Telegraph: Ireland is Europe’s weakest security link against a possible Russian invasion.
Irish Senator and retired army captain Tom Clooney, in an interview with the Telegraph, stressed that “we are the weakest link in Europe in terms of security, defense and intelligence,” and called for Dublin to stop relying on the troops and taxpayers of neighboring countries.
Referring to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Ireland on December 3, the Telegraph reported: His plane landed at Dublin Airport slightly earlier than planned, which may have saved his life.
According to Irish officials, shortly after the plane landed, five military drones were seen in the airspace close to Zelensky’s flight path.
The report adds: Although the country’s authorities announced that the purpose of the Russian drones in question was to cause disruption, the scenario in which the leader of the Western resistance to Russia, whose survival is of great importance to British foreign policy, is killed near England is not far-fetched.
Security experts in Ireland believe the incident was proof of what they have long been saying: that a commitment to peace has become an open invitation to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Cloonan added that Dublin has neither modern sensors to detect threats nor the weapons to counter them, leaving the country “completely and utterly defenseless and, one might say, provocatively weak.”
Some experts have suggested apocalyptic scenarios about Dublin’s vulnerability to any Russian threat, including missiles being fired at Europe from Russian submarines on the west coast, or Putin landing his paratroopers in the Atlantic city of Clare.
But most analysts believe the real threat to Ireland lies in the network of undersea cables and gas pipelines in the waters surrounding the island nation. Three-quarters of the most vital transatlantic cables pass through or near Ireland.
The Telegraph points to an incident in November 2024 when the Russian spy ship Yantar was spotted patrolling cables used by US tech giants Microsoft and Google.
Western defence officials say the Russian Deep Sea Research Directorate, or Gogi, has submarines with mechanical arms that can cut underwater cables. They also have sensors in the water to track the Royal Navy’s undetectable submarines.
But because Dublin has no radar or modern sonar systems, it will only be aware of Russian operations if its allies, including Britain, alert it. For example, in December 2023, a British warship and a helicopter chased away a Russian submarine that had been spotted near Cork Harbour.
Dublin has yet to provide a clear explanation for the drone incident with Zelensky’s plane
The Telegraph continued: The Dublin government has so far provided no explanation or even held a press conference regarding the presence of military drones near Zelensky’s plane, and military officials have refused to appear before the parliamentary defence and national security committee.
The British newspaper added: There is no defence minister in this country to be held accountable, as Helen McEntee holds three responsibilities at the same time: defence minister, foreign secretary, and trade secretary.
No warning was even issued for the irregular aircraft on the night of the incident. According to Clooney, the failure to warn air traffic control is “deeply worrying at best and indeed inexcusable.
He added, “I think this is a wake-up call for the Irish people. Not only do we not have the equipment to deal with these threats, but when we do get lucky enough to hear about them, there is no decision-making authority.” The Telegraph finally noted that Ireland, as a member of the European Union, is not a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a position that is based on its commitment to neutrality in the event of armed conflict and therefore would not be an ally to defend itself in the event of any Russian attack.