New Delhi, July 21 (IANS) The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday summoned the Russian Charge d'Affaires following the attack on a commercial vessel departing from Odesa port in Ukraine, in which four Indian nationals lost their lives, while one was critical.
According to the MEA, 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.
Condemning the attack, the Ministry said, "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."
"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," it added.
According to a report by the Kyiv Post, a Russian missile struck the Turkish-owned cargo vessel Golden Leo, killing 10 people in total.
The Ukraine Air Force said that three Kh-59/Kh-69 cruise missiles were launched by Russian forces and one missile struck the starboard side of the Golden Leo, the merchant vessel sailing under the Guinea-Bissau flag, igniting a fire. Eight sailors were rescued and taken to hospital in Odesa.
The Russian Ministry of Defence said on Sunday: "Throughout the day, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continued carrying out strikes against Ukrainian ports and vessels operating in the interests of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU)."
It stated that anti-ship Oniks missiles, air-launched cruise missiles, and loitering munitions hit port infrastructure targets.
Among the targets, it listed: "Two bulk carriers carrying military cargo at anchorage off the Port of Odesa."
--IANS
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