Yatsenyuk about the drone in Levkada: "Athens must demand an apology from Russia"

Kyiv has not yet given clear explanations regarding the sea drone near Lefkadaand the former prime minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk stated that Athens should demand an apology from Russia.

The story of the Ukrainian maritime drone discovered off the coast Lefkadareceived a new political continuation. Bye Athens are considering the possibility of an official demarche against Kyiv, former Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk stated that Greece should demand explanations not from the Ukrainian side, but from Vladimir Putin.

The incident with an unmanned surface vehicle off Lefkada has already caused serious concern in Greece. According to Greek authorities, the ship found off the island was of Ukrainian origin and was likely carrying explosives. Minister of Defense Nikos Dendias named the situation “extremely serious”since we are talking about the safety of navigation and the risk of drawing the Mediterranean into the consequences of the Russian-Ukrainian war.

What Yatsenyuk said

Against this background Arseniy Yatsenyuk in an interview Euroactiv stated that Greece should receive an apology not from Kyiv, but from Moscow.

“Greeks should receive an apology from Russia and Putin”“, said the former Prime Minister of Ukraine, adding that it is the Russian President who is responsible for the situation that has been going on for 12 years.

According to Yatsenyuk, “distance no longer exists, we are all at risk”. In other words, the Ukrainian position boils down to the fact that the very fact of the appearance of a military drone off the coast of Greece is considered as a consequence of the war started by Russia, and not as a separate reason for claims against Kyiv.

Athens is awaiting an official response

However, for Greece the issue looks different. Athens wants to understand how a military maritime drone ended up near a tourist island in the Ionian Sea and whether it posed a threat to civilian ships.

According to Greek and international media reports, the device was found by a fisherman in the Lefkada area, after which it was studied by Greek specialists. It was reported that it resembled a Ukrainian drone family MAGURAused against Russian naval targets. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}

The Greek side has already raised this issue at the European level. Head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Giorgos Gerapetritis previously emphasized that Greece will not allow the Mediterranean to become a theater of military operations. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}

The silence of Kyiv and the irritation of Athens

So far, the official Ukrainian side has avoided detailed public explanations on this specific apparatus. This is precisely what increases irritation in Athens: Greece does not demand political slogans, but a concrete answer – whose drone is it, how did it end up near Lefkada and why did it end up in the zone where civilian ships pass.

The situation is all the more sensitive since possible cooperation in the field of maritime drones was previously discussed between Greece and Ukraine. However, according to media reports, the negotiations were complicated by the issue of control over the use of such systems.

Editorial comment

Yatsenyuk’s reaction looks like politically understandable for Kyiv, but extremely inconvenient for Athens. Ukraine is trying to move the conversation into the usual frame: Russia is to blame for everything, which means that all the side effects of the war should also be presented to Moscow.

But for Greece the question is simpler and tougher. If a combat naval drone appears off the coast of a Greek island, potentially dangerous for shipping, Athens has the right to demand explanations from the party that produced, launched or controlled this apparatus. Geopolitical morality is not a substitute for a technical answer here.

The phrase “ask Putin” may sound good to Ukrainian audiences, but it does not answer the main question: why a military asset ended up in an area where it should not have been, and who is responsible for the risk to Greek citizens and ships.

This is precisely the problem. When the war begins to spread beyond its core zone, allies and partners are increasingly faced not with beautiful slogans, but with very practical security issues.

Greece supports Ukraine politically, but this does not mean that Athens is obliged to silently accept the appearance of military drones in or near its waters. Allyship does not negate responsibility.

Conclusion: the story with the drone near Lefkada becomes a test not only for Greek-Ukrainian relations, but also for the entire logic of Western support for Kyiv. If partners must share the risks of war, they have the right to demand honest explanations. Otherwise, solidarity turns not into an alliance, but into an obligation to tolerate the mistakes of others.

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