There was a spike in Russian shadow fleet activity in Irish-controlled waters this week, placing additional pressure on security services dealing with the State visit of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy. However, the vessels attracted attention due to the suspected use of other shadow fleet vessels in hybrid warfare against EU countries. These vessels, which have also been accused of damaging undersea cables in EU waters, are known collectively as the shadow fleet. In September shadow fleet vessels were suspected of serving as a launch platform for drones that disrupted operations at Copenhagen airport in Denmark. Shadow fleet vessels are closely tracked by the Coast Guard and Defence Forces.

Source: The Irish Times December 04, 2025 12:31 UTC