As the publication reminds, episodes of GPS jamming have been continuously reported here since the start of Russia’s war against Ukraine. The sources of disturbance are concentrated in the Kaliningrad region.
According to Dana Howard, president of the American Foundation for Sustainable Navigation and Synchronization, this threat is real because in 2019 there has been at least one known case where a passenger plane almost crashed into a mountain due to interference with the GPS signal.
The European Aviation Safety Agency is investigating the matter, but so far regulators say the GPS problems do not pose a risk to flights. However, the agency notes that reports about them have increased significantly. During 2024 January and February almost seven times more cases were reported than in the same period in 2023. period. Dana Howard calls these actions deliberate and not directly related to the conflict zone in Ukraine.
Israeli military expert David Sharp, speaking to the independent portal “The Insider”, expressed the idea that Russia seeks to make Western countries feel uneasy in this way:
“In this case, I would be inclined to believe that the Russian Federation is testing its capabilities and giving little worries to Western countries in order to give them a sense of anxiety. It is hardly a preparation for something specific, because there is no talk of war yet. Intuition suggests that this is a test of ability and desire to cause small to medium-sized problems for one’s opponents.”
Earlier, Estonian Defense Forces Commander Martin Herem stated that by jamming the GPS over the Baltic region, Moscow “conducts exercises against the background of the risk of a possible future conflict with NATO”.
Tags: military expert explained Russia interferes GPS signal Baltic Sea
