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Why Russian naval drills off Ireland were in question
Summary
A look back at the dispute over planned Russian exercises in waters southwest of Ireland, as it stood on 31 January 2022.
What was Russia planning off Ireland's south-west coast, and why did it matter to Dublin? On 31 January 2022, the question was still fresh after an announcement two days earlier.
The controversy concerned proposed Russian military exercises in the Atlantic Ocean, southwest of Ireland. They were scheduled for 3 to 8 February 2022 and were to involve both the Russian Navy and the Russian air force. The area lay in international waters but within Ireland's exclusive economic zone.
On 29 January 2022, Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney announced that the Russian Minister of Defence had agreed to his request that the exercises be moved outside the Irish Exclusive Economic Zone.
The exercises were later cancelled by Russia at the request of the Irish government, according to later accounts. That outcome was not part of the announcement made on 29 January.
