GPS interference is increasing in the Baltic Sea region. Most recently, the Finnish airline Finnair suspended its flights to the Estonian city of Tartu. For Estonia’s foreign minister, the trail leads to Russia.
Estonia’s Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna has accused neighboring Russia of being responsible for the long-standing GPS signal disruptions in the Baltic Sea region.
“We know that Russia has been jamming the GPS signal since the beginning of its aggression in Ukraine. In the last year and a half, this problem has become very serious in our region,” Tshanka said on Estonian television, according to a radio report. This affects not only Estonia, but also Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Norway, Sweden and Poland.
“If we look at Russia’s activities, this attack on GPS is part of a hybrid action that disrupts our lives and breaks all sorts of international agreements,” Tsahkna said. According to a convention to which Russia has also joined, GPS must not be interfered with by anyone. But there is plenty of evidence that the disruptions are coming from near St. Petersburg, Pskov and Kaliningrad, said the Estonian Foreign Minister – without giving details.
Tshakna: Russia wants to test it out
The GPS signal is used by aircraft to determine their own position and for navigation. At the end of last week, two Finnair planes had to be diverted after GPS interference prevented them from landing in Estonia’s second-largest city, Tartu. It is one of a few airports in the region where a GPS connection is required for this. The Finnish airline therefore announced that it would initially suspend its flights from Helsinki to Tartu.
After the incidents, the Estonian Consumer Protection and Technical Regulation Authority (TTJA) investigated the GPS interference. It does not assume a deliberate attack on Estonia. In their assessment, the signal disruptions are a “side effect” – they are likely due to Russia defending its critical infrastructure from attacks and trying to deter drones.
Tshakna contradicted this. If an external influence endangers people’s lives and affects aviation, it is not a spillover effect, emphasized the Estonian Foreign Minister. There is also no logical basis or need to jam the GPS signals in Norway, Sweden or Finland. Tshakna said that no drone attacks come from this direction or from Estonia. It is clear that Russia is instead testing what it can do to the West.
Source: Stern
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