4 min readNew Delhi, ThiruvananthapuramJul 20, 2026 11:09 PM IST
In the first deaths of Indian seafarers in the Russia-Ukraine war, four Indians were among 10 killed in a Russian missile strike on a merchant vessel departing Ukraine’s southern port of Odesa on Sunday.
India was quick to condemn the attack, without directly blaming Russia.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russian forces launched three Kh-59/Kh-69 cruise missiles during the attack. One missile struck the starboard side of the Golden Leo, a Turkish-owned merchant vessel sailing under the flag of Guinea-Bissau, igniting a fire.
“On the evening of 19 July 2026, 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,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.
“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,” it said.
Our statement on attacks on commercial vessel – MV GOLDEN LEO ⬇️
🔗 https://t.co/rhM365hrWJ pic.twitter.com/UMfD7qmT53
— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) July 20, 2026
“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 MEA said.
While the Centre is yet to release the names of the dead, one of the sailors has been identified as Akhil Joyan, 26, a resident of Kasaragod district in Kerala. Family sources said they were contacted by the shipping firm. An official communication from the Chief Minister’s Office said the NORKA (Non-resident Keralites Affairs Department) has been entrusted to get in touch with the MEA and Russian consulate for further details.
According to family sources, Akhil was the only son of Joyan, a merchant, and Saly, a collection agent at the postal department. He joined the shipping industry as a mariner after completing a course in nautical science from Chennai, and had been working on the ship for the last six years.
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“Last month, he visited his parents and his wedding was fixed. Akhil was planning to sign off from this ship by the end of this month. He wanted to move to another firm,” said a family source.
The Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority (USPA) said the bulk carrier had aboard 17 crew members from Syria and India, as well as a Ukrainian port pilot, when it was hit shortly after departing Odesa with a cargo of corn. The strike killed 10 people, including the 66-year-old Ukrainian pilot and nine foreign crew members.
While there have been deaths of Indian seafarers in the US-Iran war in West Asia in the last four-and-a-half months, this is the first time that Indian sailors have been victims in the now four-and-a-half-year-old war between Russia and Ukraine.
“This is another targeted Russian attack on an unarmed civilian vessel flying a foreign flag that posed no military threat. The attack is an act of terror against peaceful navigation and a gross violation of international humanitarian law,” Ukraine’s Navy said.
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Ukraine’s Acting Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said the attack came just hours after Russia’s overnight missile and drone assault on Kyiv. “While the world is still responding to Russia’s brutal overnight attack on Kyiv, Moscow continues its campaign of terror throughout the day,” Sybiha wrote on social media.
The attack comes amid a sharp escalation in Russian strikes on Ukraine’s maritime infrastructure. According to the USPA, Russian forces attacked 23 port infrastructure facilities and 17 civilian vessels during the first two weeks of July alone, killing 11 people.
The repeated attacks have disrupted grain exports, with some ship owners reportedly refusing to send vessels to Ukraine’s Black Sea ports because of the growing security risks.