India protests Russian attack that killed four Indian seafarers

On July 19, a Russian strike hit the Guinea‑Bissau‑flagged merchant vessel MV Golden Leo as it left Odesa port in the Black Sea, killing four Indian crew members and critically injuring another. The attack, which killed a total of ten people on board, underscored the vulnerability of civilian shipping on Ukraine’s maritime corridor.

In response, India’s Ministry of External Affairs summoned Russia’s chargé d’affaires in New Delhi, lodging a formal protest and demanding explanations, compensation and better protection for Indian nationals working near conflict zones. The Russian Foreign Ministry, via spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, said Moscow remains in contact with Delhi and justified the strike as targeting vessels allegedly carrying ammunition for Kyiv.

The incident has heightened diplomatic tension between New Delhi and Moscow, testing India’s longstanding defence and trade ties with Russia while highlighting the broader risks to international maritime commerce amid the Ukraine war.