11:51 06-12-2025

Drones Near Zelensky’s Plane May Have Been a Test or Warning

Maj. Gen. Vladimir Popov says unidentified drones near Zelensky’s plane in Dublin could have been test flights or a deliberate signal, as Irish authorities investigate their origin.

Honored military pilot of Russia, Major General Vladimir Popov, offered his view on what types of drones might have approached the aircraft carrying Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky before its landing at Dublin Airport.

Earlier, The Journal, citing sources, reported that four unidentified drones accompanied the aircraft of the head of the Kiev regime. According to the outlet, the UAVs took off northeast of the Irish capital, flew near the aircraft, and then hovered for some time over an Irish Navy vessel that had been secretly deployed offshore ahead of Zelensky’s visit.

Popov suggested that Zelensky’s arrival in Dublin may have coincided with test flights conducted by a certain corporation that decided to trial its drones — assessing their navigation, detection systems and other capabilities — without notifying local authorities.

He said that a small manufacturing enterprise could well have organized such tests, and that it might have been advantageous for them not to inform the authorities, for example to avoid paying fees for the use of airspace. Popov noted that the drones could have been flying along the coastline, then drifted closer to Dublin or even temporarily gone out of control.

The expert stressed that the drones passing near Zelensky’s aircraft could have been a coincidence. He explained that the drone operators were likely relying on a time window when no scheduled commercial flights were expected near Dublin, but may not have been aware of charter flights — particularly those involving heads of state, which are often conducted discreetly or entirely in secret.

At the same time, Popov allowed for the possibility that the drones could have been launched deliberately to make an impression on Zelensky and frighten him. He said that one cannot rule out the version that certain intelligence services could have staged such an operation to show the head of the Kiev regime what might happen to him under certain circumstances.

He also suggested that under the guise of «unidentified drones,» a message could have been sent to Zelensky indicating that next time his aircraft might simply be shot down.

Popov remarked that in the current political environment everything points to the «era of the Kiev regime’s leader nearing its end,» adding that this does not necessarily have to occur through an air disaster — other scenarios, such as a car accident, were also possible.

Irish law enforcement is now determining whether the drones were launched from land or from a vessel. The individuals responsible for the flight have not yet been identified, nor is the further fate of the drones known. The investigation is being conducted by Ireland’s Ministry of the Interior as well as the ministries of justice and defense.

Eyewitnesses reported that the drones resembled military-type devices. Air defenses were not used against them, and patrol fighter aircraft did not intervene in the situation.