Romania Evacuates Plauru Village After Russian Drone Sets LPG Ship Ablaze Near Izmail Port

Romanian authorities began evacuating residents from the border village of Plauru in Tulcea county after a ship carrying liquefied petroleum gas caught fire near Ukraine’s Izmail port following a Russian drone attack, according to Romania-Insider on November 17. 

According to the Department for Emergency Situations and the Delta Emergency Situations Inspectorate , cited by Romania-Insider, a vessel loaded with 4,000 tons of LPG.  burned on the Ukrainian bank of the Danube, prompting a preventive evacuation because of the risk of explosion.

Authorities said that 15 people had been moved so far from Plauru, which has around 50 residents, together with their animals, with evacuees transported to nearby Ceatalchioi, where local authorities are providing shelter. 

“Given the proximity to Romanian territory and the nature of the cargo, the authorities have carried out an initial assessment of the situation” and decided, in coordination with Interior Ministry structures, “to preventively evacuate people and animals in the vicinity, a measure maintained until any risk for the population is eliminated,” the Department for Emergency Situations said. 

The County Committee for Emergency Situations was activated to monitor the situation and coordinate emergency measures. Meanwhile, the chief county inspector and the Tulcea prefect traveled to the area, accompanied by fire brigades, to conduct reconnaissance, monitoring, and operational support missions. 

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For on-site risk assessment, a special vehicle from the fire service was deployed to measure potential hazards, and all intervention forces “are mobilized and prepared to manage the situation and protect the population and property,” the Department for Emergency Situations added. 

The authorities urged residents “to remain calm and strictly follow the instructions of the local authorities and the intervention crews,” stressing that evacuation would remain in place until specialists exclude any danger from the burning cargo ship. 

Plauru, a small settlement on the Danube opposite the Ukrainian port of Izmail in the Odesa region, has previously been affected by cross-border fallout from the war, including the discovery of Russian drone debris in 2023 and the identification of a possible drone impact zone near the village after airspace violations reported in January 2025. 

Overnight, Russian forces carried out a drone attack on Ukraine’s Odesa region, striking facilities near the port of Izmail. Air-raid warnings were issued in the area, and authorities reported no casualties as firefighting and risk assessment operations continued on site.

Earlier, it was reported that Romania activated its air defense systems and issued RO-Alert warnings in northern Tulcea County after Russian drones targeted Ukrainian port infrastructure along the Danube near Izmail, with radar detecting multiple UAV groups close to Romanian airspace, but no violation was confirmed.

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