Athens demands Kyiv remove sea drones

After discovering a Ukrainian maritime drone near Lefkada Athens, according to Greek media, intends to demand that Kyiv remove such devices from the Greek shores.

History with Ukrainian naval dronediscovered off the coast Lefkadareceived a new development. According to a Greek newspaper “Kathimerini”, Athens intend to send Kyiv signal: all remaining Ukrainian unmanned boats must be moved away from the Greek coast.

As the publication writes in an article with a characteristic headline: “Collect them all”found at Lefkada the device may be not the only Ukrainian naval dronelocated in the area Eastern Mediterranean. According to this version, We are not talking about a single object, accidentally lost its course, but about one drone from an unspecified number of similar devices.

For Greece this is no longer a technical incident or a strange marine discovery, but national security issue. If there really may be armed or potentially dangerous unmanned boats off the Greek coast, used within the framework of someone else’s war, then the problem goes far beyond the boundaries of relations Athens And Kyiv.

What, according to media reports, Ukrainians said

According to the information referred to “Kathimerini”the Ukrainian side made it clear Athensthat for the Ukrainian forces the Russian court “shadow fleet” and tankers that are said to be able to illegally transport oil or other fuels to circumvent restrictions are a legitimate target.

It is this argument that makes the situation especially dangerous for Greece. From the point of view Kyivwe may be talking about continuing the war against Russian logistics and energy routes. From the point of view Athensthis means the potential appearance of strike weapons in waters where civilian ships, tourist routes and trade traffic pass.

The Greek side, apparently, is not ready to automatically accept such logic. Even if the targets of Ukrainian drones are Russian ships or tankers associated with circumventing sanctions, the presence of combat drones near the Greek islands turns Ionian Sea And Mediterranean into the zone of someone else’s military operation. And this is no longer the case when you can console yourself with the phrase “this does not concern us.”

Report for Mitsotakis

According to the Greek publication, the draft conclusion prepared by ΓΕΕΘΑ (General Staff of National Defense of Greece), is already at the disposal of the Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

According to this version, the findings indicate that the one found in Lefkada The kamikaze drone was part of a wider mission planned in Kyiv. If this assessment is officially confirmed, the incident will cease to be a story about a lost craft and will become a question of how deeply elements of the Russian-Ukrainian war have penetrated into the Greek security zone.

Previously, Greek media reported that the discovered marine drone was similar to Ukrainian devices like Maguraalthough its exact modification and route remained subject to verification. A version was also discussed that the device could be connected with operations against the Russian “shadow fleet” in the Mediterranean Sea.

Why Athens cannot remain silent

For Greece there was silence in such a situation would be politically convenient, but dangerous. Athens has supported Ukraine since the Russian invasion and does not want to create a public crisis with Kiev. But the presence of attack naval drones near the Greek shores is already an issue that cannot be attributed to diplomatic awkwardness.

Unless the Greek authorities demand an explanation and draw a red line, it will look like willingness to tolerate the use of waters near the Greek islands for foreign military operations. And if they start pushing too openly, they risk falling into conflict with the general line EUwhere support for Ukraine remains a political priority.

The situation is also inconvenient for Kyiv. Ukraine trying maintain the image of a country that protects international law and the inviolability of borders. But if its military assets end up off the coast of a union state EU And NATO without transparent coordination, this creates an unpleasant contrast: a country that demands respect for its own borders must itself explain how its military apparatus ended up in the sensitive zone of another state.

What is especially alarming is that we are talking not only about the drone itself, but also about the possible number of such devices. If found at Lefkada the object was indeed only one of several, before Athens a simple and unpleasant question arises: who controls these drones, where they are now and what will happen if the next device loses contact, goes off course or is discovered not by fishermen, but near a port or tourist coast.

And here the whole pathos of allied solidarity collides with harsh maritime practice. It’s one thing to support Ukraine politically and diplomatically. Another is to detect unmanned attack boats off its shores, which could be part of an operation against third targets. Even the most noble goal does not cancel the question: who is responsible if someone else’s war begins to float off the Greek coast.

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