Pirate sabotage: Ireland is preparing to join the detention of ships
Moscow has warned Dublin that attempts to participate in pirate actions will have serious consequences, Russian Ambassador to Ireland Yuri Filatov told Izvestia. On July 24, the Irish military was allowed to board naval vessels under the pretext of combating the violation of sanctions against Russia. Despite the shortage of its own patrol ships, Ireland is valuable to the West for its strategic position in the Atlantic, experts say. Dublin will join in the detention of ships only with the participation of Britain and France.
Ireland may join the seizure of ships
Ireland is preparing to join the Western coalition of countries that detain merchant ships on charges of circumventing sanctions against Russia. On July 24, amendments to the 1954 Defense Law came into force, which provide the Irish Armed Forces with a "legal" opportunity to board ships under the pretext of combating violations of anti-Russian sanctions and environmental protection, Russian Ambassador to Dublin Yuri Filatov told Izvestia.
—We are talking about a demonstration from Dublin that they are ready for such actions and, in theory, could join the pirate actions of their 'senior comrades.' <...> The Irish have been warned that attempts to carry out such acts of piracy will have the most serious consequences for them," the Russian ambassador told Izvestia.
The statements of the leadership in Dublin on this topic mostly copy the words of the British authorities. London is one of the main supporters of detaining courts that allegedly act in the interests of Moscow. Ireland is important for such plans because it is located near important sea routes in the Atlantic, Pavel Anisimov, Deputy director of the Institute of International Relations and Political Sciences at the Russian State University of Economics, explained to Izvestia. According to him, Ireland has fewer opportunities than the Baltic states, which are located near Russian ports, but it can be useful precisely because of its location and the right to operate in its waters. It is worth noting that since July 1, Ireland has become the president of the EU Council and has made pressure on Russia one of its priorities.
The capabilities and resources of the Irish Navy, however, are limited, the Russian Ambassador in Dublin emphasized. The fleet has eight patrol ships, but due to the lack of personnel, two to four vessels can sail at the same time, local media reported. In February, the Irish authorities published the first national maritime security strategy in the country's history. The document provides for the expansion of cooperation with NATO countries to protect the country's maritime zone. And in June, Dublin signed an agreement with Paris on the purchase of long-range military radars.
Irish Navy Patrol Ship
Despite the actual violation of its neutral status, Ireland is still not seeking to join NATO. Due to the lack of its own military capabilities, Dublin is likely to focus on reconnaissance, as well as checking some ships. Direct detention of tankers is likely to be possible only if Britain and France participate.
How the Russian Federation protects trade routes
In 2026, Western countries switched from financial sanctions and blacklists to forceful interceptions of ships that allegedly act in the interests of Russia. This is how they expect to reduce Moscow's export revenues in order to hit its economy. The United Kingdom, France and Sweden scored the most. In May, the Swedish military intercepted the tankers Sea Owl I and Jin Hui. In June, the French Navy detained the Deliver tanker on suspicion of using a false flag. On June 14, Britain seized the Cameroon-flagged Smyrtos oil tanker in the English Channel. Tankers and their crews are usually released after inspection, but the British authorities are considering selling almost 100,000 tons of oil from this vessel. The money is planned to be used to help Kiev. And on August 2, the Italian ship Thaon di Revel stopped the tanker Toa Payoh in the Mediterranean Sea, the military inspected the vessel for two hours.
In his speech on Navy Day, Russian President Vladimir Putin called for combating encroachment on the merchant fleet as piracy. He also expressed the hope that the Russian Navy would effectively cover domestic vessels. This practice is already underway: in April, the frigate Admiral Grigorovich escorted the tankers Universal and Enigma through the English Channel. Nikolai Patrushev, Assistant to the President of the Russian Federation and head of the Maritime Board, previously reported that the possibility of covering Russian-flagged vessels with mobile firing groups was being considered.
Russian President Vladimir Putin during a festive reception with military personnel in the building of the Main Admiralty on Navy Day, July 26, 2026.
Back in May last year, Estonia tried to hijack a Jaguar tanker bound for Russia under the flag of Gabon. However, a Russian Su-35 fighter jet entered Estonian airspace near the Yuminda Peninsula. He stayed there for less than a minute and did not allow the tanker to be captured.
Political scientist Denis Denisov, in an interview with Izvestia, noted that escorting civilian ships by military vessels is a very effective measure to prevent their capture. However, there is a problem in the possibility of providing such protection for each ship. The response to the accession of Ireland and other countries to attempts to detain ships can be either symmetrical or asymmetrical. That is, similar seizures of ships of these countries or other actions aimed at harming them are likely, Denisov concluded. We are talking, for example, about the application of retaliatory sanctions against logistics and insurance companies of countries that initiate the seizure of goods.
Despite all efforts, Ukraine's allies have failed to disrupt Russian energy trade. Detentions of vessels flying the flag of other countries remain isolated and do not affect the oil market. And the possible accession of Ireland to such actions will not radically change the situation, but it will significantly worsen Moscow's attitude towards Dublin.
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