GPS disruptions in Baltic states brought to attention of UN sec-gen

TALLINN - In response to more than a year and a half of disruptions to global navigation satellite systems (GNSS/GPS) in the airspace of Estonia and its neighboring countries, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), in cooperation with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), has sent a letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, drawing attention to the growing GPS interference and its increasing negative impact on telecommunications, maritime traffic, and aviation.

The Estonian Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority (TTJA) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have repeatedly approached the relevant Russian authorities regarding GPS disruptions affecting Estonian airspace originating from Russia's Leningrad region. As these efforts proved unsuccessful, TTJA, together with its Latvian and Lithuanian counterparts, submitted a joint appeal to the ITU, of which Russia is also a member. To highlight the impact of GNSS interference on civil aviation, the Estonian Ministry of Climate has also raised the issue within relevant international organizations.

Under Article 45 of the ITU Constitution, no member state may cause harmful interference to neighboring countries, and must take measures to eliminate such interference. The ITU strongly supported the Baltic states' joint appeal, condemned Russia's GPS jamming, and together with IMO and ICAO sent a joint letter to the UN secretary-general.

Russian interference with satellite navigation causes disruption and affects civil aviation.

TTJA has observed an increase in GPS interference since June 2023. Such disruptions are detected at higher altitudes in Estonian airspace, from 5,000 feet upwards, and may affect the accuracy of aircraft positioning. In 2024, reports also emerged from the Gulf of Finland, where ships experienced GPS disruptions. The only way to eliminate the jamming is to switch off the source; it is not technically possible to neutralize the effect across the border.

The disruptions remain present today, but are mostly limited to certain altitudes in Estonian airspace. On the ground, everyday navigation devices such as mobile phones or car navigation systems are generally unaffected. The impact may be felt when flying drones near the eastern border, but less so in central or western Estonia.

In 2023, TTJA's radio frequency surveillance registered 307 reports of interference, in addition to unreported cases. Of these official reports, 85 percent, or 261 cases, were related to GPS systems.