diff --git a/changelog.d/fixed-inference-curl-fqdn-image.md b/changelog.d/fixed-inference-curl-fqdn-image.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4a574581c4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelog.d/fixed-inference-curl-fqdn-image.md
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+- The `hive-inference` vLLM Deployment's `model-download` init container now pulls `docker.io/curlimages/curl` by its fully-qualified name instead of the Docker Hub short name `curlimages/curl`. Oracle Linux 9 cri-o (OKE 1.34 node images) enforces short-name resolution (`short-name-mode = "enforcing"`), so on the upgraded hive-oke nodes the pod stuck in `Init:ImageInspectError` with "image name curlimages/curl:8.13.0 returns ambiguous list" and the model never downloaded; OL8 nodes silently resolved it to Docker Hub. Found during the hive-oke OL8→OL9 / Landlock node cycling (#17642).
diff --git a/src/deploy/inference/vllm-deployment.yaml b/src/deploy/inference/vllm-deployment.yaml
index b4de56f980..37456df78a 100644
--- a/src/deploy/inference/vllm-deployment.yaml
+++ b/src/deploy/inference/vllm-deployment.yaml
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ spec:
     spec:
       initContainers:
         - name: model-download
-          image: curlimages/curl:8.13.0@sha256:d43bdb28bae0be0998f3be83199bfb2b81e0a30b034b6d7586ce7e05de34c3fd
+          image: docker.io/curlimages/curl:8.13.0@sha256:d43bdb28bae0be0998f3be83199bfb2b81e0a30b034b6d7586ce7e05de34c3fd
           command:
             - /bin/sh
             - -c