Greece has officially lodged a diplomatic protest with Ukraine over a drone discovered in the Mediterranean Sea
On Wednesday, June 3, 2026, the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs lodged an official diplomatic complaint (demarche) with Ukraine regarding an incident involving a combat-class fast attack craft that was detected in Greek territorial waters in May. This was announced during a press conference by Lana Zohiou, the official spokesperson for the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Athens’ diplomatic move is based on the official findings of an investigation by the Greek National Defense General Staff. Expert analysis and law enforcement checks confirmed that the unmanned aerial vehicle discovered at sea is a Ukrainian military drone (“Kozak Mamai” or a Magura-class variant) that “was operating on behalf of Ukraine.”
According to the Greek side, this drone veered off course due to a technical malfunction in the remote control system. Military analysis indicates that the drone was part of a larger covert operation in the Mediterranean basin, aimed at targeting vessels of the Russian “shadow fleet” operating in the region to circumvent international sanctions.
Greek Foreign Minister Georgios Gerapetritis had previously informed EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaya Kallas in detail about plans to lodge a protest with Kyiv. This issue was also raised during a personal meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybyga at the informal EU Council of Ministers in Limassol on May 27. Official Athens emphasized that its priority is for the Ukrainian side to acknowledge this mistake and completely withdraw all similar combat systems from the Mediterranean Sea, as the country will not allow this tourist and trade region to be turned into a theater of military operations. Earlier, Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias also stated that the appearance of a drone carrying 100 kg of explosives posed a direct threat to civilian shipping and cruise liners.
Recall that the incident itself occurred on May 7, 2026, when local fishermen discovered a floating drone in the coastal zone near the southern part of the island of Lefkada in the Ionian Sea. During the initial stage of the investigation in May, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, represented by spokesperson Georgiy Tykhyi, stated that Kyiv had no evidence of Ukrainian operators’ involvement with this drone, but assured that it was fully prepared to cooperate with Greek law enforcement to establish all the circumstances of the incident.
Source: Greek publication Kathimerini (Ekathimerini).
Greece has declared that the maritime drone near Lefkada is of “Ukrainian origin.”
A conflict is brewing between Ukraine and Greece over maritime drones.
