Russian strike hits Turkish LNG tanker in Odesa prompting evacuation of villages in Romania

A drone struck a Turkish-flagged tanker and set it on fire in southern Ukraine’s Odesa region on Monday, officials said, a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a deal to import US liquefied natural gas through the area.

The MT Orinda was hit during the offloading of liquefied petroleum gas at Izmail port, Turkey’s Directorate for Maritime Affairs said.

All 16 crew on board evacuated and no one was hurt, it said.

Russia has used drones, missiles and artillery to repeatedly batter the Odesa region, especially its Black Sea ports, since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine nearly four years ago.

There was no immediate comment from Russia on the strike.

Authorities ordered the evacuation of people and animals from two villages near Izmail on the Romanian side of the border, citing the nature of the tanker's cargo as requiring the precaution.

Ukrainian officials did not comment specifically on the tanker incident. However, regional military administration head Oleh Kiper said Russian drones attacked the Odesa region overnight and damaged energy and port infrastructure in several cities.

The attack sparked multiple fires and damaged an unspecified number of civilian vessels, Kiper said, adding that one person was injured.

Izmail lies on a Black Sea estuary and is one of a string of ports vital to Ukrainian imports and exports.

With Russia also targeting Ukraine's energy grid, Zelenskyy is trying to ensure gas and other energy imports that can help see his country through the approaching winter.

On Sunday, Zelenskyy was on an official visit to Greece where a deal was signed for US liquefied natural gas to flow to Odesa via pipelines from the northern port of Alexandroupolis starting in January.

The United Nations says Russian strikes have killed more than 12,000 Ukrainian civilians during the war.