A suspected Russian drone attack hit the Turkish tanker MT Orinda in Ukraine’s Odesa region, setting it on fire and prompting evacuations across the Danube River in Romania.

All 16 crew members were safely evacuated, and footage showed thick smoke rising from the vessel near the Izmail port, a key Ukrainian trade hub.

The strike came shortly after President Zelenskyy finalized a deal to import U.S. liquefied natural gas via pipelines from Greece to Odesa starting in January.

Romanian authorities monitored the incident closely, tracking drones in Ukrainian airspace and issuing alerts to nearby residents, though no Romanian airspace was violated, Fox News has reported.

The attack highlighted renewed Russian targeting of Odesa’s energy and port infrastructure, raising regional security concerns and prompting NATO to expand air-defense operations under its Eastern Sentry initiative.