Nikos Dendias admitted that the marine drone recovered astatine Lefkadawas Ukrainian. After days of cautious language, Athens is forced to talk astir a occupation that has been hard to disregard from the beginning.
Greek Minister of National Defense Nikos Dendias said successful Brussels that a maritime drone recovered disconnected Lefkadais Ukrainian. According to him, we are talking astir “an highly superior matter”since the quality of such a instrumentality straight affects the state and information of navigation.
This is the archetypal such nonstop authoritative formulation from the Greek Ministry of Defense aft the find of the drone by fishermen May 8. Previously, the authorities spoke much carefully, utilizing formulas to verify the root and technical characteristics of the device. Now Dendias stated that helium intends to pass the countries’ defence ministers EU successful the beingness of the Ukrainian Minister of Defense, arsenic reported ERT.
“I will pass my colleagues, successful the beingness of the Ukrainian Minister of Defense via video link, astir the information regarding the drone that we “caught” successful Greece. The drone is Ukrainian”– said Dendias up of the gathering of EU defence ministers.
From denial of the evident to forced recognition
What is particularly important successful this story is not lone that the drone turned retired to beryllium Ukrainian, but besides however the Greek authorities avoided a nonstop reply for respective days. At first, officials talked astir checking the root of the device, though the plan and technical features from the very opening pointed to a Ukrainian naval drone MAGURA. Now Dendias admitted the obvious: the instrumentality was Ukrainian.
According to Kathimeriniwe are talking astir a marine drone of the type Magura. Greek and planetary media antecedently reported that the plan of the instrumentality recovered disconnected Lefkada corresponds to Ukrainian naval drones used against Russian targets astatine sea.
The astir ridiculous happening successful this story is the archetypal operation Dendiasa that the drone was allegedly recovered extracurricular Greek territorial waters. In a state where each metre of the oversea has governmental significance, this formulation sounded not arsenic caution, but arsenic an effort to propulsion the occupation distant from Greek responsibility.
Almost immediately, the authorities had to explicate that the curate was not referring to the determination of the discovery, but to the root of the device. Government Representative Pavlos Marinakis stated that the operation was taken retired of the discourse of the oral presentation, and Dendiasaccording to him, indicated that the instrumentality arrived from a constituent extracurricular Greek territorial waters. The authoritative transcript of this briefing is published connected the ιστότοπος Greek government.
But the contented is not a substance of style. If a subject maritime drone ends up successful Lefkadaif it was Ukrainian, if it could beryllium equipped with explosives and outer communications, then this is not a topic for verbal gymnastics. This is simply a substance of nationalist security, state of navigation and the quality of the state to speak honestly with citizens.
Political absorption successful Greece
The incidental caused a crisp absorption from Greek politicians. Party person “The Greek Solution” Kyriakos Velopoulos stated that, according to the accusation available to him, successful Ionian Sea, Aegean Sea and further south Peloponnese there whitethorn beryllium dozens of akin Ukrainian maritime drones.
According to version Velopoulostheir imaginable extremity is to intimidate ships associated with the transportation of Russian oil, which Kyiv and its allies telephone “shadow fleet”. He demanded a severance of relations with Ukraine and sharply attacked the Ukrainian leadership. His wording is of an highly tough governmental nature, but the very question of the information of Greek shipping aft the find of a subject drone tin nary longer beryllium simply enactment aside.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs spoke much restrainedly, but nary little seriously. Georgios Gerapetritis. Arriving successful Brussels for the Council of EU Foreign Ministers, helium said that helium would pass his colleagues astir the incidental with an unmanned marine vehicle successful Ionian Sea. According to him, this creates a immense hazard for state of navigation, the information of citizens and the environment.
“Greece will not let the improvement of hostilities successful the wider Mediterranean portion and particularly successful narration to Greece”said the Foreign Minister, adding that Athens will take the indispensable steps aft the probe is completed.
Media and κοινωνικά networks: “Will Lefkada go Greek again?”
The absorption of the Greek media and κοινωνικά web users turned retired to beryllium overmuch harsher than the authoritative line. Commentators inquire why the authorities archetypal tried to talk astir “unknown” apparatus, then cautiously walked distant from the Ukrainian trail, and aft the words Dendiasa astir “international waters” they were really forced to prevention the curate himself from his ain statement.
An ironic operation that went viral connected κοινωνικά networks: “Years will walk and Lefkada will go Greek again”well conveys the temper of portion of society. People saw not conscionable an erroneous formulation, but a unsafe readiness of the authorities to soften the evident when it comes to the actions of the allies.
If a Russian drone were recovered disconnected a Greek island, the absorption would beryllium immediate, large and international. But when the instrumentality turned retired to beryllium Ukrainian, a strange crippled of caution began. This is what causes irritation: not the information of the probe itself, but the feeling that the state is archetypal thinking not astir however to support its waters and citizens, but astir however not to offend Kyiv and not violate the convenient allied picture.
What could the drone beryllium looking for adjacent Lefkada?
The main question present is not lone whose drone it is. It is important to understand however it ended up adjacent the Greek island, where it was launched from, what task it performed and why it ended up successful an country where civilian ships, fishermen and tourist routes pass. If the instrumentality was equipped oregon intended to strike a ship, this is nary longer a technical incident, but a nationalist information issue.
Greek media besides wage attraction to the geography of the incident. The drone was recovered adjacent the country where the land is located Skorpiospreviously acquired by a Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev. This successful itself does not beryllium the intent of the apparatus, but it adds governmental sensitivity: we are not talking astir an bare stretch of sea, but astir a zone where the interests of shipping, capital, war and sanctions argumentation intersect.
Analytical portal Neostrategy writes that the quality MAGURA successful the Ionian Sea whitethorn bespeak not conscionable a nonaccomplishment of power of an idiosyncratic apparatus, but the beingness of Ukraine’s capabilities to run heavy successful the Mediterranean: with logistics, intelligence, a web of radical and operational planning.
The work besides recalls that Greek shipping plays a important relation successful the transportation of Russian oil: according to analysts, a important portion of tanker traffic of Russian root is associated with ships of Greek companies. Kyiv knows this: backmost successful 2023, Ukraine included some Greek shipping companies successful the database “sponsors of war”. Therefore, the version that a Ukrainian maritime drone could beryllium associated with operations against ships carrying Russian substance does not look similar a fantasy, but alternatively 1 of the scenarios that the authorities are obliged to check.
Why is this important
Dendias emphasized that the beingness of a marine unmanned vehicle affects the state and information of navigation. And this is possibly the astir close portion of the whole story. A subject drone disconnected the seashore of a NATO and EU state is not a subject for diplomatic acrobatics and not a toy that tin beryllium written disconnected arsenic “unknown origin”.
For authorities Kyriakos Mitsotakis The situation is besides unpleasant politically. For too long, authoritative connection has looked similar Athens was trying to debar stating the obvious. Now that Ukrainian root has been recognized, society needs answers: what the authorities knew, when they recovered out, why they were silent, and what measures will beryllium taken to forestall this from happening again.
For a state with a immense merchant fleet, islands and analyzable maritime geography, such a enactment does not look similar caution, but weakness. Greece has the close to assistance allies and enactment successful European politics, but it is not obliged to turn a unsighted oculus if a subject drone of an allied state appears connected its shores.
Editorial comment
The story of the Ukrainian drone Lefkada became a δοκιμή not lone for the Greek military, but besides for the governmental enactment of the country. AND The authorities passed this δοκιμή poorly. First, attempts not to state the obvious. Then – strange words Dendiasa O “international waters”. Then – authorities explanations that the curate was simply misunderstood. All this looked not similar a state position, but arsenic an effort to summation clip and not irritate an ally.
But Greece is not obliged to stay soundless if a subject drone of an allied state appears disconnected its shores. Allied solidarity does not mean giving up sovereignty, information of navigation and the close of citizens to cognize what is happening successful Greek waters. If Athens acceptable to respond harshly to threats from adversaries, they indispensable speak arsenic demandingly to their allies. Otherwise, this is nary longer diplomacy, but a voluntary self-reduction of the state.
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