Dáithí and Goliath: What Irish Fishermen Reveal About Russia in the Ukrainian War by: Alexandra Paul
Protesters outside the Russian embassy in Dublin in solidarity with Ukraine on Feb. 28th 2022. Neill Carson (PA Images via Getty, People Magazine) Without a doubt, the most discussed international issue of 2022 is the recent Russian invasion of Ukraine. The seemingly endless back and forth of accusations and stockpiling finally culminated in an all-out war in late February. Many of us worry about Vladmir Putin’s next move, especially his threats of nuclear war, the Russian advance on Kyiv, and the possibility that other countries could be invaded. While the focus has largely been on the world’s major powers, primarily the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and Russia, there was one country that quietly claimed a victory amid the early chaos: Ireland – more specifically, the Irish fishers who decided to disrupt a Russian naval exercise in their traditional fishing territory. In a David and Goliath story, or Dáithí and Goliath, THE OBSERVER
a small group of working men and women challenged the military might of Russia and bent the country to their will, successfully defending their waters. But the question remains – why did Russia comply? What did it gain from threatening to stage the exercise then giving into a country with little military might, especially a non-NATO member? After the invasion of Ukraine, the motive is clear: optics. Since the beginning of the crisis, Russia has determinedly campaigned to disguise its imperialist intentions and reframe NATO, especially the United States, as the aggressor. Military conflict between Russia and Ukraine is hardly new. In XVIII.3
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