Irish fishermen fend off Russian naval display

Russia said it would relocate naval exercises it had planned to do off the coast of Cork, Ireland, after fishermen said the maneuvers would hurt their livelihoods by disrupting their fishing ground. The drills were supposed to take place Feb. 3-8 about 150 miles from shore. They were slated to include naval artillery and rocket launches. While international law allows Russia to conduct drills in the zone, experts and fishermen said they would have devastating consequences for some species.

How did they do it? The fishermen warned they would hold a peaceful protest and simply continue fishing whether Russia performed its maneuvers or not. Ireland’s foreign minister then wrote to the Russian defense minister, asking Moscow to reconsider the naval exercises. In a rare concession and “gesture of goodwill,” the Russian ambassador to Ireland announced Saturday the drills will be moved outside of Ireland’s economic zone.

Dig deeper: Read Carolina Lumetta’s report in The Sift about the latest tensions between Russia and NATO.