John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Minister of State. The Ukrainian ambassador was very appreciative of the non-military assistance the country has been given when she came before the committee last week. The Minister of State referred in his reply to regional destabilisation. I was fortunate and privileged, with the Minister of State's colleague, Deputy Barry Ward, Chair of the EU affairs committee, to be part of an EU election observation project in Moldova. The Russians had been attempting to interfere with elections there. Clearly, it is not just warheads, missiles and drones but it is right across. The Ukrainian ambassador told the committee that something like 11,000 Shahed drones have been used in the first six months of this year, as well as 9,000 other types of attack drones. We have been talking about sanctions and the Minister referred to the 19th iteration of these. Does he think they are biting? Could he reassure the House about that?

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