Greece protests after the discovery of an unexploded Ukrainian naval drone in its waters, fearing that the war could spread to the Mediterranean Sea, while Kiev’s forces hunt for the „shadow fleet” carrying Russian oil.
A Magura naval drone, loaded with explosives and showing signs that it was used in an attack attempt, was spotted last week by a fisherman near the western island of Lefkada, a popular tourist destination. The drone was stuck in a cave, with its engines still running, writes Politico.
Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias confirmed on Tuesday that the drone was of Ukrainian origin and raised the issue at the EU defense council in Brussels, calling it „an extremely serious incident”.
Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis also complained about the drone during a meeting with his EU counterparts at Monday's Foreign Affairs Council, stating that Athens will respond through diplomatic protests.
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Athens "will not allow the conduct of war operations in the extended Mediterranean region, especially towards Greece," he said.
The Greek armed forces are overseeing the investigation and preparing a report. The two main scenarios being investigated are either the drone was abandoned in the area by a commercial ship, or it was launched from a Ukrainian base in Misrata, western Libya, according to Greek officials.
Kiev says it knows nothing about the drone
This is not the first time Athens has been affected by Ukrainian attempts to reduce President Vladimir Putin's oil revenues. Last March, a ship owned by a Greek company was hit by a Ukrainian drone off the coast of Novorossiisk while loading Russian oil.
"It is assumed that this attack [...] may be related to decisions that were made to partially allow the transportation of Russian oil for a month," said Greek Minister of Maritime Affairs Vassilias Kikilas in March, calling it "unacceptable and very dangerous" that ships sailing under Greek flag or with Greek crews are being targeted.
Kiev is pushing for a drastic reduction in Russia's oil revenues, turning tankers assisting Moscow into top targets.
In this case, Kiev stated that it has no information about the drone. "There is no evidence that it belongs to Ukrainian maritime drone operators. We are open to cooperation with the Greek side to clarify the circumstances of the incident if there are relevant requests from them," Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi told reporters on Tuesday.
Ukraine complains that Greece's fleet supports Russia
However, Kiev has repeatedly complained that Greece's huge fleet of tankers contributes to supporting Russia. At the beginning of the war, the former Ukrainian ambassador to Athens, Serhiy Shutenko, stated that "the money of certain shipping companies is stained with blood."
On the other hand, the incident could now affect the public image of the conservative New Democracy government, as Athens has taken a significant step in providing support to Ukraine in the past five years, reversing traditional close ties with Russia.
The government is now facing criticism from opposition parties across the political spectrum, highlighting that Greece seems completely unprotected, with insufficient monitoring of its territorial waters.
Kyriakos Velopoulos, leader of the ultranationalist Greek Solution party, considered close to Russia, stated: "President Volodymyr Zelensky has never been a friend of Greece, but always its enemy."
However, he also saw a positive side, noting that his party "would take the drone and mass-produce such drones."
The distrust between Greece and Ukraine is not new. Some EU countries are pressuring Athens to provide fighter jets to Ukraine, but Greece is hesitant.
In November last year, Athens and Kiev agreed to jointly produce unmanned naval drones. However, the agreement seems to have faced difficulties, especially since Ukraine wants to have a say in how the Greek armed forces would use these systems.
Athens sees this as a way for Ukraine to maintain its influence in its relationship with Turkey.