Polish researchers trace Baltic GPS disruptions to Russian military sites in Kaliningrad

Polish researchers have gathered detailed evidence indicating that GPS signal disruptions over the Baltic Sea, ongoing since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, are originating from two military installations in Kaliningrad, according to a report by Defense News.

Since the war began, thousands of aircraft and ships have experienced navigational system failures, leading to flight diversions and cancellations. The disruptions to the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) include both jamming and spoofing of coordinates. The interference is detected almost daily in a variety of locations — from Gdańsk Airport to Baltic Sea shipping lanes to the airspace over Estonia and Finland.

Authorities in the Baltic states — Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia — have directly accused Russia of being responsible. In March, eight European countries filed a formal complaint with the United Nations regarding the practice.

An international research team led by Jarosław Cydejko from Gdynia Maritime University set up monitoring stations around the Gulf of Gdańsk to track and triangulate the sources of interference. Their findings, published this spring, point to two coastal locations in Kaliningrad, accurate to within one kilometer. Both sites are located near known Russian electronic warfare units and military antenna complexes.

The signals originated from the area of the Okunevo antenna complex on Kaliningrad’s central coast, a site that hosts Russian electronic warfare units. Satellite imagery from 2018 shows the presence of the Murmansk-BN GT-01 system there, a truck-mounted array equipped with powerful 32-meter antennas.

Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Sweden, and Germany have officially declared Russia’s GNSS interference to be a form of hybrid warfare. Estonian Defense Forces Commander Martin Herem has claimed Russia is preparing for a war with the Baltic states. However, Defense News notes that not all experts agree with this interpretation. Some believe the interference might be an unintended byproduct of defensive measures taken in the area of sensitive Russian military infrastructure.

To combat the effects of Russian electronic interference, several countries are working to develop alternative ground-based navigation systems. Such efforts include the R-Mode Baltic project, which is expected to launch by 2026.