'Russia In Contact With India': Kremlin's Message To Delhi Days After Strikes On Ships Carrying Indian Crew

Published 21 July 2026 · local

'Russia In Contact With India': Kremlin's Message To Delhi Days After Strikes On Ship Carrying Indian Crew Published By, Last Updated: July 21, 2026, 21:01

'Russia In Contact With India': Kremlin's Message To Delhi Days After Strikes On Ship Carrying Indian Crew Published By, Last Updated: July 21, 2026, 21:01 IST India summoned Russia's Charge d'Affaires in New Delhi following the attack on the Guinea-Bissau-flagged merchant vessel MV Golden Leo. remlin's Message To Delhi Days After Strikes On Ships Carrying Indian Crew The Kremlin on Tuesday said Russia continues to remain in touch with India, days after New Delhi strongly protested the deaths of four Indian crew members in a Russian attack on a merchant vessel navigating Ukraine’s maritime corridor. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Moscow remained engaged with New Delhi despite the diplomatic fallout over the incident. “Russia remains in contact with our Indian partners," Peskov said. Clarifying Russia’s military position, he added, “Our armed forces are striking and will continue to strike those vessels that are involved in transporting ammunition, weapons and so on, for the purposes of the Kiev regime." His remarks came after India summoned Russia’s Charge d’Affaires in New Delhi following the attack on the Guinea-Bissau-flagged merchant vessel MV Golden Leo. India lodges strong protest India summoned Russian Charge d’Affaires Vladimir Ladanov to register a strong protest over the Russian attack on the civilian vessel while it was navigating Ukraine’s maritime corridor on Sunday.

In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs said India had conveyed its “grave concerns and unequivocal condemnation" of the strike, which resulted in the deaths of four Indian nationals. The ministry said the attack on the commercial vessel had “resulted in the tragic loss of four Indian lives", adding that such incidents undermine the safety, security and stability of international maritime commerce. “The Russian Charge 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," the statement said. Four Indians killed, one critically injured There were 17 crew members on board the MV Golden Leo, including five Indian nationals, when the vessel came under Russian attack. According to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, 10 seafarers were killed in the strike, including four Indians and six Syrians. The Ministry of External Affairs said four Indian nationals had died, while one Indian crew member was hospitalised in a critical condition. The ministry added that the Indian mission in Ukraine was closely monitoring the situation and making every effort to provide assistance to those affected.