Lithuania stated that Russia may be spoofing GPS signals deep within Europe
Kyiv • UNN
Russia has deployed 36 antennas in Kaliningrad to spoof GPS signals within a 450 km radius. This creates constant interference for aviation and communications in EU countries.
Russia can spoof GPS signals deep into Europe within a radius of up to 450 km (280 miles) from its Kaliningrad exclave due to significantly expanded technical capabilities, a Lithuanian official stated on Tuesday. This was reported by Reuters, according to UNN.
Details
As the publication notes, since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, European countries have frequently accused Russia of electronic interference; however, Vladimir Putin's government denies this, attributing such statements to a Western smear campaign.
Darius Kuliešius, deputy head of the Lithuanian communications regulator, told Reuters that Russia has increased the number of antennas for GPS "spoofing" — the faking of signals that mislead positioning systems — from three at the beginning of 2025 to 36 now.
According to him, these antennas are located in the heavily militarized territory of Kaliningrad, which is situated between NATO members Lithuania and Poland on the Baltic Sea coast.
Periodic interference began during the 2023 NATO summit in Vilnius. Now they have built up the infrastructure, and the interference has become systemic, constant, a continuous Russian provocation against European security,
The Russian embassy in Vilnius did not immediately respond to a request for comment; however, Moscow has previously repeatedly denied such allegations.
A map from the Lithuanian regulator showed that Russia's GPS signal falsification could extend to Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, most of Poland, as well as parts of Finland, Sweden, and Belarus, and across the Baltic Sea.
According to Kuliešius, the radius of impact has reached 450 km, which the Lithuanian regulator estimated by analyzing disruptions in the ADS-B aviation surveillance system.
Previous incidents
Last year, a Spanish military aircraft carrying Defense Minister Margarita Robles experienced GPS interference near Kaliningrad, and a plane carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also experienced jamming during a flight to Bulgaria.
Estonia and neighboring Finland have also accused Russia of jamming GPS navigation in the region's airspace.
However, most modern airliners and major airports have alternative navigation systems in case of GPS problems.
Kuliešius noted that Lithuania's mobile networks near Kaliningrad have poorer quality due to interference on certain frequencies. Spoofing and jamming intensify during Ukrainian drone attacks on Russia.
"Online bus schedules in Klaipėda stop working during such surges because they depend on GPS tracking of the buses," he added, referring to the city located 50 km from the border with Kaliningrad.