Unidentified drones were observed near the flight path of the plane carrying the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, upon his arrival in Ireland earlier this week.
Four unidentified drones of „military type” breached an airspace restriction zone and flew towards the expected route of the aircraft transporting Zelensky as it approached Dublin Airport, reports the Irish publication The Journal, citing anonymous security sources.
Additionally, The Irish Times reported that an Irish Navy vessel spotted five drones operating near the flight path of the Ukrainian president's aircraft off the coast of Howth, triggering a "major security alert." They hovered in the area for two hours.
The drones missed the approach of the Ukrainian leader's plane and then headed towards LÉ William Butler Yeats, the Irish ship deployed in secret off Dublin. The devices operated within the 12 nautical mile limit in the waters controlled by Ireland.
Decision made not to destroy the drones
The Irish military decided not to shoot down the drones, and the ship did not have the capability to jam them. At that time, both a patrol and an Irish Air Corps plane were present but did not engage in the incident.
The Irish forces had limited options to deal with the drones. Portable equipment purchased by the Irish police could not be used to bring down the drones as they were out of range. Additionally, there was no air defense capability, except for the ship's machine guns. However, LÉ Yeats does not have an aerial radar. It seems that the deck officers spotted the drones, which were illuminated in the night sky.
It is unknown who launched and controlled the drones or where they are currently located.
Military drones have a wide range of functions. However, the fact that they had lights on led security forces to suspect that the purpose was to disrupt the arrival of the plane in Dublin.
Irish authorities suspect that the drones were quadcopters, as they were able to hover above the military ship. This type of drone has four propellers that allow it to remain in a fixed position.
Drone no-fly zone in Dublin
Irish authorities implemented a temporary drone no-fly zone over Dublin during Zelensky's visit, but did not publicly confirm the incident.
Commissioner Justin Kelly, who heads the Garda (Irish Police), was informed about the incident in the early hours of Tuesday. The Prime Minister of Ukraine and the Ministers of Justice and Defense were also informed in the following hours. It is unknown if the Irish authorities informed the Ukrainian president's team.
A new episode of hybrid warfare?
The incident occurred against the backdrop of similar drone incidents in Europe in recent months, leading to the closure of airports in Brussels and Denmark and causing significant security tensions.
Irish security services found that the drones in the Irish Sea were large, extremely expensive, with military specifications, and the incident could be classified as a hybrid attack.
Since the start of Russia's large-scale invasion, Ukrainian officials have reported multiple assassination attempts on Zelensky, including an incident in the president's office, which he said resulted in casualties in early 2022.
In May 2024, the Security Service of Ukraine announced that it had uncovered a network linked to the Russian security service FSB preparing an assassination attempt on Zelensky and other senior officials.
T.D.