Military-Style Drones Near Zelensky’s Flight Path Reportedly Triggered Security Incident in Dublin

Irish authorities are investigating the appearance of a number of unidentified drones near President Volodymyr Zelensky’s flight path as he arrived at Dublin Airport on Monday, local media reported on Thursday.

Irish news outlet The Journal, citing unnamed sources, reported that four military-style drones breached the no-fly zone surrounding the capital and crossed Zelensky’s route moments after his plane had passed, triggering a major security incident.

The drones are said to have later orbited the LÉ William Butler Yeats, an Irish naval vessel secretly deployed off Dublin’s coast – although officials are treating the incident as an attempt to disrupt the arrival of Zelensky’s flight rather than an attempt to attack a target. 

The drones were reportedly quadcopters (unmanned aerial vehicles with four propellers), which allowed them to hover above the Yeats.

The Irish Times, citing sources of its own, reported that there were five rather than four drones, and that they appeared during “a spike in Russian shadow fleet activity” – although there is no evidence that the nearby sanctioned vessels were involved.

According to the Irish Times, the decision not to shoot the drones down was made due to concerns that the Yeats’ 20mm cannons and 76mm main armament could go astray, accidentally striking targets on land. 

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According to an unnamed security source, the drones had their lights turned on and it appeared that “they wanted to be seen.”

In this sense, the incident is similar to other violations of European airspace in recent months. The sudden appearance of unidentified drones in Europe’s skies has caused chaos – forcing airport closures across Norway, Poland, Denmark, Germany, and Sweden, among other countries – on several occasions.

Just as in those cases, Russian security sources are judged to be the most likely culprit, according to unnamed sources cited by the Irish Times – due to the “apparent sophistication of the piloting and equipment and the timing of the incursion.”

Kyiv Post has not verified either of Thursday’s reports. According to the Irish Times, “multiple sources” confirmed the events, but the Irish government declined to comment. 

However, Ireland’s Defense Forces told the Irish Times that they, along with Ireland’s national police and security services, had successfully deployed to ensure a “a safe and successful visit by the President Zelensky to Ireland.”

The president and First Lady Olena Zelenska remained in Ireland on Tuesday, as US President Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner began talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

The highly anticipated meeting at the Kremlin was to discuss with Putin a US-drafted plan to end Russia’s war in Ukraine with Russian President Vladimir Putin.