Greek Defense Minister at EU Council claims discovered sea drone is Ukrainian, Fedorov promises to investigate

Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias stated during an EU Council meeting in Brussels that a drone discovered near the Greek island of Lefkada in the Ionian Sea is a Ukrainian Magura V3 maritime drone, the press service of the Greek defense ministry reported on Wednesday.

"First of all, I will have the opportunity to inform my colleagues, in the presence, via videoconference, of the Minister of Defense of Ukraine, about the drone we recovered in Greece, an unmanned surface vehicle (USV), which we are now certain is a Ukrainian USV. You understand that the presence of this USV affects the freedom of navigation as well as the safety of shipping. This is an extremely serious issue," Dendias stated.

The meeting will also discuss the situation following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the general situation in the Middle East, and how it impacts Europe and European defense.

In turn, the Greek newspaper Ekathimerini reports that Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who also participated in the meeting online, stated he was unaware of the incident but promised to conduct an investigation and provide an answer.

Dendias, for his part, asserted that Greece has now precisely established that "the surface drone we found… is Ukrainian." He also echoed statements by Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis that the expansion of the Russia-Ukraine war into the Mediterranean is a dangerous development.

Greek Ministry of Defense representatives told the publication that once the assessment of the vessel is complete, the case will be transferred to the Coast Guard, and subsequently to judicial authorities.

As previously reported, the Magura V3 drone was discovered by fishermen near Cape Ducato in a coastal cave. Reports indicate its engine was still running. The craft was equipped with advanced technologies, including antennas and communication systems, which sparked immediate concern. The fishermen captured the vessel and towed it to the port of Vasiliki, where it was handed over to the Greek Coast Guard.

The Greek government has launched an investigation into the incident.

In turn, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi stated that the Ukrainian side currently has no information regarding the drone found in Greece. "There is no evidence of its belonging to Ukrainian maritime drone operators," he said in response to journalists’ questions.