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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s plane narrowly avoided a security incident on Monday night when four military-style drones breached a no-fly zone and entered its planned flight path near Dublin Airport, Irish media reported.
The plane landed safely just minutes before the drones reached the location where it had been expected at 11 p.m., according to The Journal. The drones then flew over the LE William Butler Yeats, an Irish naval vessel stationed secretly in the Irish Sea to support the visit, the report said.
Authorities who spoke to the outlet believe the incursion may have been timed to coincide with Zelenskyy’s landing and could be interpreted as a form of hybrid warfare. Initial reports suggest they may have taken off from the Howth Head area, northeast of Dublin, though it has not been ruled out that they were deployed from a sea-based platform. The drones reportedly remained airborne for up to two hours, raising concerns about their purpose and capabilities.
Security sources confirmed that the UAVs were large, expensive, and military-grade. The fact that the drones had their lights turned on has led investigators to suspect the objective was to disrupt or draw attention rather than to engage directly with the aircraft.
Irish defense officials have not disclosed whether the Ukrainian delegation was informed about the incident, the report added.
The Irish Navy chose not to engage the drones due to a lack of counter-UAV systems, while a patrolling Air Corps aircraft also did not intervene. The vessel lacked air radar and had only machine guns for defense, and police-operated drone disruptors were out of range. Lookouts spotted the lit-up drones, which flew independently, suggesting they were operated separately and not part of a coordinated swarm.
In the hours following the incident, high-level meetings took place in Dublin involving An Garda Síochana (the national police), the Defence Forces, and senior officials responsible for national security. Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly and ministers for justice and defense were briefed shortly after the event. It is not publicly known whether Ukraine’s delegation received a similar briefing.
Zelenskyy’s visit proceeded as planned without major disruption. However, the departure from Dublin Airport reportedly involved special flight procedures to mitigate any remaining drone-related risks.
The event echoes similar drone-related security incidents across Europe in recent months. Airports in Brussels and Denmark were temporarily shut down due to suspected drone swarms, and the Dutch military fired on drones during a separate incident.
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