Kremlin accused of blocking GPS during drill

Russian efforts to disrupt huge Nato war games with electronic warfare is suspected of putting airline passengers at risk by jamming satellite navigation systems across Norway and Finland.

The global positioning system (GPS) suffered massive interference during two weeks of military drills held off the western coast of Norway. Russia denounced the exercises, which ended last week, as ‘‘sabrerattling’’.

Pilots with the Norwegian airline Wideroe said they had lost GPS signal when flying to airports in northern Norway and Finland, forcing them to switch to alternative navigation systems.

Finland’s air navigation services warned air traffic of extensive GPS interruption in the north of the country. Norwegian aviation officials issued a similar warning. Vehicles that use GPS, as well as smartphones, were also hit by the disruption.

‘‘It is possible that Russia has been the disrupting party in this,’’ said Juha Sipila, the Finnish prime minister. ‘‘Russia is known to possess such capabilities. This is not a joke, it threatened the air security of ordinary people.’’

The Kremlin has not commented on the accusations.

After the end of Trident Juncture, Nato’s largest exercise since the end of the Cold War, a Norwegian frigate collided with an oil tanker in the dark, injuring eight crew members. It is not known if the accident was related to a GPS signal failure.

Although Finland and Sweden are not Nato members, unlike Norway, they took part in the military exercises out of concern about possible Russian aggression in the region. The Kremlin has warned that it will take unspecified retaliatory measures if either joins Nato. In July, Russian paratroopers practised the invasion of an island in the Gulf of Finland.

The island, Gogland, was seized by Moscow in 1944. – The Times