Baltic Sea GPS disruptions spur aviation and maritime concerns
GPS system disruptions in the Baltic Sea have been ongoing for over 60 days, affecting the navigation of planes and ships, according to Swedish media.
GPS system disruptions in the Baltic Sea, which affect the navigation of planes and ships, have been ongoing for over 60 days. Swedish media, including "Expressen" and "Dagens Nyheter," report strong anomalies in the area of Gotland Island and southern Öland. Intentional GPS interference can have serious consequences for civil aviation and shipping.
On Thursday, a Ryanair plane from Luton to Vilnius had to abort its landing due to GPS issues and landed in Warsaw. Swedish Defence Minister Pål Jonson emphasized that "the government is closely monitoring the situation and remains in close contact with both Finland, the Baltic countries, as well as within NATO and the EU."
Swedish authorities are working on increasing resistance to GNSS disruptions (a collective name for global navigation satellite systems).
Similar problems occur in northern Norway. The Norwegian Communications Authority (Nkom) reported on Friday about GPS disruptions in the Kirkenes region near the border with Russia. Disruptions appear at increasingly lower altitudes, as confirmed by measurements from Norwegian experts.
GPS disruptions in the Baltic and northern Scandinavian Peninsula have been ongoing since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The Swedish military pointed at Russian activities in the Kaliningrad oblast at that time. Lt. Col. Joakim Paasikivi, a lecturer at the Swedish Defense Academy, claimed that disruptions might be some kind of "tests" before they are used by Russia in hybrid warfare.
