The MEA said the MV Golden Leo was attacked while departing the Ukrainian port of Odesa on July 19 and condemned attacks on commercial shipping.
Four Indian nationals were killed after the commercial vessel MV Golden Leo came under attack while departing the Ukrainian port of Odesa on Sunday, according to an official statement by the Ministry of External Affairs.
The deceased crew members were identified as Mustafa Ammar, Ayman Deifallah, Rakan Bishara, Yasser Santli, Muhammad Al-Baghdadi, Akhil Joyan, Gurpreet Singh Bhatt, Jagan Singh and Abhishek Nishad.
The vessel had 17 crew members on board when the attack took place, and out of them, nine crew members lost their lives. The MEA said India’s mission in Ukraine is closely monitoring the situation and is making every effort to provide all possible assistance to those affected.
“As per information available, four Indian nationals have tragically lost their lives, while one is hospitalised in a critical condition. Our 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,” the ministry said in a statement.
The government also strongly condemned the attack, reiterating that commercial vessels and civilian crew members should not be targeted under any circumstances.
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“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 statement added.
The MEA did not disclose further details about the circumstances of the attack or the identities of the Indian nationals. It said India’s Mission in Ukraine remains in close contact with the relevant authorities and is continuing to monitor the situation while extending all possible support to those affected.
The attack on MV Golden Leo comes amid continued security concerns in the Black Sea region, where commercial shipping has faced repeated threats since the conflict in Ukraine escalated.