Athens has issued a formal diplomatic protest to Kyiv after a Ukrainian maritime drone packed with explosives was discovered near the Greek island of Lefkada, raising alarm over the widening shadow of war into the Mediterranean.
Greece has lodged a diplomatic complaint with Ukraine following the discovery of a Ukrainian naval drone carrying explosives off its coast, the Greek foreign ministry spokesperson, Lana Zochiou, has confirmed.
“The transfer of military operations to the Mediterranean – at a considerable distance from the actual frontline of the conflict – threatens our national security and deals a decisive blow to our national economy,” she said, as quoted by the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (AMNA).
The drone, a model known as the Cossack Mamai, was spotted in May by local fishermen off the western coast of Greece near Lefkada in the Ionian Sea, the newspaper Kathimerini reported. The unmanned vessel was later transported to a naval base in the vicinity of Athens. Greece’s defence minister, Nikos Dendias, has demanded an apology from Kyiv.
Authorities in Athens have been shaken by the prospect that such a drone could accidentally strike an oil tanker or even a passenger ship, while also causing severe environmental damage. Officials note that the device – no larger than a personal watercraft – is nearly impossible to detect.
