Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy inspects the Irish Defence Forces guard of honour during his visit to Dublin earlier this month. The response is called Operation Fáilte and forms part of the Defence Forces’ “aid to the civil authority” duties. The Defence Forces’ contribution to the government response to the refugee crisis was greatest in 2022 at the start of the war in Ukraine when 3,429 workdays were required. In addition to work from members of the Permanent Defence Forces, 378 workdays were required from the Reserve Defence Forces since Operation Fáilte began three years ago. The Defence Forces also provided storage containers and 500 sleeping bags to the Department of Integration in response to the crisis.

Source: The Irish Times December 15, 2025 06:11 UTC