Dorcha Lee: Russian fleet presence exploits gap in Irish defence

The Russians are coming and there is little we can do about what is widely regarded as a demonstration of force designed to coincide with possible military action against Ukraine

A photo taken from video distributed by the Russian Defense Ministry last year of a new Zircon hypersonic cruise missile launched by a submarine of the Russian navy in the Barents Sea. 

These days, as the low winter sun sets off the West and South-West coast, cloud formations paint the oddest shapes against the reddish-orange sky. White contrails from high flying commercial aircraft will catch the last light of day, while shadows slowly envelop the ground below. It is a time when nature can play tricks on the eyes, and UFOs are easily imagined.

One particular effect occurs if the angle of sight is very low, and the sun has just dipped under the horizon. This is when the contrails of eastbound aircraft can appear to rise directly from the sea, just like surface to air missiles streaking towards their invisible target. The imagery of a distant nuclear war comes to mind if cloud formations take on a mushroom-like shape.