Four unidentified military-style drones breached a no-fly zone and approached Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's plane as it landed near Dublin Airport on Monday night, according to a new report (via The Journal).
Further reading: Zelensky to visit Ireland on Tuesday.
The UAVs, believed to be military-grade quadcopters, hovered above an Irish Navy vessel, the LÉ William Butler Yeats, which had been secretly deployed in the Irish Sea for the visit. The drones reportedly took off northeast of Dublin, possibly near Howth, and flew for up to two hours.
Authorities are investigating whether they were launched from land or from an undetected ship. While the drones reached the plane's expected flight path, the aircraft landed slightly ahead of schedule, avoiding a direct encounter.
The attack aimed to disrupt the president's arrival
Security sources said the drones' lights were on, suggesting the attack aimed to disrupt the president's arrival. Irish authorities did not attempt to shoot them down, as the naval vessel lacked air defence capability and the drones were out of range of handheld countermeasures.
The incident has been classified as a potential act of hybrid warfare, echoing recent European drone incursions that forced airport closures in countries like Denmark. High-level meetings between An Garda Síochána, the Defence Forces, and senior security officials are ongoing, though Zelensky's visit concluded safely.
This is a developing news story...