Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaks during a meeting with members of the media on the outskirts of London, Britain, March 2, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos Jasso / File Photo/Reuters

Flagging that as many as 13 Indian seafarers are currently  stranded aboard a commercial vessel at the Ukrainian port of Chornomorsk and continue to face the threat of Russian missile and drone attacks, Ukraine has "regretted" that its request to arrange a phone call between the country's Foreign Minister and India's External Affairs Minister remains unanswered.

Ukraine further questioned if India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) would again summon the Russian representative for further explanations "as Russian attacks continue to endanger Indian seafarers." 

This comes days after India had summoned the Ukrainian ambassador Dr Oleksandr Polishchuk to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) after  Sagar Gupta, an Indian seafarer died in an attack on commercial vessel MV OMORFI which possibly came under the attack of a Ukrainian drone that was launched as part of the country's July 18 Operation Molochka under which it had struck a barrage of drones on at least 172 vessels in the Black and Azov seas that Ukraine alleges were linked to Russia.      

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In a statement issued in connection with the same on Monday, the MEA had conveyed its serious concern over the incident and condemned "attacks on commercial shipping in the strongest terms, underscoring their adverse impact on the safety of maritime navigation, freedom of navigation, and international commerce.”

“The Ambassador was requested to convey to the Ukrainian authorities India’s strong concerns over the targeting of commercial vessels and reiterated that such actions, which endanger the lives of innocent civilian seafarers, are unacceptable and must be avoided,” the MEA had said in a statement issued Monday. On the other hand, Ukraine had proposed a conversation between the Foreign Ministers of the two countries to discuss the “current security situation in the Black Sea region."

Prior to that, the MEA had also summoned Russia’s Chargé d’Affaires Vladimir Ladanov after as many as four Indian sailors died in an attack on the commercial vessel MV Golden Leo near Ukraine's Odessa port on July 19.

After five Indian nationals were confirmed to have died in the region since July 18, India had issued an advisory urging its citizens to carefully assess the security situation before taking up jobs in maritime zones witnessing conflicts, especially in the Black Sea region.   

Ukraine on July 29 confirmed that at least 13 Indian seafarers remained stranded aboard the MV AMIR 1 in its Chornomorsk port under the "continuing threat of Russian missile and drone attacks. Russia’s actions have already caused deaths and injuries among Indian seafarers in the Black Sea."

Sharing the information, the Ukrainian Embassy in India said that disturbing news continued to emerge from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports as "Russia intensified its attacks on civilian vessels and port infrastructure." The country however regretted that its request to arrange a telephone call between Ukraine's Foreign Minister and India's External Affairs Minister on security in the Black Sea remained "unanswered."

"Ukrainian authorities are providing all possible assistance and remain in close contact with the Embassy of India in Ukraine regarding the affected seafarers. We regret that our request to arrange a telephone conversation between Ukraine’s Foreign Minister and India’s External Affairs Minister on security in the Black Sea remains unanswered.

Ukraine also compared India's security advisories that were issued by the country's directorate general of maritime administration (DGMA) regarding the Strait of Hormuz on July 15, 2026 and the Black Sea on July 23, 2026, questioning as to whether the measures recommended for the Black Sea correspond to the level of risk faced by Indian seafarers in the region.

"The situation also calls for a closer comparison of the two security advisories issued by India’s Directorate General of Maritime Administration regarding the Strait of Hormuz on 15 July 2026 and the Black Sea on 23 July 2026. Such a comparison raises serious questions as to whether the measures recommended for the Black Sea correspond to the level of risk faced by Indian seafarers, particularly in light of the repeated Russian attacks on civilian vessels and the loss of Indian lives," the Ukrainian Embassy further said.
Ukraine further said that it shared the concerns raised by the Forward Seamen's Union of India (FSUI) which had called for stronger measures to protect Indian seafarers operating in high-risk maritime regions.

"We share its concerns and expect that our repeated warnings regarding the deteriorating security situation in the Black Sea, together with these calls from India’s maritime community, will prompt appropriate preventive measures by the Ministry of External Affairs of India and the Directorate General of Maritime Administration to better ensure the safety and protection of Indian seafarers," Ukraine said.

Reminding that India had summoned the Russian Chargé d’Affaires to the MEA following the attack on the commercial vessel MV Golden Leo, which had claimed four Indian lives, Ukraine asked if the MEA would once again summon the Russian representative for further explanations as Russian attacks continued "to endanger Indian seafarers."

In an advisory issued on July 23, 2026, the MEA had said that Indian nationals intending to undertake employment on commercial vessels operating in or transiting the conflict-affected Black Sea region were advised to carefully assess the prevailing security risks before accepting such assignments as it highlighted that since April 2026, there had been an increase in the number missile and drone attacks on innocent commercial vessels operating in/transiting the region. 

"Those who choose to undertake such employment should exercise the utmost caution and observe the following precautions: Obtain comprehensive information from employers/ recruitment agencies and ship operators regarding the vessel's intended route, ports of call, security arrangements, insurance coverage, and emergency response procedures.\ that the terms of employment comply with applicable international maritime standards and provide adequate provisions for medical care, evacuation, repatriation, and compensation in the event of an emergency. Keep family members informed of your itinerary and maintain regular contact. Regularly monitor and comply with advisories issued by the DGMA, and other relevant Government of India authorities, as well as safety instructions issued by vessel operators and the competent maritime authorities. In particular, Indian nationals are advised to refer to the recent Security Advisory issued by the Directorate General of Maritime Administration, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, on 23 July 2026," the MEA had said.

It had further advised Indian nationals requiring consular assistance to contact the Embassy of India or Consulates in the region.

 

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