Greece issues note of protest to Ukraine over sea drone near Lefkada island
Kyiv • UNN
Greece has officially lodged a protest with Ukraine over a sea drone discovered near Lefkada in May. The craft, carrying explosives, posed a threat to civilian vessels.
Greece has officially handed Ukraine a note of protest over a Ukrainian naval drone discovered near the island of Lefkada in May. This was reported by the Greek publication Kathimerini, according to UNN.
Details
According to the publication, Athens told Kyiv that the unmanned surface vehicle allegedly posed a serious threat to civilian shipping and could have led to loss of life and an environmental disaster.
Athens declared a security threat
Greek Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lana Zochiou stated that the note of protest urged the Ukrainian side to refrain from such actions in the future.
"The unmanned surface vessel discovered in Greek territorial waters posed a serious threat to maritime traffic and could have led to the death of innocent civilians. It could also have caused irreparable environmental damage,"
Greece also expressed dissatisfaction that hostilities related to Russia's war against Ukraine are allegedly being transferred to the Mediterranean Sea.
"The transfer of military operations to the Mediterranean, far from the actual front line of the war, jeopardizes our national security and strikes a blow to the economy,"
Greece claims the drone belonged to Ukraine
According to Kathimerini, after an inspection, the Greek military concluded that the drone was of Ukrainian manufacture and was allegedly used as part of an operation against vessels linked to Russian interests.
The publication writes that the 'Kossack Mamai' type drone was discovered by fishermen on May 7 near Lefkada. It is reported that its engines were running and it had about 70 kilograms of explosives on board.
The article also notes that Greece informed the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas about the incident, and Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis discussed the situation with Ukrainian Minister Andrii Sybiha.
No official reaction from Ukraine yet
As of now, the Ukrainian side has not publicly commented on Greece's statements or the Kathimerini publication.
Reminder
Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias stated that the Ukrainian side must apologize to Athens following the discovery of the naval drone in Lefkada.