Magura drone near Greece: Ukraine responds to Athens’ statements
This is according to the Associated Press.
A marine drone carrying explosives was found off the coast of Greece, which the Greek side has linked to Ukraine.
The incident took place near the island of Lefkada. According to the Associated Press, Greek Defence Minister Nikos Dendias stated that the device is allegedly a Ukrainian drone.
“We are now certain that this is a Ukrainian UAV,” Dendias said during a meeting of EU defence ministers in Brussels.
The Greek Defence Minister described the situation as an “extremely serious problem”. He said that the appearance of such a maritime drone poses risks to the freedom and safety of navigation in the Mediterranean Sea.
“You understand that the presence of this unmanned surface vehicle – a drone, a maritime drone – affects the freedom of navigation, as well as the safety of navigation,” Dendias stated.
In Greece, it was suggested that the vessel’s specifications resemble those of Ukrainian Magura-type maritime drones, which Ukraine uses to strike Russian ships in the Black Sea.
Ukraine’s response
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that it has no confirmation regarding the origin of the maritime drone found off the coast of Greece.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhiy Tykhyi emphasised that the Ukrainian side currently has no information about this device.
“As of now, the Ukrainian side has no information whatsoever about the drone found in Greece. There is no evidence that it belongs to Ukrainian maritime drone operators,” Tykhyi said.
He added that Ukraine is ready to cooperate with the Greek side to establish all the circumstances of the incident, should Athens make a formal request.
How the drone was found near Lefkada
On 7 May, a fisherman discovered a maritime drone in a coastal cave near the Greek island of Lefkada.
The drone was then towed to the port.
It was subsequently transported to a naval base, and any explosives it may have been carrying were destroyed.
A representative of the Greek Ministry of National Defence stated that the drone found had allegedly been identified as a Ukrainian Magura V3 maritime drone.
The Ukrainian side has not confirmed this version.
As reported by ThePublic, Ukraine has learned to shoot down 90% of enemy drones and nearly 80% of cruise missiles, even after a harsh winter when Russia doubled the number of attacks.
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