Putin sparks panic for millions of Britons as Russian vessels run riot off Irish coast

A new report has warned that Ireland may be vulnerable to a Russian attack after a commission laid bare the gaps in its defence policy. The Commission on the Defence Forces reviewed 480 submissions and met 1,000 members of the Defence Forces in Ireland to expose its weaknesses. The commission found that “change is essential and implementation cannot be long-fingered”.

It also warned that if the Defence Force did not change, it would not be able to fully protect Ireland from military aggression.

But this may also be a concern for Britain.

It comes after Russian appeared to be eyeing-up Ireland’s maritime economic zone with a plot to send naval troops 240km off the southwest coast of Ireland.

Irish Defence Forces Reservist Robert Gilbey mentioned that the area identified by Russia was “ideal for protecting a submarine”.

Back in the summer of 2021, as well as in 2017, a Russian spy ship that can allegedly cut undersea cables was also spotted off the Irish coastline.

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The Yantar vessel was reportedly loaded with manned and remote-operated submersibles which are used to attach listening devices to the undersea cables.

And worryingly, Ireland’s Defence Forces reportedly don’t have the ability to monitor the zone that the Russian spy ships entered into.

John Brady, Sinn Fein’s spokesman on defence, said: “There are vessels entering Ireland’s exclusive economic zone which we don’t have the ability to monitor.

“We have no idea what is happening below the surface. We don’t know if devices are being fitted to these data cables or if they are being interfered with.”

But Ireland’s Commission on the Defence Forces has set out “three levels of ambition” as part of its report.

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One of those levels involves an “enhanced capability”, which would see Ireland acquire radar and coastal radar systems, and upgrade its naval fleet, military intelligence and cyber security.

The committee suggested the Irish Navy would be able to operate at optimum capacity with nine vessels and double crewing.

But for now, until its navy gets bolstered, it appears that Ireland may Mr Putin’s way into attacking the West amid soaring tension with Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has reportedly sent 100,000 troops to the Russia-Ukraine border, sparking fears of an imminent invasion.

And with Foreign Secretary Liz Truss warning Russia that she is ready to slap harsh sanctions down on Moscow over its military aggression, there are fears Mr Putin could retaliate.

f Russia was to cut those cables by Ireland, there are fears that the internet could go out in the UK as eight of those cables link to Britain.

Ireland’s Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney raised his concerns about the Kremlin’s exercises to Russia’s ambassador to Ireland Yury Filatov.

He said: “Under international law, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), states are entitled to carry out naval exercises in another state’s EEZ.

“The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) was informed of the exercise via standard procedures and has issued a statement to that effect.

“In light of the current political and security environment in Europe, the Department of Foreign Affairs has raised a number of concerns with the Russian authorities in respect of these exercises.”

The cables are supposed to be the garda force’s responsibility, under the 2004 Maritime Security Act.

But despite Mr Coveney’s concerns about the warships, he said previously said that the underwater cables “are not at the moment the legal responsibility of the Irish navy service”.