Archive · 24 Aug 2026
Deoria Sailor’s Remains Reach India After Odesa Missile Strike
Abhishek Nishad was a 22-year-old sailor from Deoria, India.
He worked on a cargo ship called Golden Leo.
The ship was attacked by a missile near Odesa in Ukraine on July 19.
Nishad was one of the Indian crew members who died.
The attack badly damaged his body.
Because of this, officials used DNA tests to identify him.
His remains traveled through Kyiv and Moldova before reaching New Delhi.
His relatives then began taking him to his village, Karmel.
The journey home took 34 days after the attack.
The remains of 22-year-old Abhishek Nishad reached New Delhi 34 days after his death.
Nishad was killed on July 19 when the cargo vessel Golden Leo came under a missile attack near Ukraine’s Odesa port.
His body was badly damaged, and DNA testing was used to confirm his identity.
The remains traveled from Kyiv through Moldova before arriving at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport.
The shipping company arranged transport for Nishad’s remains to his native village, Karmel, in Deoria.
- Who
- Abhishek Nishad, a 22-year-old crew member from Deoria, was killed; the remains of Karnataka’s Akhil Joyan were also brought to India.
- What
- Nishad’s remains were repatriated after he was killed in a missile attack on the cargo vessel Golden Leo.
- When
- The attack occurred on July 19, and Nishad’s remains reached India on Sunday, 34 days later.
- Where
- The attack occurred near Odesa port in Ukraine; the remains arrived at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport and were being taken to Karmel in Deoria.
- Why
- DNA testing and other formalities were needed because the attack badly damaged Nishad’s body and prevented normal identification.
- Deceased
- Abhishek Nishad, 22
- Occupation
- Crew member aboard the cargo vessel Golden Leo
- Attack date
- July 19
- Attack location
- Near Odesa port, Ukraine
- Identification
- Confirmed through DNA testing after samples matched
- Repatriation route
- Boryspil International Airport in Kyiv to Chisinau International Airport in Moldova, then New Delhi
- Indian deaths
- Four Indian crew members were confirmed killed in the strike
