Greece Confirms Ukrainian Sea Drone with Explosives Found

Greece's defense minister confirmed Tuesday that a Ukrainian-built unmanned sea drone carrying explosives was discovered last week on the island of Lefkada, calling the incident an extremely serious threat to navigation in the Mediterranean Sea.

A local fisherman found the black craft inside a coastal cave on May 7 and towed it near a harbor. The device was transferred the next day to a naval base on the mainland for examination, where authorities later destroyed the explosives, according to Greece's public broadcaster ERT. Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias made the announcement during a meeting of European Union defense ministers in Brussels. "We have certainty now that it is a Ukrainian USV," Dendias said, using the acronym for unmanned surface vehicle. He added, "You understand that the presence of that USV, the drone, the sea drone affects the freedom of navigation and affects also the security of navigation. This is an extremely serious issue."

Dendias said he plans to discuss the matter directly with Ukrainian officials and his EU counterparts. Ukrainian authorities did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Greek naval experts noted that the drone's features...