GPS jamming is a ‘side effect’ of Russian military activity, Finnish transport agency says

Finnair has stopped flights to one Estonian city thanks to the signal interference.

MAY 3, 2024 
BY TOMMASO LECCA

Jamming GPS signals over the Baltic Sea is “most likely” a side effect of Russia's anti-drone activities, Traficom, the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency, said today.

“The interference intensified when Ukraine's drone attacks on Russia's energy infrastructure began in January 2024,” Traficom said in a press release.

Estonia also blames Russia for the signal jamming, but the Finnish agency doesn't agree with the Tallinn government in defining the interference as a hybrid attack.
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“It is possible that the interference observed in aviation currently are most likely a side effect of Russia's self-protection” that is used “to prevent the navigation and control of drones controlled by GNSS [Global Navigation Satellite System] or mobile frequencies,” Traficom said.

In any case, the Finnish agency says it is safe to fly to and from Finland thanks to inertia-based navigation and ground-based navigation alternatives — though GPS remains “the main source of navigation information in aviation.”

Finnair earlier this week suspended flights to Tartu, Estonia, for a month; the Estonian government announced its intention to discuss the issue with its EU and NATO partners.

“[The] North Atlantic Council addressed the recent malign activities on Allied territory yesterday [May 2] and stated that Russia’s hybrid operations such as cyber and electronic interference but also sabotage, acts of violence and disinformation campaigns have affected several NATO member states,” said an Estonian foreign ministry spokesperson, referring to a NATO statement issued Thursday.