Four military-style drones, whose operators remain unknown, breached a no-fly zone in an attempt to approach the aircraft carrying Volodymyr Zelensky. The drones flew towards the flight path of the Ukrainian president’s plane shortly after it landed at Dublin Airport around 11 pm on Monday, as reported by Irish outlet The Journal. Zelensky’s plane had arrived ahead of schedule, potentially putting the drones directly in its path had it landed on time.
Reports from Ireland’s security services indicate that the drones used were large, costly, and designed to military specifications, leading to speculation that the incident could be classified as a “hybrid attack.” These unidentified Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) operated within the 12-nautical mile limit of Ireland’s territorial waters, circling above the Irish Navy vessel LÉ William Butler Yeats, which had been clandestinely deployed in the Irish Sea ahead of Zelensky’s inaugural visit to Ireland on Tuesday.
It has been disclosed that the Taoiseach, along with the Ministers for Justice and Defence, were briefed within hours of the incident. Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly was reportedly notified in the early hours of Tuesday, though it remains uncertain whether the Ukrainian delegation was informed. A meeting involving the Irish police force, the Irish Defence Forces, and national security advisors was promptly arranged in Dublin.
Specifics regarding the drones, including their origin and the parties responsible for launching them, remain undisclosed. Sources revealed that the UAVs were airborne for approximately two hours and are believed to have taken off northeast of Dublin. The breach of the no-fly zone over Dublin and its vicinity, enforced by the Irish Aviation Authority during Zelensky’s visit, has raised concerns. Irish MEP Barry Andrews shared a graphic on social media outlining the boundaries of the no-fly zone before the visit.
This incident is part of a series of unidentified drone intrusions witnessed across Europe recently, leading to airport closures in Poland, Denmark, and Germany. Analysts in defense circles have linked these occurrences to Russia, viewing them as elements of “Russian hybrid warfare” that Moscow has purportedly escalated following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, the chair of the NATO Military Committee, emphasized the need for a more assertive approach by the alliance to deter Moscow from orchestrating further hybrid attacks, as reported by the Financial Times earlier this week.