Russia jams GPS of 1,600 aircraft flying in Europe

MORE than 1,600 planes have been hit by GPS interference in two days in what was described as a Russian bid to create an ‘atmosphere of threat’.

Mysterious jamming lasting just under 48 hours affected mainly civilian aircraft flying through the Baltic region in eastern Europe.

Interference with navigational equipment poses serious issues for pilots who may receive signals giving false information about their location.

A map posted on X by an open-source intelligence account shows incidents across Poland and southern Sweden.

Persistent interference over recent months has been blamed on jammers in the Kaliningrad region of Russia.

Sitting apart from the rest of the country between Nato members Poland and Lithuania, it serves as a base for one of Russia’s naval fleets.

Hackers there are believed to be behind GPS jamming of an RAF plane carrying defence secretary Grant Shapps back from a recent Poland visit.

‘Russian armed forces have a wide spectrum of military equipment dedicated for GNSS [global navigation satellite system] interference, including jamming and spoofing, at varying distances, duration and intensity,’ a Lithuanian defence official told Newsweek.

Poland’s defence ministry says the aim is to create an ‘atmosphere of threat and a sense of helplessness in society’.

Swedish military expert Lt Col Joakim Paasikivi said he considered the interference the result of ‘Russian influence activities or so-called hybrid warfare’.

OPS Group, a collective of 7,000 pilots, have reported similar incidents in the Middle East. They said aircraft are being ‘targeted with fake GPS signals, quickly leading to complete loss of navigational capability’ in the region.

■ A FATHER and his two sons have been accused of aiding and abetting the Moscow terror attack. Isroil Islomov and sons Aminchon and Dilovar entered no pleas at court. They were held after it emerged Dilovar, 24, had sold a car used by the alleged gunmen days before the attack at Crocus City music hall, where 139 people were killed. Vladimir Putin last night said ‘radical Islamists’ committed the atrocity.