Odesa port strike hits vessel with four Indians, two safe and two untraced

London,UPDATED: Jul 26, 2026 15:58 IST

A merchant vessel carrying four Indians came under attack at Ukraine's Odesa port, with two of them confirmed safe, the Indian Embassy in Kyiv said on Sunday. Information on the other two Indians was still awaited as search and rescue operations continued.

The incident took place on Saturday when MV AGN Ragnar was hit at the Port of Odesa, one of Ukraine's main Black Sea ports that has frequently come under attack since the Russia-Ukraine conflict began in 2022. The embassy said it was closely monitoring the situation and was in touch with the authorities to establish the status of the missing crew members and provide assistance.

In a statement, the mission said, "Embassy of India in Ukraine is closely monitoring the situation following the incident involving MV AGN Ragnar, which was struck at the Port of Odesa on July 25." It said four Indian nationals were on board the vessel at the time. "As per the latest information, two have been confirmed safe, and information is awaited regarding the other two nationals," it added.

There was no immediate information on the source of the strike, the circumstances surrounding the incident, or the total strength of the crew. The identities of the four Indian nationals and the nature of their duties on board were also not immediately known. The embassy said search and rescue operations were underway and that it was in constant touch with the concerned authorities.

The Ministry of External Affairs said in an advisory on Sunday that the security situation in and around the Black Sea and adjoining maritime areas remained highly volatile because of the ongoing conflict. Commercial vessels operating in or passing through these waters face major security risks, including missile and drone attacks. "Since April, there has been an increase in the number of such incidents on commercial vessels, which has also resulted in the loss of 5 Indian lives," the MEA said.

Odesa, Ukraine's principal Black Sea port, has remained a frequent target of missile and drone attacks. India has repeatedly advised its nationals to avoid travel to Ukraine in view of the security situation and has been extending consular assistance to Indian citizens in the country since the conflict began. The latest advisory also asked Indian nationals considering jobs on commercial vessels operating in or passing through the conflict-affected region to carefully assess the prevailing security risks before accepting such assignments.

The attack on MV AGN Ragnar has again highlighted the risks to commercial shipping in the Black Sea region, with two Indians confirmed safe and information still awaited on the other two crew members on board.

With PTI Inputs

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