India summons senior Russian diplomat over killing of four Indian ship crew


Smoke rises from a civilian vessel on fire, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine July 19, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer

NEW DELHI, July ⁠21 (Reuters) - India said it had summoned a ⁠senior Russian diplomat and expressed "grave concerns" after ‌a missile strike killed four Indians on a Black Sea cargo ship that was leaving a Ukrainian port.

Ukraine said Russia ​hit the Golden Leo – a ⁠Guinea-Bissau-flagged ship manned by ⁠a crew from India and Syria – with three ⁠cruise missiles ‌on Sunday, which killed 10 people including four Indians.

Russia did not immediately ⁠respond to a Reuters request for a ​comment.

Vladimir Ladanov, ‌Russian chargé d’affaires, was summoned to India's Ministry ⁠of External ​Affairs, a statement from the ministry said on Tuesday.

Ladanov was asked to convey India's strong concerns and ⁠told that the targeting of ​commercial shipping and the resulting loss of civilian lives was "unacceptable", the statement said.

"Such attacks undermine the safety, ⁠security, and stability of international maritime commerce," the statement said.

The Golden Leo is owned by Mumbai-based Ocean Grace Shipping Ltd, according to LSEG data.

India ​has also lost seafarers in ⁠the Iran war, and protested to both the ​United States and Iran over ‌the losses.

(Reporting by Saurabh Sharma ​in New Delhi, writing by Shanima Aniyeri; Editing by YP Rajesh and Michael Perry)

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