Ukraine apologizes over naval drone found off Greek island

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• Ukraine apologizes to Greece after explosive-laden naval drone found off Greek island of Lefkada in the Ionian Sea.
• Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman attributes incident to ongoing Russian aggression against Ukraine, posing threat to neighboring states and Europe.
• Greek authorities destroy 100kg explosive device found on Ukrainian unmanned vessel off Lefkada, demand official explanation from Kiev.

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Ukraine on Friday apologized after an explosive-laden naval drone was found off the Greek island of Lefkada in the Ionian Sea.

The apology came several days after Greece formally protested to Kiev over the incident.

"The Ukrainian side expresses its apologies for the incident stressing that it was the result of circumstances brought about by the ongoing Russian aggression against Ukraine," Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi wrote on X.

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He said the incident, like similar cases in other regions, showed that Russia's ongoing aggression against Ukraine posed a threat not only to Ukraine, "but also to neighboring friendly states, Europe, and the world at large."

Kiev also thanked Greece for the support it has provided to Ukraine since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022.

Fishermen discovered the roughly 6-metre-long unmanned vessel with its engine running off Lefkada in May.

Greek authorities identified the vessel as Ukrainian and found around 100 kilograms of explosives on board. The coastguard destroyed the explosive device in a controlled detonation.

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In its protest note, Athens described the incident as a threat to maritime security and a risk to civilians, and demanded an official explanation from Kiev.

Lefkada lies more than 1,000 kilometres from the Ukrainian coast. Ukraine borders the Black Sea and has no direct access to the Mediterranean.

According to unconfirmed media reports, the Ukrainian military has repeatedly used naval drones launched from a base in western Libya to target ships belonging to Russia's so-called shadow fleet.

The reports said a Russian liquefied gas tanker travelling to Egypt was attacked by Ukrainian naval drones east of Malta in early March. The badly damaged vessel then drifted without a crew in the Mediterranean for several weeks.