Fifth Indian Merchant Seafarer Killed in Ukraine War After Black Sea Attack
New Delhi: In the second attack on a commercial vessel carrying Indian sailors within a week, one seafarer was killed after a ship came under attack on July 18 while transiting the Black Sea, reportedly within Russian territorial waters, bringing the total Indian seafarers killed in the Ukraine war to five.
In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs said the vessel was attacked on July 18 while transiting the Black Sea. There were ten crew members on board, including three Indian nationals.
"As per available information, one Indian national tragically lost his life in the attack," the ministry said, adding that the other two Indian crew members were safe.
Condemning the strike, the MEA stated, "India unequivocally condemns such attacks targeting commercial shipping and placing the lives of innocent civilian crew members at risk. It is a matter of serious concern that the freedom of navigation and international commerce is facing increasing threats."
The ministry reiterated, "India calls upon all concerned parties to uphold international obligations to ensure the safety and security of maritime navigation and uninterrupted flow of global commerce."
The MEA statement did not identify those responsible for the attack.
The Forward Seamen's Union of India (FSUI) identified the deceased in a social media post as Chief Officer Sagar Gupta and said he was killed in a "Ukrainian drone attack" while on board the Omorfi at Novorossiysk.
The Omorfi attack fell on the same day that Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces said its drones struck 13 more vessels linked to Russia's "shadow fleet" in the Black and Azov seas, as part of ‘Operation Molochka’. According to the force's commander, Robert "Madyar" Brovdi, the July 18 strikes hit eight dry cargo vessels, an oil tanker, a gas carrier, a tugboat and two floating cranes.
The latest incident comes less than a week after four Indian merchant seafarers were killed and another critically injured when the bulk carrier MV Golden Leo was struck after departing Ukraine's Black Sea port of Odesa. New Delhi subsequently summoned Russia's chargé d'affaires to convey its "grave concerns" and "unequivocal condemnation" over the deaths of the Indian crew members.
The Golden Leo attack had marked the first instance of Indian merchant seafarers being killed since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and the second conflict this year in which Indian sailors have died, after at least 13 Indian seafarers were killed in attacks on commercial vessels during the US-Iran conflict around the Strait of Hormuz.
On the Ukrainian side, Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces did report striking a batch of vessels in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov on July 18, the same day as the Omorfi attack, as part of its ongoing "MoLoChKa" campaign against Russia's shadow fleet, but the vessel lists put out by that unit's commander (cargo ships, tankers, floating cranes, a tugboat) don't name Omorfi specifically.
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