Ukraine informed the Greek government that it intends to continue operations against Russian ships, even after the diplomatic incident caused by the detection of an armed marine drone near Lefkada, according to an eye-opening report by Euractiv.
And this without respecting the security status of Greek territorial waters, the damages, and even the deaths that it may cause in the midst of the tourist season.
The report cites diplomatic sources in Athens.
So far, there is no official public statement from the Ukrainian government with this wording.
According to Euractiv, this is the position that Ukrainian diplomats conveyed to Greek officials during closed diplomatic contacts.
1) Kyiv allegedly intends to continue strikes against Russian ships on the high seas, invoking the right of lawful self-defense.
2) Athens requested specific guarantees after the detection of a marine drone with approximately 100 kilograms of explosives near Lefkada.
3) Ukraine apologized for the incident, without however, according to the same sources, abandoning the relevant operations.
4) Officially there is talk of operations in international waters, however, the specific drone ended up near a Greek island.
5) For Athens, the political message is considered particularly severe, as Greek protests do not seem to have led to a change in Ukrainian strategy.
Drone with 100 kilograms of explosives
The occasion for the diplomatic tension was a Ukrainian unmanned surface vessel, which was spotted by fishermen on May 7, 2026 near Lefkada.
According to reports and the competent authorities, the drone ended up in Greek territorial waters after, according to estimates, it lost its remote-controlled guidance.
Inside it, approximately 100 kilograms of explosives were found, which were subsequently neutralized with a controlled explosion.
The Minister of National Defense Nikos Dendias stated that Athens does not doubt the Ukrainian origin of the mechanism.
"The Ukrainian side owes it to address a substantial apology to us and provide absolute guarantees that such an incident will not be repeated in the wider region," he noted.
According to diplomatic sources cited by Euractiv, the alleged target of the drone was a Russian tanker in the Mediterranean.
However, neither the identity of the ship nor its course or other operational data were made public.
The main problem, according to the report, was that the drone never reached its target, lost control, and ended up near one of the most important tourist islands of Greece.
If it followed a different course, it could have collided with a passenger ship, cruise ship, private boat, or merchant vessel.
Apology for the sake of appearances without abandoning operations
Ukraine officially apologized to Greece for the incident, stating that it remains committed to international law and wishes to avoid corresponding incidents.
However, according to Euractiv, Ukrainian diplomats made it clear that Kyiv does not intend to interrupt attacks against Russian ships on the high seas.
The Ukrainian side invokes Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, which recognizes the right of individual and collective self-defense.
Consequently, the apology seems to have concerned exclusively the loss of control of the drone and its ending up near the Greek coasts, and not the actual conduct of the naval operations.
Why Athens did not receive the guarantees it requested
The Greek government requested not only explanations and an apology, but also assurances that the Mediterranean will not be transformed into a new field of military operations.
However, according to the report, Kyiv's response was that it takes into account the Greek concerns, without intending to change its military strategy.
The damage for Greece
Typically, Ukraine refers to operations on the high seas and not in Greek territorial waters. However, the previous incident demonstrated that a drone losing control cannot respect maritime borders.
Consequently, corresponding operations may affect:
1) Greek territorial waters,
2) international maritime commercial routes,
3) passenger and tourist navigation,
4) the environmental safety of Greek islands,
5) the economic interests of the country.
For Athens, according to the article, this is not a theoretical discussion regarding the right of self-defense of Ukraine, but an issue directly concerning the security of one of the most important tourist and shipping regions of Europe.
The Ukrainian invocation of the bilateral agreement
Kyiv reportedly also invoked the Greece–Ukraine Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation of 1996, which provides for consultations in cases where international peace and security may be threatened.
According to the Ukrainian argumentation, Athens gave excessive publicity to the incident before the bilateral consultations were completed.
The report, however, points out that this position does not answer the basic question: why an armed Ukrainian drone ended up in Greek territorial waters without prior notification of the Greek authorities.
Is every Russian ship a legitimate military target?
Although Article 51 of the UN Charter recognizes the right of self-defense, this does not mean that every Russian merchant ship automatically constitutes a legitimate military target.
According to international humanitarian law, a civilian ship can constitute a legitimate target only provided that it substantially contributes to military operations and its destruction offers a specific military advantage.
Furthermore, additional legal issues arise when it comes to tankers carrying the flag of a third country, possessing a civilian crew, or moving along busy international maritime routes.
Ukraine is obliged to respect the principles of distinction, proportionality, and the protection of civilian navigation.
The political message to Greece
In the assessment of the report, Kyiv's stance is perceived as a refusal to recognize Athens' right of influence in determining Ukrainian operations in the Mediterranean.
Greece can proceed with diplomatic demarches, request explanations, and publicly express its dissatisfaction.
However, according to the information cited by Euractiv, Ukraine seems willing to continue acting primarily guided by its own military priorities.
The report underlines that this development acquires particular significance, given that Greece has provided Ukraine with political, military, and humanitarian support.
The political essence of the case is that Athens requested guarantees so that armed Ukrainian drones do not pose a threat to the Greek islands again, while the Ukrainian side reportedly signaled that operations against Russian ships will continue.
Typically, there is talk of operations on the high seas. However, the previous incident showed that when an unmanned vehicle loses control, the boundaries between international and territorial waters may in practice become indistinguishable.
If the Greek government limits itself to diplomatic statements without securing specific guarantees, Kyiv may perceive that the Greek protests do not entail substantial consequences, this is an unacceptable abandonment of national interests to a supposed "ally."
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