After summoning Russian envoy, Jaishankar presses Moscow on Indian seafarers’ safety

He also said that they “discussed various aspects of our partnership, including trade & investment, energy & connectivity, science & technology, and mobility. Also exchanged views on the Ukraine conflict and the Gulf situation”.

Russian diplomat summoned

On Tuesday, India summoned the Russian Charge d’Affaires (CDA) Vladimir Ladanov, and conveyed that “such attacks undermine the safety, security and stability of international maritime commerce”.

“The Russian Chargé 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,” it said.

While India was quick to condemn the attack on Monday, it did not name Russia. The naming and summoning of the Russian diplomat are significant, given that Delhi is perceived as closer to Moscow and has navigated the diplomatic tightrope over the last four years of the Russia-Ukraine war.

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 died in the Russia-Ukraine war.

Deaths of Indian sailors

According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russian forces launched three Kh-59/Kh-69 cruise missiles, one of which struck the starboard side of the Golden Leo, a Turkish-owned merchant vessel sailing under the flag of Guinea-Bissau, while it was departing Ukraine’s southern port of Odesa on Sunday.

The strike killed 10 people, including four Indians. The MEA had said another Indian sailor was “hospitalised in a critical condition”.

While the Centre is yet to release the names of the dead, two sailors have been identified by their families as Akhil Joyan, 26, a resident of Kasaragod district in Kerala, and Abhishek Nishad, 22, a resident of Deoria district in Uttar Pradesh. Their families have said they were contacted by the shipping firm.

The attack came amid a sharp escalation in Russian strikes on Ukraine’s maritime infrastructure. According to the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority (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 shipowners reportedly refusing to send vessels to Ukraine’s Black Sea ports due to the growing security risks.