India lodged a formal protest with Moscow on Tuesday. The Ministry of External Affairs summoned Russian Charge d’Affaires Vladimir Ladanov after four Indian nationals were killed in a missile strike on a merchant vessel off Ukraine’s coast.
Sources said the MEA conveyed India’s strong objection to the incident and sought an explanation from the Russian side. The government has told Moscow it is closely monitoring developments and views the matter with serious concern.
What happened to the ship
The vessel, MV Golden Leo, was attacked on the evening of July 19 shortly after leaving Ukraine’s Odesa port. It was flying the Guinea-Bissau flag and carrying a cargo of corn.
Ukraine’s air force said Russian forces launched three Kh-59/Kh-69 cruise missiles at the ship. One missile struck the vessel’s starboard side, setting it on fire. Eight sailors were rescued and taken to hospital in Odesa.
The vessel had 17 crew members on board when it was hit, including five Indian nationals. The crew was multinational, drawn from India and Syria.
India confirms four deaths
The MEA confirmed the toll in a statement issued Monday. “As per information available, four Indian nationals have tragically lost their lives, while one is hospitalised in a critical condition,” the ministry said.
The ministry extended condolences to the families of the deceased and wished the injured crew member a full recovery. It said the Indian mission in Ukraine was closely monitoring the situation and working to assist those affected.
New Delhi did not hold back in its response. The ministry said targeting commercial shipping and civilian crew members was unacceptable, regardless of the circumstances of the ongoing war.
“India condemns such attacks and reiterates that targeting commercial shipping and endangering innocent civilian crew members, or otherwise impeding freedom of navigation and commerce, is deplorable and should be avoided,” the ministry said.
Russia’s version of events
Russia’s Ministry of Defence acknowledged carrying out strikes on Ukrainian ports and vessels on Sunday, saying its forces targeted ships “operating in the interests of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.”
It said the strikes involved anti-ship Oniks missiles, air-launched cruise missiles and loitering munitions aimed at port infrastructure.
Ukrainian authorities have placed direct blame on Russia for the attack on the Golden Leo specifically. Moscow has not issued a separate statement addressing the deaths of the Indian crew members.
According to data from the London Stock Exchange Group, the Golden Leo is owned by Mumbai-based Ocean Grace Shipping Ltd. The company had not issued a public statement on the incident at the time of this report.
With the Russian envoy summoned and an explanation formally sought, the diplomatic fallout from the attack will likely play out over the coming days as India awaits Moscow’s response.
The incident also adds to a growing list of Indian civilian and crew casualties tied to the war, raising fresh questions about the safety of merchant shipping routes near Ukraine’s Black Sea ports.
Curated news reports, in-depth analysis, and special features by India’s Opinion editorial team.
