Greece demands apology from Ukraine over sea drone near its coast
Sea drone (illustrative photo: screenshot from video)
Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias said that Ukraine should apologize to Greece over the sea drone found near its coast, CNN reports.
"Ukraine must offer us its deepest apologies. And beyond the apology, she must provide us with guarantees that something like this will never happen again in this region," Dendias stressed.
Athens is "seriously concerned" about the incident because the Greek government believes that a "serious threat to shipping safety" emerged in the Mediterranean Sea.
"How many dead would we have mourned? And how acceptable is this in the Mediterranean?" Dendias said.
Greek Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Lana Zohiou called the case "a particularly serious incident."
She stressed that Athens is waiting to receive the results of the investigation from the General Staff of National Defense before taking any official measures.
"After receiving the official conclusion of the General Staff of National Defense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will take the necessary measures and official steps at the bilateral and international levels," Zohiou emphasized.
She added that bilateral talks are currently underway and Greece is waiting for an official result.
What preceded this
On May 8, an unmanned maritime device was discovered in the Ionian Sea near the southern coast of the island of Lefkada. According to Greek officials, it was identified as a Ukrainian Magura V3 sea drone.
The incident prompted a rapid response from several state agencies, including the Greek Ministry of National Defense and specialized explosive ordnance disposal services.
The very next day, on May 13, the company Uforce denied the Greek side's information. Its representatives stated that the device found at sea had nothing to do with Ukrainian Magura drones, and that the drone modification mentioned by Greece does not exist at all.
