Greek Foreign Ministry lodges formal complaint with Ukraine regarding naval boat with explosives

Greece has lodged an official complaint with Ukraine regarding an unmanned naval boat carrying explosives that was discovered in May near the island of Lefkada in the Ionian Sea. This was reported by BelTA, citing the newspaper Ekathimerini.

"The naval drone discovered in Greek territorial waters posed a serious threat to maritime navigation, could have resulted in the deaths of innocent people, and could have caused incalculable environmental damage," said Lana Zochiou, spokesperson for the Greek Foreign Ministry.

She confirmed that "Greece has expressed its strong protest over the illegal presence of an armed naval drone in Greek territorial waters and called on Ukraine to refrain from similar actions in the future and not to extend military operations into areas of the Mediterranean."

It was previously reported that Greek authorities are investigating the discovery of an explosive-laden unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in Greek territorial waters off the island of Lefkada in the Ionian Sea. On May 7, a fisherman found the drone in a coastal cave and towed it to a nearby harbor. The drone was later transported to a naval base on the mainland for inspection, and the explosives were subsequently destroyed. The Guardian reported that the drone may have contained approximately 100 kg of explosives.

Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias confirmed that the discovered military naval drone carrying explosives belongs to Ukraine and called the incident "extremely serious." The minister stated that the Ukrainian side is obliged to provide an official explanation.