Estonia accuses Russia of jamming GPS in Baltic Sea region
Margus Tsahkna (facebook.com_margus.tsahkna)
Russia is being held responsible for long-standing disruptions to GPS signals in the Baltic Sea region. All countries in the vicinity are suffering from Moscow's actions, according to Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna.
"We know that Russia has been jamming GPS signals since the onset of its aggression in Ukraine. Over the past eighteen months, this issue has become increasingly serious in our region," Tsahkna said on Estonian television.
According to him, this affects not only Estonia but also Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Norway, Sweden, and Poland.
"If we look at Russia's actions, this GPS attack is part of a hybrid campaign that disrupts our lives and violates various international agreements," Tsahkna said.
According to the convention, which Russia has also ratified, no one should interfere with the functioning of GPS. However, there is ample evidence that disruptions are originating from St. Petersburg, Pskov, and Kaliningrad, the Estonian Foreign Minister said.
Challenges for aviation
Thousands of flights from airlines have been affected due to satellite navigation obstacles caused by Russia. Specifically, 2,309 Ryanair flights, 1,368 Wizz Air flights, and 82 British Airways flights were disrupted.
Additionally, Finnair has suspended flights to Tartu in eastern Estonia for one month due to GPS disruptions.
Earlier, the German Ministry of Defense said that Russia is implicated in GPS malfunctions in Baltic countries.
