LONDON

Senior members of the Irish government have been briefed on the presence of drones in Irish airspace on the night Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Dublin, according to a report by the BBC on Thursday.

Zelenskyy flew into the capital late on Monday for a one-day official visit.

The Irish Defense Forces declined to discuss “the specifics of any alleged incidents,” but said: “Defense Forces support to the security operation, led by Irish police Gardai, was successfully deployed in multiple ways, ultimately leading to a safe and successful visit by President Zelenskyy to Ireland.”

The Irish online newspaper The Journal, meanwhile, reported that four unidentified military-style drones breached a no-fly zone late on Monday night and flew towards the expected flight path of Zelenskyy’s plane as it approached Dublin Airport over the Irish Sea.

The aircraft landed slightly ahead of schedule, moments before the drones appeared at about 11 pm.

According to the report, the devices reached the location where Zelenskyy’s plane had been due to pass at precisely the time it had been expected there. They then circled above an Irish Navy vessel that had been covertly deployed in the area as part of the security operation.

Sources told The Journal the drones were launched from the northeast of Dublin, possibly near Howth, and were airborne for up to two hours.

Inquiries are underway to establish whether they were operated from land or an undetected vessel at sea. The identity of those who launched the drones, and the current location of the aircraft, remains unknown.