Expert finds signs that Russia deliberately hit tanker in Izmail

Andriy Klymenko, head of the Black Sea Strategic Studies Institute and editor-in-chief of BlackSeaNews, said that Russia most likely deliberately hit a Turkish gas tanker in the port of Izmail in Odesa region.

According to the expert, unlike the ports of Greater Odesa, where AIS signal transmitters of ships were turned off after a series of air attacks in 2023, this practice is not observed in the Danube ports. That is, the Russian Federation could not have failed to know when planning the attack on the port of Izmail that a Turkish gas tanker, a vessel with a high level of danger, was there.

On November 17, residents of two villages, Chatalkoi and Plauru, in Tulcea, Romania, were evacuated due to a fire on this tanker. The vessel was carrying 4,000 tons of liquefied petroleum gas and caught fire near the Ukrainian port of Izmail, Odesa region.

The Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority reported that an operational headquarters was set up at the scene, headed by the head of the Izmail District Administration. The headquarters involves units of the State Emergency Service, including teams equipped with robotic systems, as well as auxiliary services. The situation is under constant control. There is no reason to evacuate the population in Ukraine.

According to Andriy Klymenko, the fact is that 40% of all ships belong to Turkish companies. This is the largest share. The next place is occupied by Greek shipowners (up to 20%). And with the impression of a Turkish ship, Russia wanted to send a kind of message to Turkey that it should not go to Ukrainian ports, because it supports the Ukrainian budget, namely the part of it that is used to finance the war with Russia.

As a result of the Russian air attack on Odesa region, 32,500 families, mostly in the south of the region, were left without electricity. On the night of November 17, the Russian army again massively attacked Odesa region with attack drones. Despite air defense efforts, there were consequences for the energy and port infrastructure. Several civilian vessels were damaged during the attack.

Кирило Бойко