Probe finds suspected Ukrainian sea drone lost course after malfunction, sources say

Investigators judge a subject oversea drone recovered connected Lefkada past week went disconnected people owed to a technical nonaccomplishment and whitethorn not person travelled far, sources person said.

The explosives-laden drone – which the authorities says is Ukrainian, a assertion Kyiv has officially denied – was discovered by fishermen connected May 7, triggering diplomatic tensions betwixt Athens and Kyiv.

Intelligence and subject units person been analyzing the drone, dismantling it and utilizing reverse engineering to find its characteristics.

Investigators are besides examining its metadata to ⁠establish its ngo and whether it was launched from a parent vessel oregon from enactment – perchance arsenic acold distant arsenic Libya crossed the Mediterranean.

A information source said the drone apt failed to scope its target aft losing predisposition owed to a technical malfunction.

“This contented is very serious. This vessel … had explosives, endangering the information of navigation. I don’t want to think what it would mean for a rider vessel oregon immoderate vessel to collide with that drone,” Defense Minister Nikos Dendias said connected Thursday, insisting ‌that the ⁠drone is Ukrainian.

Preliminary findings suggest it did not travel a agelong distance, making a motorboat from Libya little likely, a information source said. Another authoritative said substance levels are a cardinal origin successful the appraisal but declined to springiness further details.

The technical investigation is astir complete, with ⁠only some encrypted information yet to beryllium decoded, the source added.

Ukraine has implicit the past year targeted tankers successful the Black Sea and beyond, including successful the Mediterranean, that it says are ⁠part of Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” – vessels that Kyiv says are helping Moscow to flight sanctions and export lipid to money its war effort successful Ukraine.

The authorities has alerted the ⁠European Union to the matter.

Speaking from Brussels this week, Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis said Athens is acceptable to lodge a ceremonial ailment erstwhile the probe concludes. [Reuters]