NEW DELHI — India on Tuesday summoned Russia’s Charge d’Affaires following the deaths of four Indian seafarers in a missile strike on a merchant vessel off Ukraine’s coast, marking the first reported fatalities of Indian nationals in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency reported.India said on Monday four of its nationals were killed and another critically injured in attacks on a commercial ship near the Ukrainian port of Odesa.A foreign ministry statement condemned the strike, saying the MV Golden Leo “was attacked while departing the port of Odesa” and had five Indians among its crew of 17.“As per information available, four Indian nationals have tragically lost their lives, while one is hospitalized in a critical condition,” the statement said.The Ukrainian Navy said three Kh-59 or Kh-69 air-launched cruise missiles targeted the vessel, with at least one hitting its superstructure and igniting a major fire.New Delhi condemned attacks on commercial shipping and civilian crews but did not directly identify those responsible.While the statement did not explicitly name Russia, the diplomatic move came after Ukraine accused Moscow of carrying out the strike.Ukraine’s navy said Sunday that Russian missile strikes on the Golden Leo, a Turkish-owned cargo ship carrying grain, had killed five people on board, while another five crew members were missing.Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said the crew included citizens of Syria and India.“A Ukrainian maritime pilot was killed, as well as four crew members, eight crew members were evacuated and five still remain missing,” he said.It was not immediately clear if the four Indian nationals killed were among those who had been declared missing the day before.India is one of the largest contributors of sailors to merchant shipping worldwide, with more than 320,000 active seafarers in 2025, according to its shipping ministry.In its statement, India’s foreign ministry said “targeting commercial shipping and endangering innocent civilian crew members, or otherwise impeding freedom of navigation and commerce, is deplorable and should be avoided.”Last week, India urged local shipowners and firms that recruit sailors not to deploy seafarers on vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, as fighting between the United States and Iran intensified.The directive came after at least two Indian sailors were killed in attacks on commercial vessels a week earlier.
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