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New Delhi: Six days after it summoned Russia’s chargé d’affaires over a Black Sea strike that killed four Indian seafarers, the Ministry of External Affairs on July 27 called in Ukraine’s ambassador over a separate attack in the same waters, on a commercial vessel, in which a fifth Indian mariner was killed.

Monday’s summons makes Ukraine the fourth foreign mission called in by India this year over attacks on commercial vessels carrying Indian seafarers, and the second in which the ambassador was called in. 

Russia’s chargé d’affaires Vladimir Ladanov was summoned on July 21 after the Golden Leo strike, and the US embassy’s chargé d’affaires was called in twice over American attacks on merchant ships in the Gulf of Oman, including the strike on MT Settebello in which three Indian sailors were killed. 

Iran’s ambassador was summoned earlier this year, and the Iranian embassy’s deputy chief of mission last week, after attacks in the Strait of Hormuz.

In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Ukraine’s ambassador, Oleksandr Polishchuk, was called to South Block in connection with the July 18 attack on the commercial vessel MV Omorfi, which resulted in the death of an Indian national.

“The Ministry conveyed its serious concern over the incident and condemned such 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 statement said.

The ambassador “was requested to convey to the Ukrainian authorities India’s strong concerns over the targeting of commercial vessels and reiterated that........

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