A naval drone carrying around 100 kilograms of explosives has been neutralized in Greece. The Greek Defense Ministry is preparing to send an official protest note to Kyiv.
Athens no longer seems to have doubts: the drone discovered last week by fishermen near the resort island of Lefkada was Ukrainian-made. Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias stated this directly ahead of the EU defense ministers’ meeting in Brussels, calling the incident “an extremely serious problem” for maritime security.
The vessel — reportedly a Magura V3 naval drone packed with explosives — was drifting through the Ionian Sea with its engine still running. Fishermen who towed it toward shore reportedly had no idea what they had found. Bomb disposal specialists later carried out a controlled detonation. The drone is now being examined at a naval base as investigators attempt to determine how it reached a popular tourist area and what route it may have taken.
“You understand that the presence of this surface vehicle, this naval drone, affects freedom of navigation as well as maritime safety. This is an extremely serious issue,” Dendias said, according to Greek broadcaster Skai.
Kyiv Says It Knows Nothing
While Greek officials are speaking openly about the matter in Brussels, Ukrainian authorities insist they have no information about the drone.
Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi stated that Kyiv has “no information regarding the drone found in Greece” and “no evidence linking it to Ukrainian naval drone operators.”
At the same time, Greek media and military analysts have reportedly argued that the device closely resembles the Magura V3 drones Ukraine has used extensively in the Black Sea against Russian naval targets.
Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis has already promised that once the investigation concludes, “the Greek government will respond with the appropriate protest notes.” Questions for Kyiv are expected to be raised at a high diplomatic level.
Not the First Incident
The Lefkada episode is not the first case involving drifting or crashed drones in Europe.
Over recent months, several NATO countries near Russia’s borders — including Estonia, Latvia, and Finland — have reported incidents involving unidentified or allegedly Ukrainian drones.
Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur publicly urged Ukraine to exercise tighter control over its drone operations:
“The simplest way for Ukrainians to keep their drones away from our territory is to better control their activities.”
One such drone reportedly crashed near an oil depot in the Latvian city of Rezekne earlier this year. According to local reports, investigators identified it as a Ukrainian-made An-196 “Lyutyi.”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha later promised to strengthen operational oversight and dispatch Ukrainian experts to the Baltic states. Still, incidents involving drones drifting beyond intended operational zones continue to raise concerns.
Concerns for the Black Sea Region
The issue also resonates closer to Moldova. Neighboring Romania has repeatedly reported drone debris falling on its territory during attacks linked to the war in Ukraine. Bucharest has publicly acknowledged violations of its airspace.
Meanwhile, the Black Sea has become increasingly militarized. Ukrainian naval drones such as Magura and Sea Baby have already been used in operations targeting Sevastopol and the Crimean Bridge. The latest incident near Greece is now fueling broader concerns about how far such systems can drift — intentionally or otherwise — beyond the immediate conflict zone.
