Greek minister of national defence Nikos Dendias said he is still awaiting explanations regarding the sea drone discovered in the Ionian Sea, sending a stern message toward Ukraine during a speech delivered in Agathonisi on Thursday.
The drone that was detected few days ago is Ukrainian, Dendias announced on Tuesday, May 12, in a statement as he arrived at the EU Defence Ministers’ meeting in Brussels.
As Mr. Dendias said, “I will have the opportunity to inform my counterparts, as well as the Minister of Defence of Ukraine who is participating via videoconference, about the data related to the drone we caught in Greece, the USV (Unmanned Surface Vehicle), which we are now certain that it is Ukrainian.”
“The presence of this USV, the sea drone, affects the freedom and safety of navigation,” the defence minister added.
“It is an extremely serious issue,” Dendias concluded in his statement.
The issue of the drone was also addressed last Monday by the minister of foreign affairs George Gerapetritis during his arrival at the EU foreign affairs council in Brussels on May 11.
Mr. Gerapetritis referred to “a particularly serious incident observed over the last few days: the presence of an uncrewed maritime vessel in the Ionian Sea,” announcing that “once the investigation has been completed and the necessary technical findings have been established, the Greek government will respond by making the necessary demarches,” sending clear messages about the limits of tolerance of Greek authorities toward such incidents.
As it is reported, the Hellenic National Defence General Staff is currently investigating the incident.
The information indicates that there is a risk that military conflicts between Russia and Ukraine will be transferred to the wider Mediterranean region, with the minister making it clear that “Greece will not allow military activity to develop in the wider Mediterranean region, particularly in its vicinity.”
This poses a serious risk to freedom of navigation, he said, as well as to the safety of citizens and to the protection of the environment, adding that, “Greece will take all necessary steps to ensure, unequivocally, that the Mediterranean does not become a theater of military operations.”
Referring to the incident, Greek minister of national defence Dendias said he is awaiting explanations from Ukraine over the drone recently found in the Ionian Sea, stressing that it posed a direct threat to maritime safety.
“I do not even want to think what a collision between a passenger ship – or any other vessel – and this drone would have meant,” Dendias said, emphasizing that Greece will not allow the matter to be forgotten.
“This issue is extremely serious,” he pointed out, noting that the drone had explosives, and endangered the safety of navigation.
According to Dendias, the ministry of national defence will forward the report and all findings to the Hellenic Coast Guard, which is responsible for maritime policing, before the file is passed on to Greek prosecutorial authorities for the necessary action.
