Releasing footage of Zelenskyy drone incident a 'very basic request', Labour TD says

THE DEPARTMENT OF Defence has declined a request from the Labour Party to release footage of the recent drone activity during the visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Minister for Defence Helen McEntee said her department “does not comment on security issues” in response to the Parliamentary Question from Labour TD and Oireachtas Defence Committee member Duncan Smith. 

Reacting to the response from McEntee, Smith told The Journal that he has “serious questions” about how the incident was handled.

He said there has been a refusal from Government to engage with TDs on “very basic issues” of national security.

“This is all the more evident in the Government’s attitude toward the Defence committee,” Smith said.

He added that this Government has “paid lip service in regard to stepping up on national security, but they haven’t backed it up with action”.

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“Releasing this footage is a very basic request and it is a simple yes or no answer. The Minister and her Department need to provide clarity on the situation not just for TD’s but also the public,” Smith said. 

Other Opposition TDs have also called for the footage to be released since the incident.

After Zelenskyy’s visit to Dublin earlier this month, The Journal reported that four unidentified military-style drones breached a no-fly zone and flew towards the flight path of his plane at sea near Dublin Airport.

It remains unknown who launched and controlled the drones or where the drones are now. 

However, European Council President António Costa laid the blame at the feet of Russia. 

Last week, McEntee defended the Government’s handling of the drone incident and sought to assure the public that it is being “taken extremely seriously”.

“There is a review ongoing at the moment, I am not going to comment any further at the moment, but what happened here is being reflected right across the EU,” she added.

The Minister said that the drone incidents in Europe were designed to cause disruption.

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