New Delhi, July 27 -- India called in Ukraine's Ambassador Oleksandr Polishchuk on Monday to lodge a strong protest after an Indian seafarer was killed in a strike on a merchant vessel in the Black Sea last week.
The Ministry of External Affairs said it had raised serious concern with the envoy and condemned the attack on commercial shipping in firm terms. The ship, MV Omorfi, is reported to have been hit by Ukrainian drones during renewed fighting between Russia and Ukraine.
"Today, Ambassador of Ukraine to India, Oleksandr Polishchuk, was summoned to the Ministry of External Affairs in connection with the attack on the commercial vessel MV Omorfi which resulted in the tragic death of an Indian national," the ministry said in a statement.
It added that the attack threatened the safety of maritime navigation, freedom of movement at sea, and international trade. The ambassador was asked to pass on India's concerns to Ukrainian authorities and told that strikes putting civilian seafarers at risk are unacceptable and should not happen again.
The move comes days after India summoned Russia's charge d'affaires last Tuesday over a separate strike on a merchant vessel off Ukraine's coast that left 10 people dead, including four Indian crew members.
Responding to Monday's development, the Ukrainian embassy in New Delhi said it offered its deep sympathy to the families of the Indian seafarers who died amid the worsening security situation in the Black Sea. It said Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha had written a letter of condolence to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, and that the two ministers were expected to speak soon on the situation in the region.
The embassy placed responsibility for the danger at sea on Russia, saying that risks to civilian shipping could be reduced if warnings issued by Kyiv were acted on promptly. It said Ukraine had repeatedly alerted its partners, including senior Indian officials, about growing threats in the Black Sea, and had kept them informed of steps taken to stop the movement of military cargo supporting Russia's war effort.
The embassy also noted that India's Directorate General of Maritime Administration had issued an advisory on July 23 for Indian ships and vessels carrying Indian crew passing through the Black Sea.
"The only sustainable way to restore maritime security is to increase international pressure on the Russian Federation to end its attacks on civilian shipping," the embassy said, calling for early and preventive action by authorities to protect seafarers and safeguard maritime security in the region.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.