New Delhi, Oct. 7 -- Strongly condemning a series of recent attacks on commercial vessels in the Black Sea that put several Indian crew members at risk, India called for an immediate halt to maritime targeting and renewed its push for diplomatic mediation to end the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Addressing a bi-weekly press conference, Ministry of External Affairs Official Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal outlined an alarming surge in maritime safety threats, detailing four separate incidents involving merchant vessels operating in the region over 48 hours.

Highlighting the immediate peril faced by merchant crews, Jaiswal noted that three Indian nationals were on board the commercial vessel MV Royad Mammadov when it was struck, though th...