Turkish Tanker Struck by Drone in Ukraine's Odesa Region

A Turkish-flagged tanker, the MT Orinda, was struck by a drone on Monday while offloading liquefied petroleum gas at Ukraine's Izmail port in the Odesa region. Turkey's Directorate for Maritime Affairs reported that all 16 crew members evacuated safely, and no injuries were reported. The attack ignited a fire on the vessel, which firefighting teams are currently addressing.

The incident occurred a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed an agreement to import U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) through the Odesa region. The deal, formalized during Zelenskyy's visit to Athens, involves transporting LNG from Greece's Alexandroupolis port to Odesa via pipelines, with deliveries set to begin in January. This arrangement aims to bolster Ukraine's energy security amid ongoing Russian attacks on its energy infrastructure.

In response to the tanker's cargo risk, Romanian authorities evacuated residents from two villages near the border with Ukraine. The precautionary measure was taken due to the nature of the tanker's cargo and potential explosion risks.

Elsewhere in Ukraine, Russian missile and drone attacks resulted in casualties and damage. In Balakliya, located in the northeastern Kharkiv region, three people were killed and 11 others injured during an overnight attack. Additionally, in Nikopol, situated in the central Dnipropetrovsk region, two people were killed and two others injured in a daylight attack that damaged residential buildings and commercial establishments.

The United Nations reports that over 12,000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed since the onset of the conflict. Ukrainian air defenses continue to intercept Russian drones and missiles targeting various regions, while Ukrainian forces have conducted drone attacks on Russian infrastructure, including an electricity substation in Russia's Ulyanovsk region.