Unidentified drones entered Ireland’s airspace this week during a visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, a source familiar with the matter told CBS News on Friday.
“Any incident like this would be well controlled by the defense forces,” the source told CBS News, adding: “You’re seeing these all over Europe now.”
The Irish Ministry of Defense told CBS News in a statement on Friday that “all circumstances surrounding the incident” were being investigated and analyzed by Irish military and police officials.
The drones were large and likely military-specification, and the incident was classified by Irish officials as a hybrid attack, according to Irish news agency The Journal, citing the country’s security services. According to Irish state broadcaster RTÉ, senior Irish government officials have been informed of the presence of drones.
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This comes after weeks of reports from other European countries about unidentified drones flying around key infrastructure, including Airports and military facilities in Germany, Denmark and the Baltic States. The incidents have forced airports to suspend flights several times in recent months, and unmarked drone aircraft have even been spotted near military bases, including near Belgian military base where US nuclear weapons were stored last month.
Some of the United States’ European NATO allies have claimed that these airspace attacks are part of a campaign of Russia’s escalating hybrid warfare tactics.
The Journal reported Thursday that four unidentified military-style drones breached an Irish no-fly zone and flew into the path of Zelensky’s plane as it approached Dublin airport over the sea late Monday evening. The drones arrived at the location where Zelensky’s plane was expected to fly by, the source said.
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The Ukrainian leader’s plane reportedly landed slightly earlier than planned, just moments before the incident occurred around 11 p.m. local time. The drones then circled over an Irish Navy ship that was stationed in the Irish Sea specifically for Zelensky’s visit after the incident, the Journal reported.
Zelensky made a diplomatic visit to Ireland this week, meeting with the country’s Prime Minister Micheál Martin and addressing the Irish Parliament.
The Irish military declined to comment on the details of the incident, but told CBS News on Friday that a security operation in collaboration with Irish police “was successfully carried out in various ways, ultimately resulting in a safe and successful visit by President Zelensky to Ireland.”
