By Bosphorus News Defense Desk
The Turkish-managed cargo ship Golden Leo sank off Odesa on July 26, one week after Ukrainian authorities said it was struck by three Russian cruise missiles while carrying corn through Ukraine's Black Sea maritime corridor.
Nine crew members and a Ukrainian maritime pilot were killed in the July 19 attack. Eight crew members were rescued.
The Ukrainian Navy said Russian forces fired three Kh-59 or Kh-69 cruise missiles at the Guinea-Bissau-flagged vessel, hitting the starboard side of its superstructure and starting a fire.
The Kremlin later said it was in contact with India and repeated that Russian forces would target vessels suspected of delivering weapons to Ukraine, but it presented no public evidence that the Golden Leo carried military cargo.
Golden Leo remained afloat for seven days
The ship had left Chornomorsk for Romania along the coastal route used by commercial traffic from Ukraine's Black Sea ports.
Ukrainian port authorities said it suffered extensive damage and could not be saved. It went down with its cargo on July 26 after remaining afloat for a week. No crew members were on board at the time.
Mersin-based company managed the vessel
Shipping records list Mumbai-based Ocean Grace Shipping Ltd as the registered owner of the Golden Leo, IMO 9181833.
Mersin-based Friends Shipping Co SA was listed as the vessel's manager.
Ukrainian authorities described the ship as Turkish-owned, while the available registration data identifies an Indian-registered owner and a Turkish management company.
The incident followed a separate attack on the Turkish-flagged MV Reyhan Sarı, which was struck while carrying Russian coal across the Black Sea.
India summons Russian diplomat
Four Indian nationals were among the dead, and another was reported to be in critical condition.
India condemned the strike and summoned Russia's chargé d'affaires in New Delhi.
Indian officials said information received from maritime authorities confirmed that the Golden Leo had loaded grain before departing Ukraine, supporting Ukrainian statements that its cargo was corn rather than military equipment.
Twenty-eight civilian ships attacked in one month
The Odesa regional prosecutor's office said 28 civilian merchant ships were attacked between June 20 and July 20 in the Greater Odesa ports and nearby waters. Twenty-six were foreign-flagged.
Ukrainian officials put the toll from those attacks at 21 dead and 34 injured.
The foreign-flagged Venturo was hit one day before the Golden Leo. One person was killed and the crew was evacuated.
In an earlier analysis, Bosphorus News assessed how the expanding campaign against merchant shipping could disrupt Türkiye's trade, raise insurance costs and restrict access to Ukrainian ports.
The loss of the Golden Leo added the vessel and its cargo to the human toll of the July 19 strike.
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Sources: Ukrainian Navy, Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority, Indian Ministry of External Affairs, Reuters, shipping records, Bosphorus News reporting and review.