The EU Nation Dubbed 'Europe's Soft Underbelly' As A Target For Russia

A former Army officer and military analyst has pointed out the EU nation he sees as the most vulnerable in Europe’s defence against Russian threats.

Hamish de Bretton-Gordon OBE, who dedicated 23 years to the British Army, suggests that the Republic of Ireland, renowned for its century-long stance of neutrality, is an "open goal" for Moscow.

The country's leftist president, Catherine Connolly, famously asserted before winning the election last year that “Ireland will never be able to have an army. We do not need an army.”

For de Bretton-Gordon, these aspects of Ireland's neutrality and the perspectives of its leaders regarding the necessity of defence make it the Achilles' heel of Europe. He mentioned to the Daily Mail: “Ireland has nothing to protect itself.

“It is absolutely the soft underbelly [of Europe]. It is virtually an open goal, and if Ireland doesn’t realise it’s in Russian crosshairs, then it needs to do so pretty quickly.”

The nation notoriously allocates minimal resources to defence, with annual expenditures around 0.2-0.3%, placing it among the lowest in Europe.

Nevertheless, the conflict in Ukraine and a surge in Russian military activity in European waters and airspace have led the country to commit to bolstering its defences.

This year, Ireland declared its intention to raise defence spending to £1.5 billion by the decade’s end, paralleling the budget of Malta.

Though preserving its neutral stance, indications suggest Ireland could still be targeted by Russia due to its EU membership and close cultural ties with the UK.

Additionally, as a non-NATO nation, it would not automatically benefit from the military protection of Europe’s leading powers.

Russia has frequently sent spy ships into Irish territorial waters. This is particularly concerning as 75% of telecommunications cables in the northern hemisphere traverse or are proximate to Ireland’s exclusive economic zone.

The nation’s enhancement of defence outlays is poised to prioritise the acquisition of several towed array sonar systems from Thales, costing tens of millions of pounds, to safeguard its four offshore patrol vessels, two large patrol vessels, and two inshore patrol vessels.