India has publicly contradicted Russia's account of a deadly missile strike on a merchant vessel off Ukraine's Black Sea coast, asserting that the ship was carrying grain and not military cargo as Moscow had claimed.
The Ministry of External Affairs issued the clarification on Friday, citing information from the Directorate General of Maritime Administration confirming that the Guinea-Bissau-flagged MV Golden Leo had loaded grain prior to its departure from Odesa on July 19. The vessel was struck by Russian cruise missiles shortly after leaving port, killing ten crew members, including four Indian nationals.
"We once again reiterate that commercial shipping and seafarers must not be targeted under any circumstances," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters at the ministry's weekly briefing. The statement effectively rejected assertions from Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, who had defended the strike by claiming that Russian forces would continue targeting vessels involved in transporting "ammunition, weapons, and so on" for the Ukrainian government.
The attack marked the first deaths of Indian sailors since the Russia-Ukraine war began. New Delhi has responded with unusual diplomatic urgency. On Tuesday, India summoned Russian Charge d'Affaires Vladimir Ladanov to convey its "grave concerns" and "unequivocal condemnation" of the attack on the commercial vessel.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar also raised the issue directly with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during their meeting in Manila on Wednesday, reinforcing India's position that civilian merchant vessels and their crews must be protected from attack.
The incident has intensified India's concerns over the safety of commercial shipping in the Black Sea conflict zone. In a separate attack, the MV OMORFI was also struck, killing another Indian national. With two fatal incidents involving Indian seafarers in less than a week, New Delhi has repeatedly stressed the need for all parties to ensure the safety of maritime navigation and the uninterrupted flow of global trade.
The attack on the Golden Leo is part of a broader escalation in the Black Sea, where both Russia and Ukraine have intensified strikes on shipping routes. For India, the loss of its citizens in what it characterizes as an unjustified attack on civilian infrastructure has added a new layer of urgency to its diplomatic engagement with Moscow.
