Four unidentified military-style drones breached no-fly zone to target Zelenskyy's arrival in Dublin

[dBm]

What does that have to do with the Zelenski visit?

You mentioned payoff in the context of it not making sense for Russia to fly drones in the Irish Sea, I am asking you what the pay off is for Russia sending a vessel to the Irish Sea to lurk over a vital gas interconnector.

 

[Mendel]

The Yeats does not have an air search radar of any kind.

Which is a good reason the claim was not made.

 

[Mendel]

You mentioned payoff in the context of it not making sense for Russia to fly drones in the Irish Sea, I am asking you what the pay off is for Russia sending a vessel to the Irish Sea to lurk over a vital gas interconnector.

Different issue, please open a new thread, and add evidence where the ship actually was and for how long.

 

[dBm]

Different issue, please open a new thread, and add evidence where the ship actually was and for how long.

What was the payoff?

 

[Mendel]

What was the payoff?

I can't even find a single news report confirming your claim.
Which is off topic here.
If you want to make a point, make it, and don't keep us guessing.
See https://www.metabunk.org/threads/posting-guidelines.2064/

 

[dBm]

I can't even find a single news report confirming your claim.
Which is off topic here.
If you want to make a point, make it, and don't keep us guessing.
See https://www.metabunk.org/threads/posting-guidelines.2064/

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...corted-away-from-internet-cables-in-irish-sea
https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/...controlled-waters-amid-fears-of-surveillance/

If you are saying Russia has no interest in the Irish Sea region, as a rationale for ruling out the possibility that there could possibly have been drones, the presence of the Yantar last year would seem to go against that.

You keep referring to pay off in the context of drones, I am asking you what the pay off was for sending this vessel to the Irish Sea.

 

[Mendel]

presence of the Yantar last year

I don't see how a ship suspected of mapping European seafloor infrastructure (doing reconnaisance, or spying) is relevant to alleged disruptive drone operations in Europe.

 

[JMartJr]

If you are saying Russia has no interest in the Irish Sea region, as a rationale for ruling out the possibility that there could possibly have been drones, the presence of the Yantar last year would seem to go against that.

It does not seem to me a question of ruling OUT drones. The point is, there is no evidence beyond unsupported claims that there were drones. Such claims coming during a "drone flap" in Europe are not, in and of themselves, convincing. Claims have to be proven, these (and others like them earlier in the flap, and in the "NJ" flap even earlier, have not been.

Of course, if footage is released of drones (a huge if) I am sure many people will immediately pivot to saying it can't be proven that it was Russia and it was probably the British.

I would hope that many people would "pivot" to saying there is now evidence of drones. If the evidence also points to country of origin, I'd expect people (at least here) to follow where it leads. But if such evidence does not also identify them as to country of origin, I doubt anybody here would pivot to "it was probably the British," as the overarching attitude here is "show me the evidence." But in the case where there is absence of evidence as to origin, it would be proper to point out that a Russian origin had not been proven.

But this is speculative as all get out -- if the evidence is ever provided, let's see what it is and THEN form opinions about it.

 

[Mendel]

Of course, if footage is released of drones (a huge if) I am sure many people will immediately pivot to saying it can't be proven that it was Russia and it was probably the British.

what a great comment

note that my stance now is that (1) we have no evidence of Russian involvement (and I think it's politically unlikely), and (2) we have no evidence of drones. Should there be evidence of drones in the future, (1) still stands, no pivot necessary.

but go look whether the "Nordstream is Russian hybrid warfare" have pivotted on the evidence?

I would also point out that Britain is in fact the most recent country to have conducted military operations in Ireland.
Why don't we think it's them? (a) politically unlikely, (b) lack of appropriate propaganda. ("1984" explains this.)

 

[stevewhite]

Via the political correspondent of Virgin Media News

Source: https://x.com/gavreilly/status/1998400327070945402


At a joint press conference with Taoiseach [prime minister] European Council President Antonio Costa assigns blame to Russia.

European Council President Antonio Costa is the first person to publicly identify Russia as responsible for the unidentified drones off Dublin Bay last week - "another example of the hybrid attacks from Russia", he says.

 

[John J.]

Is description of the Yeats '13 nautical miles out' useful?

Senior gardaí [police] have privately criticised the Naval Service's decision not to shoot down the five drones that were spotted hovering around the ship late on Monday night, about 13 nautical miles out to sea in Dublin Bay.

"13 nautical miles out" puts LÉ William Butler Yeats 1 nautical mile beyond Irelands' 12 nm territorial waters (though still within its exclusive economic zone).
If the claimed drones were within 500 metres of the vessel, they too would be outside territorial waters (1 nautical mile= 1.151 mile= 1.852 km).
Can anyone clarify whether the drone flight ban would be legally valid outside of the 12 nm limit?

The difference between the territorial sea and the exclusive economic zone is that the first confers full sovereignty over the waters, whereas the second is merely a "sovereign right" which refers to the coastal state's rights below the surface of the sea. The surface waters are international waters.

Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exclusive_economic_zone

Police officers briefing journalists and criticising the actions of others while themselves remaining anonymous and unaccountable is, IMHO, questionable behaviour.
Presumably Yeats was in contact with more senior command (and perhaps civil authorities) on land; it was not under attack, no craft/ persons Yeats had been tasked to protect were under attack; it was outside territorial waters; it is a vessel of a neutral country not involved in hostilities.
Yet a police officer, whose identity is hidden, tells a journalist that the crew should have taken a unilateral decision to open fire. Might as well be the opinion of some bloke down the pub.

-Incidentally, as well as the 20mm cannon, anything 500m from Yeats would be within range of its Browning M2 0.5" HMGs and FN MAG 7.62mm GPMGs. Both of these types have long track records of downing aircraft even when on simple mounts and used with iron sights. Small hobby drones might be very difficult targets; if a drone was "half the size of a fridge" there must be a reasonable chance it could be hit.

 

[stevewhite]

Portuguese, French and PSNI anti-drone police units deployed in Dublin during Zelenskyy visit
https://www.thejournal.ie/foreign-p...-tech-during-zelenskyy-visit-6898302-Dec2025/

Foreign police units were backing up local police with electronic anti-drone devices in Dublin City center last week.

Sources have said that gardaí, particularly the ERU, have a small number of handheld counter-drone devices but that the visiting police forces brought with them much more advanced equipment with a greater range.

Along with existing anti drone equipment at the airport, which was legislated for in 2023 in order to be able to actively disrupt drones.
https://www.irishtimes.com/transport/2023/09/07/dublin-airport-cleared-to-use-anti-drone-technology/

The agency has had drone-detection equipment for some time but, unlike many other big European airports, did not have the legal right to take down unmanned aircraft when they trespassed into the safety zone around Dublin Airport.

 

[stevewhite]

Taoiseach [Prime minister] says drones were not a threat to Zelenskyy's aircraft
https://www.thejournal.ie/drones-zelenskyy-micheal-martin-6899902-Dec2025/

The drones were not a threat to President Zelenskyy's aircraft – that needs to be clear – because it had safely landed quite some time prior to the incident, nor were they a threat to his departure," said Martin.

There been reference in the reporting and in a short podcast (4th Dec) from the original reporter Niall O'Connor that the plane tactically arrived earlier then scheduled but I can't find any public schedule that suggested what time his plane would land. (Nor would I really expect to) There may have a time given privately to media, lower ranks etc. but he arrived earlier then that?
https://www.thejournal.ie/podcasts/66f2a0897a3d63d20ff54509/6931c7d338a11f5f3eab023f/

[00:03:40] Niall O'Connor
So what I've discovered is and as we revealed in the journal today that these drones flew out to the area of the glide slope, we'd say, the approach that aircraft used to come in. Now, by the time they arrived, Vladimir Zelensky was on the ground in Dublin. And the theory from my sources, which is being explored by security sources now, is that these drones arrived too late and the calculations do appear to show that the drones arrived at the time that Zelensky was scheduled to arrive but he came early so now the difficulty is clearly is that there is a an analysis being done or an assessment that they were going there to essentially be there when that aircraft came through.

See in this original article it refers to the flight arriving early. https://www.thejournal.ie/drones-dublin-ireland-hybrid-warfare-russia-6893104-Dec2025/

The plane landed, slightly ahead of schedule, just moments before the incident happened at about 11pm. The drones reached the location where Zelenskyy's plane was expected to be at the exact moment it had been due to pass.

This report from the Irish Times 6th Dec, matches what the Taoiseach said today in some ways, saying the plane was on the ground before the drones approached Zelensky's past flight path.

Though the drones flew into the path Mr Zelenskiy's aircraft had earlier taken in the off-coast area, they did so only after a considerable time had elapsed. One source believed Mr Zelenskiy's aircraft had landed in Dublin before the incident in the skies out to sea began to unfold.

https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/...orces-to-rogue-drones-during-zelenskiy-visit/

Flight Aware Tracking history for flight UKN1155 https://www.flightaware.com/live/flight/URABA/history/20251201/2129Z/LFPO/EIDW

Monday 01-Dec-2025 10:48PM GMT

The following is a transcript of the Parliamentary Question session on this. I think I've described this above.

Dáil Éireann debate - Wednesday, 10 Dec 2025 Ceisteanna - Questions
https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/2025-12-10/speech/183/

The visit of President Zelenskyy was very effective from a security perspective. I want to make it clear to everybody that an incident did occur on that night. A small number of unidentified drones were observed in the vicinity of a Naval Service vessel on patrol off the coast of Dublin. The drones were not a threat to President Zelenskyy's aircraft - that needs to be clear - because it had safely landed quite some time prior to the incident, nor were they a threat to his departure. An operational response was put in place that was appropriate to the circumstances by the commander of the naval vessel at the time and, subsequently, by the police and military authorities working in close co-operation. They worked closely together in advance of the visit and so on.

 

[stevewhite]

Portuguese, French and PSNI anti-drone police units deployed in Dublin during Zelenskyy visit
https://www.thejournal.ie/foreign-p...-tech-during-zelenskyy-visit-6898302-Dec2025/

Foreign police units were backing up local police with electronic anti-drone devices in Dublin City center last week.

Sources have said that gardaí, particularly the ERU, have a small number of handheld counter-drone devices but that the visiting police forces brought with them much more advanced equipment with a greater range.

Along with existing anti drone equipment at the airport, which was legislated for in 2023 in order to be able to actively disrupt drones.
https://www.irishtimes.com/transport/2023/09/07/dublin-airport-cleared-to-use-anti-drone-technology/

The agency has had drone-detection equipment for some time but, unlike many other big European airports, did not have the legal right to take down unmanned aircraft when they trespassed into the safety zone around Dublin Airport.

They said (foreign) police maybe they should have said paramilitary police or gendarmerie.

Portuguese, French and Northern Irish units deployed anti drone teams in Dublin during Zelenskys visit.

High Risk Security Network (HRSN)

From 1 to 2 December 2025, HRSN deployed 2 C-UAS teams (from Portuguese Guarda Nacional Republicana and French Gendarmerie Nationale), working together with the Irish Garda Síochána Armed Support Unit, in the "Operation David", aiming to reinforce security measures for the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, visit to Ireland.
Counter Unmanned Aerial Systems (C-UAS) specialized resources were provided, through the network Pool&sharing mechanism.

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/high...n-deployed-activity-7402753666119614464-0GUx/
Images from the Linkedin post show various C-UAS teams on Dublin city rooftops.

Says its the High Risk Security Network public space protection cooperation across the EU. https://hrsn.eu/

The HRSN was established in 2017 as part of the European Commission's Action Plan to strengthen the protection of public spaces. The network connects police units from EU Member States and associate members from other countries, which aims to develop innovative and integrated solutions for the security of public spaces.

 

[stevewhite]

EU satellite images identified 'dark vessel' in Irish Sea that could be linked to rogue drones - Irish Times
https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/...sea-drones-volodymyr-zelenskiy-dublin-russia/

Image satellites saw a ship off the Dublin coast hours before Zelensky arrived, It didn't have its tracker turned on, it was much smaller then the tanker referred in previous reporting above.

Satellite data obtained by The Irish Times shows the presence of a vessel about 19 nautical miles (36km) off the Dublin coast in the hours before the Ukrainian president's arrival.

The vessel did not have its automatic identification system (AIS) turned on, which is in breach of maritime regulations.
This meant it was invisible to maritime tracking platforms. However, it could be captured on satellite using a technology called synthetic-aperture radar (SAR).
Analysis of SAR images show the vessel was about 64 metres long, much bigger than most fishing vessels but smaller than average cargo ships and oil tankers.
There was no satellite over the Irish Sea at the time of the drone sightings. However, five hours earlier, at about 6pm, the Sentinel-1A, an EU Space Agency satellite used by the European Maritime Safety Agency to monitor for oil spills, passed overheard and captured the ship's presence.

 

[stevewhite]

EU satellite images identified 'dark vessel' in Irish Sea that could be linked to rogue drones - Irish Times
https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/...sea-drones-volodymyr-zelenskiy-dublin-russia/

Image satellites saw a ship off the Dublin coast hours before Zelensky arrived, It didn't have its tracker turned on, it was much smaller then the tanker referred in previous reporting above.

Satellite data obtained by The Irish Times shows the presence of a vessel about 19 nautical miles (36km) off the Dublin coast in the hours before the Ukrainian president's arrival.

The vessel did not have its automatic identification system (AIS) turned on, which is in breach of maritime regulations.
This meant it was invisible to maritime tracking platforms. However, it could be captured on satellite using a technology called synthetic-aperture radar (SAR).
Analysis of SAR images show the vessel was about 64 metres long, much bigger than most fishing vessels but smaller than average cargo ships and oil tankers.
There was no satellite over the Irish Sea at the time of the drone sightings. However, five hours earlier, at about 6pm, the Sentinel-1A, an EU Space Agency satellite used by the European Maritime Safety Agency to monitor for oil spills, passed overheard and captured the ship's presence.

View attachment 87000

Sentinel-1 IW VV+VH satellite image browser https://browser.dataspace.copernicus.eu/?zoom=11&lat=53.35808&lng=-5.8049&themeId=DEFAULT-THEME&visualizationUrl=U2FsdGVkX195E9b41+3I5YpXzRuJ330czsy0RT1n/1qyOItDjudvXbuzKgfMfoO1izjLf+ACNpE/s+Ot7wCpcgF5VeJ/lJdzlkNbkg7chz0wv0Qt/2fRTBFbkvh7OnF3&datasetId=S1_CDAS_IW_VVVH&fromTime=2025-12-01T00:00:00.000Z&toTime=2025-12-01T23:59:59.999Z&layerId=IW-DV-VV-DECIBEL-GAMMA0-ORTHORECTIFIED&demSource3D="MAPZEN"&cloudCoverage=30&dateMode=SINGLE

There is a very small white shape far off Dun Laoghaire (the port on the south of the bay, or rather off Dalkey the headland below it) at the point suggested by the IT, along the seam of the satellite image.

Not sure if this is correct or one could find a better image from the satellite the Sentinel-1A.

 

[Alexandria Nick]

Once again, if anyone claims to be able to identify the size and/or height of an unknown object in the sky just by looking at it, that's a red flag indicating an unreliable witness.

I'm not sure if I'd readily agree with that. If there's some feature on an unidentified object that could allow you to make a reasonable assessment of the size of the object, then you could determine both size and altitude with a modest degree of accuracy. For instance,if you saw a previously unknown type of fighter jet, you could make an approximation of size based on the known range of sizes the bubble canopy could be.

For instance, I was in Maine and someone was flying a drone around the harbor. Based on things like "it was a quadcopter," the size of the rotors relative to the body, the sound of the rotors, and the fine size of the landing skids, I could tell it would have to be approximately two feet across. An object of that size having the apparent size it did at altitude only looked to be about 25 feet, a lot unreasonable altitude for taking pictures of a harbor at sunset.

 

[John J.]

If there's some feature on an unidentified object that could allow you to make a reasonable assessment of the size of the object, then you could determine both size and altitude with a modest degree of accuracy. For instance,if you saw a previously unknown type of fighter jet, you could make an approximation of size based on the known range of sizes the bubble canopy could be. ...someone was flying a drone around the harbor. Based on things like "it was a quadcopter," the size of the rotors relative to the body, the sound of the rotors, and the fine size of the landing skids, I could tell it would have to be approximately two feet across.

You're right of course, but while the specific type of jet fighter or quadcopter drone might not be identifiable, each by definition belongs to a class of things that are identifiable. Most people will have seen examples of other craft of that class (not necessarily in real life; perhaps on TV or in books etc.) and this might give them a very approximate idea of the scale of fighter jets/ quadcopters.
A canopy might be a visual clue to the size of a combat jet, but If you can see the canopy you can probably see its wings and tailplane, so I'd guess most observers would know it was an example of a particular class of known flying object.

It's hard to think of any reason why an alien spacecraft would have visual features whose size we could be confident about, which could then be used to estimate overall size. Unless, say, if it was carting off an unfortunate cow or a car in a cargo net or tractor beam immediately underneath the craft. A canopy-shaped protuberance might not be a canopy.
(I'm sort of assuming we're talking about objects far enough away to rule out effective size / distance estimates from binocular cues).

 

[stevewhite]

Ireland's air traffic control operators not notified of drone activity during Zelenskiy visit - Irish Times 13th December
https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/...ied-of-drone-activity-during-zelenskiy-visit/

AirNav, which runs air traffic control in the Republic, including flights in and out of Dublin Airport, has confirmed to The Irish Times it was not informed of the drone activity on the night of Monday, December 1st.

but not just at the time, not the next day either!? Not before Zelensky left. Very peculiar.

"AirNav Ireland received no reports of drone activity during the visit of President Zelenskiy to Ireland,"

The Minister of Defence Helen McEntee said in parliamentary questions that there were drones, but says nothing about Dublin Air Traffic Control, whether there were warned or not… when repeatedly asked by other MPs.

First, we all know there were drones. For anybody suggesting otherwise, we know that was the case. I repeat that at no stage did they compromise the security operation that was in place for President Zelenskyy's visit

https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/2025-12-16/speech/267/

I would like her to come back on the question relating to when air traffic control in Dublin Airport was informed about this.

https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/2025-12-16/speech/269/

Still waiting for the National Security Meeting to occur, supposed to be this week.