Russia accused of GPS interference affecting thousands of civilian flights

• Russia is disrupting satellite navigation systems, affecting flights in the Baltic Sea.
• GPS interference is causing aircraft in these areas to be unable to receive signals.
• Reports of maritime traffic in the Baltic Sea being affected by GPS interference have also emerged.

Experts say Russia is disrupting satellite navigation systems, affecting thousands of civilian flights. Regions such as the Baltic Sea, the Black Sea, and the eastern Mediterranean, where Russia’s military has been most active, have experienced a surge in GPS interference. As a result, aircraft in these areas are unable to receive GPS signals, leading to navigational challenges and potential safety concerns.

In March, an RAF plane carrying Defence Secretary Grant Shapps experienced GPS signal jamming while flying near Russian territory. The ongoing disruption prompted Finland’s flag carrier Finnair to suspend daily flights to Estonia’s second-largest city, Tartu, for a month. Two of its aircraft had to return to Helsinki due to GPS interference.

Unlike most larger airports, which have alternative navigation systems enabling aircraft to land even if the signal is lost, Tartu Airport relies solely on GPS. Juho Sinkkonen, Finnair’s vice president for flight operations, informed the private news channel that their aircraft face this issue daily.

“Pilots are reporting cases actively, and we get more than 100 reports monthly,” he said.

However, Mr. Sinkkonen stated that GPS interference is primarily a nuisance and poses few risks. This is because, during flight, an aircraft typically utilizes other navigation systems before approaching and landing at an airport. Therefore, losing connection to GPS does not immediately endanger its safety.

According to Cyrille Rosay, a senior cybersecurity expert at the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), while the problem preexisted before the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, it is worsening. Mr. Rosay stated that the EASA now registers “several thousand incidents” per year.

When asked where the blame lies, officials from the Baltic states don’t hesitate to respond.

“The source of interference is Russia,” Estonia’s Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna told the news.

“We have proof that it is coming from Russia, and Russia is violating all the international agreements.”

Mr. Tsahkna identified the sources of interference as located near the Russian cities of St. Petersburg, Kaliningrad, and Pskov. Online investigators concur, suggesting that GPS jammers are likely halfway between St. Petersburg and Estonia and near the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea – the same area where the RAF plane carrying Defence Secretary Grant Shapps experienced signal jamming.

Mr. Tsahkna stated that by jamming GPS signals, Russia was “violating our territories” and endangering people and civilian airplanes.

“This is a violation of international agreements… And also, I’m sure that they know exactly what they’re doing,” he added.

Reports have also emerged of maritime traffic in the Baltic Sea being affected by GPS interference. The most widespread form of such meddling is jamming, but there have also been numerous instances of “spoofing,” where legitimate signals are replaced with fake ones, indicating a false location.

Keir Giles, director of the Conflict Studies Research Centre, a British think tank, believes Russia meddles with GPS for offensive and defensive reasons. He suggests that while Russia is testing “its capabilities for immobilizing Europe completely in time of crisis,” it is also attempting to protect itself from possible missile and drone attacks.

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