Irish police are investigating drones spotted during Zelensky’s landing in Dublin

“The Special Investigations Unit is investigating the case. As part of this investigation, the Special Investigations Unit will liaise with the Defense Forces and international security partners,” the police said about the incident.

Irish and Ukrainian media reported that an Irish Navy vessel had spotted up to five drones operating near the flight path of the Ukrainian president’s plane.

According to the Irish Times, the sighting sparked a major security alert over fears it was an attempt to interfere with the flight path. The newspaper reported that the drones arrived at the site at the same time the plane was supposed to pass.

According to one of Zelensko’s aides, Dmytro Lytvyn, Ukrainian authorities were informed of the drones, but no action was deemed necessary. He added in a statement published by the British newspaper The Guardian: “According to available data, there were already drones of this type, but this did not affect the visit and there was no need to impose any changes to the plans.”

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Zelensky’s visit to the country comes at a time when the United States is conducting negotiations with the Ukrainians on the one hand and the Russians on the other, without direct participation from the Europeans so far.

Ireland is not a member of NATO, but maintains a partnership with NATO and has a small army of 8,500 members, which regularly participates in peacekeeping operations. The country has provided strong political support for Kiev since the 2022 Russian invasion, which has reignited debate over its neutrality and defense policy. Moreover, the country, which will hold the rotating presidency of the European Union in the second half of 2026, also supports Ukraine’s accession to the continental bloc.

The presence of unidentified drones has increased in recent months at airports and other sensitive locations in Europe. Many leaders accuse Russia of being behind this.

On Thursday night, five drones were spotted flying over the Ile-Longe base, off the coast of the Brittany region in western France, according to a source familiar with the matter. This base, which is considered a haven for the French nuclear deterrent, ensures the maintenance of four ballistic missile submarines. At least one of them is permanently at sea.

The French authorities said that the judicial system would open an investigation, and specified that “no sensitive infrastructure was threatened.” City council spokesman Guillaume Le Raslay said: “It is too early to determine” the source of the drones, adding that the goal is to “worry residents.”

Drone incidents are just part of European complaints about Russian airspace violations, which have multiplied in recent months. In addition to closing airspace in Copenhagen and Oslo in September, Poland and Romania reported drone intrusions, and Estonia claimed three Russian fighter jets violated its airspace.

In the case of Denmark specifically, drones appeared a week after the country announced that it had acquired, for the first time, long-range precision weapons, considering that Russia would represent a threat “for many years.”

Furthermore, also in September, airports in Brussels, London, Berlin and Dublin were subjected to a cyberattack whose source was not identified.