Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that adjacent ships included successful the sanctions lists European Union, cannot beryllium considered a morganatic target for attack. Athens emphasizes: nary 1 has the close to sink such ships, endangering quality lives and the marine environment.
The statement came amid an probe into the incidental disconnected the land Lefkadawhere, arsenic antecedently written “Athens News”Greek fishermen discovered a oversea drone that looks akin to a Ukrainian 1 MAGURA V5. The instrumentality was recovered successful the country of a oversea cave, aft which it was towed to the larboard of Vasiliki and handed implicit to the Greek authorities. More details: “Greek fishermen “caught” a MAGURA V5 marine drone disconnected the seashore of Lefkada”.
Later “Athens News” reported that the version of a technical nonaccomplishment does not resoluteness the main questions: adjacent if the instrumentality mislaid its course, it still turned retired to beryllium a subject naval drone with explosives successful an country of civil shipping. See material: “Drone adjacent Lefkada: version of the nonaccomplishment does not region questions for Kyiv”.
What Lana Zohiu said
Official Representative Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs Lana Zohiuanswering a question from journalists, stated that the ministry had not received accusation astir “shadow fleet” And “legitimate purposes”. However, she separately emphasized: the sanctioned status of the vessel does not marque it a target. The authoritative text is published connected the ιστότοπος Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs: briefing by Lana Zohiu from 05/20/2026.
Translated, her statement reads arsenic follows: “Regarding the 2nd question you notation to, the Foreign Office has not received immoderate such accusation astir the “shadow fleet” and morganatic purposes. However, arsenic acold arsenic sanctions are acrophobic – and we person already reached the 20th bundle of sanctions adopted within the European Union – adjacent ships included successful the sanctions lists cannot under immoderate circumstances beryllium considered a crushed for them to beryllium attacked, sunk, oregon endanger quality lives and the marine environment. The process for applying sanctions is specifically defined.”.
In different words, Athens for the archetypal clip rather straight formulates what successful a mean world should beryllium clear: sanctions are not a licence for naval warfare V Mediterranean Sea. But, apparently, successful 2026 adjacent evident things has to beryllium spoken astatine a diplomatic briefing. Progress, that’s what it is.
Athens awaits the decision of the General Staff
According to Lana Zohiu, Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs awaiting authoritative decision from Γενικό Επιτελείο Εθνικής Άμυνας (General Staff of National Defense of Greece, ΓΕΕΘΑ). After its arrival, Athens will marque authoritative moves astatine the bilateral and planetary levels.
She besides confirmed that the caput of Greek diplomacy Giorgos Gerapetritis already raised the topic with European partners astatine a gathering Council connected Foreign Affairs EU successful Brussels. According to Zohiu, the partners expressed interest and asked to beryllium informed astir the results of the investigation.
Besides, Herapetritis conveyed Greece’s concerns to his Ukrainian counterpart Andrey Sibige. However, arsenic the typical of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs clarified, astatine that clip Athens did not yet person an authoritative conclusion, and so could not marque specific demands oregon recommendations.
Greece does not want war connected its shores
At the authoritative briefing Lana Zohiu separately stated: “Greece will not let the war to spread to the Mediterranean”. According to her, the state will take the indispensable measures to Mediterranean Sea did not go a theater of subject operations and so that a akin incidental does not hap again.
This is the cardinal phrase. Because it’s nary longer conscionable astir whose drone it was and why it ended up successful Lefkada. The question is whether the war betwixt Russia and Ukraine tin spread into the zones of civilian shipping, tourist routes and the Greek islands.
If a maritime drone with explosives was so intended to onslaught a Russian vessel oregon a vessel carrying Russian fuel, this does not marque the situation immoderate little dangerous. Vice versa. This means that subject logic is opening to participate areas where ferries, merchant ships, fishermen and tourist yachts pass.
Editorial comment
Position Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs successful this lawsuit it looks not conscionable cautious, but necessary. A sanctions vessel is not a floating target. If we admit the close to onslaught such ships successful Mediterranean Seatomorrow each civilian navigation astir them whitethorn beryllium under attack.
What is particularly unpleasant is that Athens seems to beryllium forced to take into relationship not lone the facts of the investigation, but besides the governmental temper of its partners successful EU. Supporting Ukraine should not mean remaining soundless arsenic the war begins to attack Greek shores.
If recovered astatine Lefkada the drone was so portion of an cognition against a vessel associated with Russian fuel; this is nary longer a substance of sympathy, sanctions oregon governmental loyalty. It’s a information contented Greeceits oversea routes and the close of the state itself to determine whether its waters will turn into a continuation of someone else’s front.
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