Four Indians have been killed and one injured in a Russian attack on a ship off Ukraine's Odesa port, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement. The cargo vessel, Golden Leo, had 17 crew members on board of whom five were Indians, the statement said.
One of the deceased has been identified as Akhil Joyan, a native of Kasaragod district, Kerala.
The cargo vessel, Golden Leo, was sailing under the Guinea-Bissau flag when it came under attack.
According to Ukrainian authorities, Russia fired three missiles, triggering a fire onboard the ship. The attack primarily affected Indian sailors and Syrian nationals on board the vessel.
The MEA condemned the attack and reiterated that targeting commercial shipping and endangering innocent civilian crew members, or impeding freedom of navigation and commerce is deplorable and should be avoided.
Our statement on attacks on commercial vessel - MV GOLDEN LEO ⬇️
— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) July 20, 2026
🔗 https://t.co/rhM365hrWJ pic.twitter.com/UMfD7qmT53
Ukrainian authorities too condemned the strike, calling it another deliberate attack on civilian maritime infrastructure and warning that such actions pose a serious threat to international shipping routes and global food security.
