The Russia-Ukraine war unexpectedly reached the Ionian Sea after a military-style kamikaze sea drone carrying explosives drifted ashore near Lefkada on Thursday.
The unmanned Magura V3 vessel, equipped with Starlink satellite communications, contained three detonators and active explosives.
Investigators are examining whether the drone was linked to suspected Ukrainian sabotage operations targeting Russian-linked oil and gas shipping in the Mediterranean.
Similar attacks since early 2025 have shifted from magnetic mines to explosive-laden drones capable of carrying up to 300 kg of explosives. Authorities are also examining whether a Russian convoy traveling between Sicily and Malta days earlier was the intended target.
A fisherman discovered the drone trapped inside a cave with its engines running and towed it to Lefkada’s port before bomb disposal teams disabled it.
