A Turkish tanker carrying liquefied gas was hit in a large-scale attack on Izmail, the largest Ukrainian city on the Danube River. After the massive Russian drone strike, the ship caught fire.
The 16-member crew was evacuated. Residents of the village of Çatalkoy were also temporarily evacuated due to the risk of an explosion on the ship loaded with fuel on the opposite Ukrainian coast.
Andriy Klimenko, head of the Black Sea Institute for Strategic Studies, believes that the Russians deliberately attacked the Turkish ship to “send greetings“ of Ankara, which helps the Ukrainian economy through its ship.
Klimenko told UNIAN that the transmitters of the ships in the Danube ports are not turned off and Russia could not have not known that this was a Turkish ship: LPG Tanker ORINDA IMO 9240122. This ship has a high risk profile and it is no coincidence that the hulls of the tankers are painted red.
Turkish ships account for a large share of the vessels that enter Ukrainian ports. In Kiev, they believe that in its typical style, Moscow decided to send a signal to Ankara with this attack.
The Russians are thus indirectly telling the Turks that there is no need to go to Ukrainian ports, because this supports the budget of Ukraine, especially the part of it that goes to finance the war with Russia. Recently, a worrying trend has been observed – Against the backdrop of constant Russian attacks on Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea, those on the Danube ports are also intensifying.
Interruption of Turkish commercial shipping to and from Ukraine is a serious goal for Russia. Therefore, the attacks will intensify.