The Ministry of External Affairs on Monday summoned the Ukrainian ambassador to India in connection with the attack on a commercial vessel on July 18, in which one Indian national was killed.

The attack took place when the ship, MV OMORFI, was reportedly transiting Russian territorial waters in the Black Sea, the ministry said on Friday.

The ministry said that it conveyed its “serious concern” about the attack to Ukrainian ambassador Oleksandr Polishchuk and condemned attacks on commercial shipping.

The ministry also highlighted the adverse impact of attacks on commercial vessels on maritime safety, freedom of navigation and international trade.

“The ambassador was requested to convey to the Ukrainian authorities India’s strong concerns over the targeting of commercial vessels”, the ministry said. It reiterated that actions which endanger the lives of civilian seafarers are “unacceptable” and must be avoided.

This comes after a ship with four Indians onboard was struck by a projectile at the port of Odesa in Ukraine on Saturday.

While two of the Indian seafarers are safe, “information is awaited regarding the other two”, said the Indian Embassy in Kyiv on Sunday.

On July 19, four Indians were killed and one critically injured after a cargo ship was attacked while it departed the port of Odesa. The five Indians were among the 17 crew on board the ship.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha had accused Russia of attacking the vessel inside his country’s maritime corridor. The incident came amid the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Russia began its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, triggering the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War II.

On Sunday, the Ministry of External Affairs advised Indians employed or planning to undertake employment in the Black Sea region to “carefully assess the security risks before accepting such assignments”.

Written by Anamika Pathak. Edited by Neerad Pandharipande.