Four Indian nationals were among 10 people killed after the cargo vessel MV Golden Leo was struck by missiles while departing Ukraine's southern port of Odessa on July 19, prompting India to summon a senior Russian diplomat and condemn the attack on commercial shipping.
According to Ukraine's Navy, the Guinea-Bissau-flagged vessel, owned by a Turkish company, was hit by three Russian cruise missiles shortly after leaving Odesa through Ukraine's Black Sea maritime corridor with a cargo of grain. The ship was carrying 17 crew members, including five Indian nationals. Ukrainian authorities said the strikes ignited a fire after hitting the vessel's starboard side.
Ukraine's Sea Ports Authority said 10 people, including a Ukrainian pilot, were killed in the attack. Rescue operations continued overnight into July 20, with emergency services extinguishing the fire and rescuing survivors. India's Ministry of External Affairs confirmed that four Indian crew members died, while the fifth was critically injured and remains hospitalized.
In a statement released on X on July 21, the ministry described the incident as "deplorable" and stressed that targeting civilian seafarers and commercial shipping was unacceptable. "India condemns such attacks," the ministry said, adding that attacks endangering "innocent civilian crew members" and obstructing freedom of navigation "should be avoided." New Delhi subsequently summoned Russia's chargé d'affaires, Vladimir Ladanov, to convey its "grave concerns," stating that attacks on commercial vessels undermine "the safety, security, and stability of international maritime commerce."
Ukraine's acting Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha also condemned the strike, noting that it followed Russia's large-scale overnight missile and drone attack on Kyiv. "While the world is still responding to Russia's brutal overnight attack on Kyiv, Moscow continues its campaign of terror throughout the day," he wrote on social media.
The incident highlights the growing risks facing civilian shipping operating in and around the Black Sea. India, one of the world's largest suppliers of merchant seafarers with more than 300,000 citizens employed in the industry, has seen multiple nationals killed this year in attacks linked to ongoing conflicts in both Ukraine and the Middle East.
Source: commonspace.eu with The Economic Times (Mumbai) and The Independent (London).
