A ship named MV Golden Leo, leaving from Odessa port in Ukraine, was attacked, in which 4 Indian crew members died and one is in critical condition. The Ministry of External Affairs said that when the attack took place, there were 17 crew members present on board, out of which 5 were Indians.

Foreign Ministry statement

The Ministry of External Affairs said, ‘On the evening of 19 July 2026, the MV GOLDEN LEO ship was attacked while leaving Odessa Port. There were also 5 Indian citizens on that ship. Unfortunately four Indian citizens have died. There is only one serious case, who has been admitted to the hospital. We are closely monitoring the situation in Ukraine and doing our best to provide all possible help to the affected people. We express our deepest condolences to the families of the killed Indian citizens and pray for the speedy and complete recovery of the injured Indian citizens.

The Ministry of External Affairs said, ‘India condemns such attacks and reiterates that targeting commercial shipping and putting the lives of innocent civilians at risk or hindering freedom of navigation and trade is condemnable and should not be done.’

What did the Ukrainian Navy say?

According to the Ukrainian Navy, Russia attacked the Guinea-Bissau-flagged ship Golden Leo with three cruise missiles. There was Mecca on this ship and crew members from India and Syria were on board. The ship caught fire due to the attack. Ukraine’s Port Authority said that the rescue operation continued throughout the night. A total of 9 crew members and one ship’s pilot were killed.

In recent weeks, Ukraine and Russia have intensified attacks on each other. The governor of Ukraine’s Odessa region said 28 people have been killed in Russian attacks so far this month. On Monday, a Ukrainian drone strike on a bus in Russia’s Belgorod region killed five people, including a child, while at least eight people were injured in Russian attacks on several Ukrainian cities.