Shipping minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Tuesday said he is deeply anguished by the loss of lives, including of four Indian seafarers, following a missile attack on merchant vessel MV Golden Leo departing Odesa, Ukraine.
Sonowal in a post on X said India strongly condemns such attacks that endanger innocent civilian crew members and impede the freedom of navigation and commerce.
“Deeply anguished by the tragic loss of lives, including of four brave Indian seafarers, following a missile attack on merchant vessel MV Golden Leo departing Odesa, Ukraine. My thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families in this hour of immense grief,” he said.
“Our Mission in Ukraine, alongside the DGMA and RPSL, is closely monitoring the situation, conducting necessary verifications and ensuring all assistance is extended to the next of kin, on priority basis.
“My prayers are also with the Indian sailor who is injured and currently hospitalised for his swift and full recovery,” Sonowal said.
Four Indian seafarers were among 10 people killed in an attack on a Guinea-Bissau-flagged merchant vessel off the coast of Ukraine, prompting strong condemnation from India and fresh demands to protect commercial shipping during conflicts.
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.
India on Tuesday summoned the Russian charge d’affaires (CDA) and lodged a strong protest over the incident.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said it conveyed to the Russian CDA India’s “grave concerns and unequivocal condemnation” of the attack.
This was the first instance of any casualties of Indian seafarers in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.
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 according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Monday.
“As per information available, four Indian nationals have tragically lost their lives, while one is hospitalised in a critical condition,” it had 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.
The incident came amid escalating hostilities between Ukraine and Russia.
