New Delhi: India on Tuesday summoned the Russian Ambassador to New Delhi following the deaths of four Indian crew members aboard a merchant vessel off the coast of Ukraine. According to reports, this marks the first instance of Indian seafarers being killed since the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Did India summon a Russian diplomat?
After four Indian crew members were killed in an attack on a Guinea-Bissau-flagged merchant vessel off the coast of Ukraine, India on Tuesday summoned the Russian ambassador to New Delhi.
The MEA summoned Russian Charge d’Affaires Vladimir Ladanov to lodge a strong protest against the Russian attacks on the civilian vessel, MV Golden Leo, while it was navigating Ukraine’s maritime corridor on Sunday.
Did India condemn the strike?
India strongly condemned the attack, stating that targeting commercial shipping and civilian crew members is unacceptable.
In a statement, India said that, “As per the 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.”
“The Russian Charge d’Affaires was requested to convey India’s strong concerns to his authorities that the targeting of commercial shipping and the resulting loss of innocent civilian lives are unacceptable and must be avoided,” the statement added.
When did the attack happen?
In the statement on Monday, the foreign ministry said that “On the evening of July 19, the vessel MV Golden Leo was attacked while departing the port of Odesa. At the time of the incident, there were 17 crew members on board, including five Indian nationals.”
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“As per information available, four Indian nationals have tragically lost their lives, while one is hospitalised in a critical condition,” it said.
