Greece's Defence Minister Nikos Dendias confirmed on Tuesday that the maritime drone discovered near the island of Lefkada days ago is of Ukrainian origin, describing the incident as "an extremely serious matter."
Speaking as he arrived at the meeting of EU defence ministers in Brussels, Dendias said he would brief his colleagues on the findings, with Ukraine's Defence Minister participating via video call. "I will inform my colleagues, with the Ukrainian Defence Minister present via video call, about the data regarding the drone we 'fished out' in Greece. It is Ukrainian," he said. He added that "the presence of this maritime drone affects the freedom and safety of navigation."
The drone, identified as a Ukrainian Magura V5 naval unmanned surface vessel, was discovered by fishermen in a cave south of Lefkada in the Ionian Sea and was subsequently destroyed at sea by military sappers. Reports indicate the device carried a significant quantity of explosives, though the Greek Defence Ministry has not officially confirmed the precise amount.
The incident had already been raised at the EU level the day before, when Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis addressed it at the Council of Foreign Affairs in Brussels. Gerapetritis called it "a particularly serious development" and signalled that once the investigation was complete and the necessary technical characteristics established, "there will be a response on the part of the Greek government with the necessary steps," sending a clear message in all directions regarding the limits of Greek authorities' tolerance for such incidents.
Source: Protothema.gr
