The government on Tuesday summoned Russia's envoy to India and lodged a strong protest with Moscow over the deaths of four Indian nationals aboard a merchant vessel off the coast of Ukraine. Calling the attack "deplorable", New Delhi demanded accountability for the killing of its citizens, sources said.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) summoned Russian Charge d'Affaires in New Delhi, Vladimir Ladanov, to convey India's strong objection to the incident and seek an explanation from the Russian side.
The four Indians were serving as crew members on a merchant vessel operating off Ukraine's coast when they were killed. Ukrainian authorities have blamed Russia for the attack amid the ongoing conflict between the two countries.
Sources said India has expressed its deep concern to Moscow and is closely monitoring the situation.
The diplomatic démarche came a day after the MEA confirmed that four Indian nationals had died and another was critically injured when the Guinea-Bissau-flagged cargo ship MV Golden Leo was attacked while departing Ukraine's Odesa port on the evening of July 19.
The grain-carrying vessel had 17 crew members on board, including five Indians.
"As per information available, four Indian nationals have tragically lost their lives, while one is hospitalised in a critical condition," the MEA said in a statement on Monday.
Condemning the attack, India said assaults on commercial shipping and civilian crew members were unacceptable.
"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.
The MEA added that the Indian mission in Ukraine was closely monitoring the developments and making every effort to assist those affected.
According to Ukrainian officials, the Golden Leo, which was carrying corn, was hit by three Russian cruise missiles shortly after leaving Odesa on Sunday. Ukraine's navy said the strike caused the vessel to catch fire.
