India Summons Russian Envoy, Furious At Mass Casualty Tanker Strike In Black Sea

Tit-for-tat attacks on shipping between Ukraine and Russia have ratcheted of late in the Black Sea. At least half a dozen commercial vessels have been attacked in these waters over the past two weeks alone. The situation is almost becoming akin to a Hormuz crisis in its own right, as oil transit slows.

Tragically, there's a mounting death toll among crew members caught in the crossfire. One of the biggest single casualty events - if not the biggest - was the result of a Russian attack on the Golden Leo, a Guinea-Bissau-flagged ship, on Sunday.

Three cruise missiles reportedly hit the vessel, killing ten people, including four Indian citizens. The other dead were from Syria, and one Ukrainian, and the incident has outraged these countries, especailly India.

Throughout the Ukraine war India and Russia have remained key energy trading partners, but this Black Sea incident has introduced fresh tensions.

India’s Foreign Ministry confirmed Tuesday that it summoned a senior Russian diplomat to fiercely protest the attack and deaths of Indian nationals.

"Such attacks undermine the safety, security and stability of international maritime commerce," India’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement upon summoning Russian chargé d’affaires Vladimir Ladanov.

New Delhi further expressed "grave concerns and unequivocal condemnation" of the attack and told Ladanov to convey to the Kremlin that "the targeting of commercial shipping and the resulting loss of innocent civilian lives are unacceptable and must be avoided."

Ukraine has also been drastically escalating its attacks on Russian vessels, including so-called 'dark fleet' tankers.

As we featured previously, these attacks reached a peak by mid-July: Ukrainian forces struck 17 Russia-linked oil tankers, 2 gas carriers, and one tugboat early on July 15, drone unit commander Robert Brovdi said at the time.

Meanwhile, more reports of tanker attacks off Black Sea coast emerging by the day:

🇷🇺🇺🇦 A Liberian-flagged LPG tanker, "Gas Lisbon" bound for Ukraine was hit off the coasts of Romania.

All 17 crew onboard were evacuated by the Romanian coast guard, with three injured.

This comes after the new sea blockade imposed by the Russian MoD on Odessa. pic.twitter.com/iC53Y8QW9y

— Spetsnaℤ 007 🇷🇺 (@Alex_Oloyede2) July 21, 2026

"The first round of the naval battle is over," the commander wrote, referring to the Sea of Azov, where Ukraine had focused its drone attack efforts in the past few weeks, alongside targeting refineries deep into Russian territory.

"Now, the Black Sea," Brovdi said, confirming that Ukraine’s campaign to strike oil and gas vessels is indeed expanding to the Black Sea, a key export route for crude and fuels from the south of Russia.