New questions are being added to the case of the sea drone that was discovered in a cave in Lefkada as investigations continue by highly specialized personnel from the Armed Forces and as new findings come to light.

According to military sources, Ukrainian and Russian handwritten notes were found inside the unmanned surface vessel, fueling new scenarios regarding its use and operators. Given that the Minister of National Defence, Nikos Dendias, revealed the identity of the sea drone, stating that it is Ukrainian, the simultaneous presence of Russian and Ukrainian handwritten notes is explained by the fact that both languages are still used throughout Ukrainian territory today.

Single-Use Mission

However, the fact that handwritten notes were left inside the sea drone has led military analysts to two working hypotheses.

First, that the vessel may have been intended not to be used again, and therefore the notes were left inside it.

Second, that the vessel was intended for one-time use only — specifically for this mission — and therefore there was no need to preserve the notes, unlike the standard practice among Armed Forces personnel of not leaving handwritten material inside vessels for security reasons.

Signs of Malfunction

In addition, the fact that the sea drone was not rigged to self-destruct in the event it was detected or approached increases the likelihood that it had suffered some kind of malfunction. This impression is reinforced by the fact that fishermen found it with its hydrojet propulsion systems still operating and with its front sensors broken, as seen in the footage.

Joint Military Investigation

At the same time, according to reports, the vessel is being examined by a special inter-service Armed Forces unit in order to fully determine its route to Lefkada, given that it carries a unique serial number that allows reliable identification. In this context, and with the Armed Forces continuing their study of the finding, information suggests that the relevant report will not be delayed, although it is considered absolutely necessary in terms of identifying both the vessel and the route it traveled before reaching Greece.

“The Mediterranean Must Remain a Sea of Peace”

Meanwhile, Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis returned yesterday to the issue of the sea drone, referring in statements after a working meeting with his Croatian counterpart, Gordan Grlić Radman, to the fact that “the main challenge is, of course, preventing the spread of the wars troubling our neighborhood.”

“The Mediterranean, our sea, must remain a sea of peace. For this reason, no transformation of the Mediterranean into a theater of military operations will be tolerated. Greece will ensure that the Mediterranean remains untouched by military operations and remains a sea of peace, a sea belonging to its peoples,” Gerapetritis concluded.

There is a widespread sense that the presence of the sea drone in Lefkada may indicate an expansion of the theater of war into the Mediterranean basin, broadening the scope of the Russia–Ukraine conflict.