If Franco-Ukrainian relations were already strained by the disagreement regarding the joint maritime drone program, today’s statement takes them to a new low. It all began during the week of May 4 to 10, 2026, when a fisherman along the coast of Lefkada, part of the popular Ionian Islands, discovered a maritime drone still running in the depths of a cave.
Its examination in a naval base near Athens confirmed it was the model called “Cossack Mamai,” named in tribute to a Ukrainian national hero. Moreover, it appeared to be in a mission configuration, ruling out the hypothesis of a malfunction that led the device to get lost and then wash up. According to several sources, this drone is just one of many of its kind currently flying over the eastern Mediterranean.
A Ghost Hunt That Disturbs Athens More and More
If Kyiv is making so much effort in this region, it is to counter the “shadow fleet”: a group of vessels bypassing Western sanctions to transport goods from Moscow, providing crucial currency for the country’s war effort. The Ukrainian government had warned its Greek counterpart that any ship identified as such would be a prime target. Some of this fleet is reportedly made up of Greek vessels: last March, one of them was hit by a drone in the port of Novorossiysk while loading its Russian cargo.
Currently, Kyiv has stated that it has no information about the drone. “There is no evidence that it belongs to Ukrainian operators. We are open to cooperation with the Greek side to clarify the circumstances of the incident if relevant requests exist from them,” said Heorhii Tykhyi, spokesman for the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs last Tuesday.
A Report That Prompted Authorities to React
A preliminary document on the vehicle inspection by the Greek Joint Chiefs of Staff has been submitted to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who still needs to decide on the next steps. The two main scenarios being examined consider that the drone was either dropped in the area by a commercial ship or launched from a Ukrainian base in Misrata, western Libya. The possibility of one of these devices striking a oil tanker or even a passenger ship by mistake is deeply concerning to Athens, which fears a human as well as an ecological disaster (the oil spill from the sinking of the Agia Zoni II in 2017 is still fresh in memory).
An ultimatum will be sent to Kyiv, demanding the withdrawal of all drones from the country’s coasts. However, this warning does not signify a change in policy according to diplomatic sources: faced with Turkey’s own territorial claims in the Aegean Sea, Athens remains opposed to any forced border alterations. A direct contact between Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is also not ruled out.
