Kyiv tells Athens Russian vessels remain legitimate military targets

Ukraine will continue attacking Russian ships on the high seas as part of its right of self-defence under the UN Charter, Kyiv has told Athens, Euractiv reports.

The move is controversial following the recent discovery of a Ukrainian sea drone carrying 100 kilograms of explosives near the Greek island of Lefkada in the Ionian Sea.

The drone had been targeting a Russian tanker in the Mediterranean, based on intelligence gathered by Kyiv, diplomatic sources in Athens said.

The issue was again raised earlier this week after the notorious Russian pranksters Vovan and Lexus targeted Thanos Dokos, the national security adviser to Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Greek leader.

The incident prompted a strong reaction from Athens, which sought an apology from Kyiv and assurances that such an incident would not be repeated – to prevent the Mediterranean from becoming a theatre of war amid concerns over the potential impact on tourism.

Greeks should seek an apology from Russia and Putin, not Ukraine, former Ukrainian prime minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk told Euractiv on 29 May.

Greece lodged three diplomatic démarches with Kyiv over the incident.

Officially, Ukraine expressed its apologies for the incident, stressing that it was the result of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.

However, unofficially, Kyiv indicated that it has no intention of refraining from targeting Russian vessels in the Mediterranean.

During several face-to-face meetings since the incident occurred on 7 May, Ukrainian diplomats said Kyiv would continue targeting Russian tankers on the high seas as part of its right of self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter, said diplomatic sources in Athens.

Kyiv officials also referred to the 1996 Friendship Agreement between the two countries, under which they are required to enter into consultations should such a situation arise. “Should a situation arise that could pose a threat to, or jeopardise, international peace and order, the Parties shall enter into immediate consultations in order to assess the situation,” the agreement states.

Ukraine says that Athens failed to comply with that provision, arguing that the issue had become highly politicised in the Greek media before any prior consultation with Kyiv had taken place.

The Greek and Ukrainian foreign ministries did not respond to requests for comment.

By Vafa Guliyeva