Greece has accused Ukraine of deploying a naval kamikaze drone that washed ashore near the Ionian island of Lefkada, triggering alarm in Athens over maritime security, national sovereignty and the possibility of covert Ukrainian operations inside Greek territorial waters.
Speaking Tuesday in Brussels, Greek Defence Minister Nikos Dendias said Greek authorities are now “certain” that the unmanned surface vessel recovered off Lefkada was Ukrainian.
“I will have the opportunity to inform my counterparts, in the presence of the Ukrainian defence minister, that we are now certain the maritime drone we recovered in Greece is Ukrainian,” Dendias said. “Its presence affects freedom of navigation, but also maritime safety. This is an extremely serious issue.”
According to Greek government sources cited by local media, investigators believe the explosive-laden drone was likely intended to strike a Russian commercial vessel transiting the Adriatic Sea. Officials suspect the drone was launched from a Ukrainian-operated ship before suffering a technical malfunction that left it drifting toward Greek waters instead of reaching its target.
Authorities are also examining — though not formally endorsing — the possibility that the drone had been positioned near Lefkada in advance, waiting for a Russian vessel to pass before being remotely activated.
The incident has exposed an uncomfortable tension between Athens and Kyiv at a time when Greece remains publicly supportive of Ukraine against Russia’s invasion. Behind closed doors, however, Greek officials are said to be frustrated that an armed Ukrainian system may have operated undetected inside Greek territorial waters without prior coordination.
No formal diplomatic protest has been lodged, according to Greek reports, but contacts between Athens and Kyiv have already taken place.
Greek officials fear the consequences could have been severe had the drone successfully struck a Russian vessel near Greece. Sources familiar with the investigation say the payload onboard was powerful enough to inflict catastrophic damage and potentially sink a commercial ship, creating a major geopolitical crisis in the eastern Mediterranean.
The episode has also raised difficult questions for Greece’s own security services, which reportedly failed to detect the operation before the drone washed ashore.
At the same time, senior military officials reportedly see strategic value in the discovery. Greek officers have privately described the recovered drone as “a gift from heaven,” believing it could significantly accelerate the country’s own naval drone program.
The timing is particularly significant because Greece has already launched a €12 million program to develop unmanned surface vessels for the armed forces. Many of the technical capabilities sought by the Greek military — including long-range navigation, high-speed maneuverability and advanced communications systems — reportedly already exist in the Lefkada drone.
The discovery has now sparked discussions inside Greece’s defense establishment about reverse engineering, military manufacturing and how to develop countermeasures against low-cost naval drones that can threaten far more expensive naval assets.
