometer border with Ukraine, has frequently reported Russian drones entering its airspace or crashing on its territory during attacks on Ukraine.
In a post on X, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote: “Russia’s brutal escalation of terror threatens not only Ukraine but also our neighbors. This underscores the urgency of collective pressure on Moscow to end the war.”
After a Russian attack damaged a vessel with LNG in the Odesa region, Romania had to evacuate its border village. Russia’s brutal escalation of terror threatens not only Ukraine but also our neighbors. This underscores the urgency of collective pressure on Moscow to end the war.
— Andrii Sybiha 🇺🇦 (@andrii_sybiha) November 17, 2025
Meanwhile, in other parts of Ukraine, Russian attacks on Monday caused multiple casualties.
Overnight missile strikes in Balakliya, Kharkiv region, killed three people and injured 11. In Nikopol, Dnipropetrovsk region, Russian drones and artillery struck high-rise apartments, shops, and a hair salon, killing two and wounding two more, according to regional military chief Vladyslav Haivanenko.
To hell with Ukraine. The US should not be wasting one dollar or putting one American life in jeopardy for that lawless country or for worthless NATO. We should be partnering with the Russians to keep China in check.