Μake us preferred on Google A Turkish unmanned aerial vehicle flew directly over the Greek island of Farmakonisi, the Hellenic National Defense General Staff (HNDGS) announced, breaking an informal moratorium on such overflights that had held since February 2023.
The incident is notable both politically and operationally: Farmakonisi is the same island Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias had visited the day before, as part of a two-day tour inspecting military infrastructure on islands in the central and eastern Aegean and Crete.
According to HNDGS, Thursday’s activity involved three Turkish aircraft in total: one CN-235 reconnaissance plane and two UAVs. This produced six violations of air traffic rules and eight violations of Greek national airspace, all attributed to the UAVs, including the one direct overflight above Farmakonisi. All aircraft were identified and intercepted by the Hellenic Air Force in line with international protocol.
The Greek report frames the use of a drone, rather than manned aircraft, as reflecting a shift in Turkish tactics: leaning on higher technology to assert territorial claims while minimizing cost and risk. The overflight came the same day a Turkish Defense Ministry spokesperson reiterated Ankara’s longstanding position on Cyprus, saying Turkey remains committed to defending the security and rights of Turkish Cypriots under its Treaty of Guarantee obligations, and that a lasting solution on the island is only possible through a two-state model based on sovereign equality.
