Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: In a rare case, India on Tuesday condemned a Russian attack on a commercial ship near Ukraine’s coast, killing 10, including four Indian seafarers, the media reported.
This is the first instance of the death of Indian seafarers in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
India said on Tuesday that it summoned a senior Russian diplomat to protest an attack on a cargo ship in the Black Sea last weekend that killed four Indian crew members.
Ukraine said Russia hit the Golden Leo — a Guinea-Bissau-flagged ship manned by a crew from India and Syria — with three cruise missiles on Sunday, killing 10 people, including four Indian citizens.
Vladimir Ladanov, Russian chargé d’affaires in New Delhi, was summoned by the Ministry of External Affairs to register its protest following the incident.
“Such attacks undermine the safety, security and stability of international maritime commerce,” the MEA said in a statement.
New Delhi expressed “grave concerns and unequivocal condemnation” of the attack and asked Ladanov to convey to Moscow that “the targeting of commercial shipping and the resulting loss of innocent civilian lives are unacceptable and must be avoided.”
India is one of the largest contributors of sailors to merchant shipping worldwide, with more than 320,000 active seafarers in 2025.
Russia and India consider each other “time-tested” friends with ties dating back to the Soviet era. However, their relationship has come under significant pressure since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The vessel — MV Golden Leo — had 17 crew members including five Indian nationals, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in New Delhi. One Indian was wounded.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Russia attacked a civilian vessel navigating Ukraine’s maritime corridor on Sunday and its crew included citizens of Syria and India.
The Guinea-Bissau-flagged ship was hit by Russian cruise missiles, the Ukrainian Air Force said.
“On the evening of July 19, the vessel MV Golden Leo was attacked while departing the port of Odesa. At the time of the incident, there were 17 crew members on board, including five Indian nationals,” the MEA said.
“As per information available, four Indian nationals have tragically lost their lives, while one is hospitalized in a critical condition,” it said.
The MEA said the Indian mission in Ukraine is closely monitoring the situation and is making every effort to extend all possible assistance to those affected.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the families of the deceased Indian nationals and wish the injured Indian national a speedy and full recovery,” it said in a statement.
Western media reported the death toll in the attack has risen to 10.
The incident came amid escalating hostilities between Ukraine and Russia.
Sybiha came down hard on Russia for the attack.
“A civilian ship. An international crew. A route serving global food security. (Russian President Vladimir) Putin saw another target,” he said on social media.
“This attack leaves no room for illusions. Putin’s Russia does not care whom it kills. Ukrainians or citizens of any other nation,” he said.
Sybiha said the attack was not an “isolated incident.”
“Just yesterday, Russia attacked another foreign merchant vessel in the Black Sea flying the flag of Antigua and Barbuda, killing one person and injuring three others. Russia is deliberately turning freedom of navigation into a target of war,” he alleged.
He said he discussed this issue with the leadership of the International Maritime Organization and called for the deployment of an international monitoring mission to Ukraine’s ports.
“We expect this mission to begin its work as planned in the fall and help document every act of Russia’s maritime terror, paving the way for accountability,” he said.
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