Greece demands Ukraine remove combat naval drones from the Mediterranean Sea

Athens has officially lodged a protest with Kyiv after a combat surface drone carrying explosives, believed to belong to Ukraine, was discovered off the shores of the Greek island of Lefkada. The Greek side is demanding an acknowledgment of the error and the withdrawal of any remaining naval UAVs from the Mediterranean Sea.

Greek Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Lana Zokiou stated that the unmanned surface vessel posed a serious threat to maritime navigation and human life.

“Ukraine’s right to self-defense cannot justify such actions,” Zokiou said.

Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry, for its part, claims there is no evidence linking the discovered drone to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

According to the Greek outlet Kathimerini, a drone of the “Cossack Mamay” type was found by fishermen in Greek territorial waters off the coast of Lefkada. It is believed to have gone off course. An examination conducted by the Greek National Defence General Staff confirmed that the strike naval drone belongs to Ukraine and was used for operations against commercial vessels linked to Russia’s “shadow fleet.”

The findings of the Greek military report were passed to EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha. Sybiha was also invited to participate in an informal meeting of the EU Council of Foreign Ministers in Limassol.