Dendias demands an explanation from Kyiv regarding the drone near Lefkada

Nikos Dendias stated that Greece still waiting for Ukraine explanations for the marine drone with explosives found near Lefkada.

Greece still haven’t received from Ukraine explanations for a maritime drone with explosives found off the coast Lefkada. This was stated by the Minister of National Defense Nikos Dendiasemphasizing that the incident poses a serious threat to the safety of navigation.

The crux of the matter

• Marine drone was found by fishermen near Lefkada and, according to the Greek military, had signs of Ukrainian origin.
• Nikos Dendias stated that Greece is still waiting for clear explanations from the Ukrainian side.
• The drone, according to the minister, carried explosives and posed a direct threat to civil navigation in Ionian Sea.
• One version is that the device could be intended to attack Russian naval targets or ships associated with the transportation of Russian oil in the Mediterranean.

“I am still waiting, and waiting with great interest, for the explanations that the Minister of Defense of Ukraine has pledged to provide to our country regarding the drone found in the Ionian Sea.”– stated Nikos Dendias. His words lead Kathimerini And Proto Theme.

The minister described the situation “exceptionally serious”. According to him, the device was carrying explosives and posed a threat to the freedom and safety of navigation. “I don’t even want to think about what could have happened if a passenger ferry or any other vessel had collided with this drone.”noted Dendias.

Chapter Υπουργείο Εθνικής Άμυνας (Greek Ministry of National Defense) emphasized that Athens expected from Kyiv clear answer. “Greece must be given a clear explanation”he said.

How the drone ended up near Lefkada

A marine drone was discovered by fishermen off the island’s west coast Lefkada. According to Greek and international media reports, the device was washed up on the rocks, after which it was towed to the port. Later, military specialists neutralized the explosives on board.

As previously reported Associated Press, Dendias already stated that found at Lefkada The military maritime drone is Ukrainian and poses a threat to the safety of navigation. According to the agency, the Greek side raised this issue at a meeting of defense ministers EU.

Greek military experts studied the serial numbers, navigation data and design features of the device. Publications indicated that it resembles Ukrainian naval drones of the type Magurawhich were used against Russian ships and naval targets. However, the Ukrainian side has not previously given a public definitive explanation of the origin of a particular apparatus.

Why does Athens consider the incident dangerous?

Danger to Greece lies not only in the origin of the drone, but in the very fact of the appearance of an explosive unmanned vessel in the area of ​​​​civil shipping. Ionian Sea is not a closed military training ground, but a space where passenger ferries, fishing boats, tourist yachts and trade routes pass.

If such a device collided with a civilian ship, the consequences could be catastrophic. That’s why Dendias focuses not on the political side of the issue, but on the safety of navigation. Although, of course, the politics here sticks out of the water no worse than the drone itself: explosives off a Greek island are not a souvenir that Athens is ready to silently write off as a “technical malfunction.”

According to one version, the drone could be associated with an attempt to attack Russian naval targets in Mediterranean or the so-called court “shadow fleet”transporting Russian oil. The Guardian previously wrote that Greek authorities are investigating how a device allegedly filled with explosives ended up off the country’s west coast.

Ukrainian trace and political risk

For Athens the situation is extremely inconvenient. Greece supports Ukraine in the war against Russia, but the appearance of an armed naval drone in Greek waters raises the question for the government: is the country’s territory and waters becoming an unintentional part of someone else’s military operation?

If the device was indeed Ukrainian and lost control, this would indicate a serious failure in the control of long-range weapons. If it was involved in an operation against Russian targets in the Mediterranean, then the question becomes even tougher: did the Greek side know about the risks and how did the drone end up in an area where it could threaten civilian ships.

So far official answers from Kyiv no, there is still room for versions: a technical malfunction, drift after an unsuccessful operation, an attempt to strike a Russian target, or loss of control over the device. But all these options are unpleasant for Greecebecause each of them means the same thing: the war in Ukraine is no longer limited to the Black Sea and is increasingly casting a shadow on Mediterranean.

Editorial comment

The drone story Lefkada requires from Ukraine not a diplomatic pause, but a clear answer. If an armed vehicle with explosives ended up in the Greek shipping zone, this is no longer a “technical episode”, but a security threat. Greece has the right to know who launched the drone, what task it was performing and why it ended up off its shores.

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