Russia can spoof GPS signals deep into Europe, Lithuania warns

Russia has dramatically increased its capability to broadcast fake GPS signals deep into Europe from its Kaliningrad exclave, according to a Lithuanian official. Darius Kuliesius, deputy head of Lithuania's communications regulator, stated that Russia has expanded its GPS spoofing antenna network from three in early 2025 to 36 currently. These antennas are located in the heavily militarized Kaliningrad territory, situated between NATO members Lithuania and Poland on the Baltic coast.

"Intermittent jamming began with the NATO summit in Vilnius in 2023. Now they have built the infrastructure, and the jamming has become a systematic, permanent, endless Russian provocation against European security," Kuliesius said. Russia's embassy in Vilnius has not yet commented, and Moscow has consistently denied such accusations in the past, often blaming the West for smear tactics.

A map from the Lithuanian regulator indicates that Russian GPS spoofing could reach across Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, much of Poland, and parts of Finland, Sweden, and Belarus, as well as the Baltic Sea. The range extends up to 450 kilometers, Kuliesius noted, based on the regulator's analysis of disruptions in aviation surveillance ADS-B transmissions.

Previous incidents include a Spanish military aircraft carrying Defense Minister Margarita Robles experiencing GPS interference near Kaliningrad last year. Similarly, a plane carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen faced jamming en route to Bulgaria. Estonia and Finland have also blamed Russia for GPS interference in their airspace. While most modern aircraft have alternative navigation tools, Kuliesius added that the jamming also degrades mobile phone network quality near Kaliningrad, affecting services like online bus schedules in cities like Klaipėda, which is 50 kilometers from the border.

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Intermittent jamming began with the NATO summit in Vilnius in 2023. Now they have built the infrastructure, and the jamming has become a systematic, permanent, endless Russian provocation against European security.