Russia is believed to have jammed the satellite signal of a Royal Air Force aircraft used to transport U.K. Defence Minister Grant Shapps, a government source and journalists travelling with Shapps told Reuters on March 14.
The aircraft, which was travelling back to Britain from Poland on March 13, was jammed for about 30 minutes as it flew by Russia's Kaliningrad region.
GPS signal and internet on board the aircraft were inaccessible for the duration of the aircraft's flight near Kaliningrad.
A spokesperson for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak confirmed that the incident occurred on Wednesday, noting that the incident was "not unusual."
"While travelling back from Poland yesterday, the plane carrying the Defence Secretary and his delegation temporarily experienced GPS jamming when they flew close to Kaliningrad," the spokesperson told Reuters.
"It didn't threaten the safety of the aircraft and it is not unusual for aircraft to experience GPS jamming near Kaliningrad, which is of course Russian territory."
Russia has also been accused of jamming GPS signals in nearby countries such as Finland as far back as the 2010s.
The incident may have been in response to Shapps’ announcement about the extended deployment of British Sky Saber air defense systems in Poland through the end of 2024.
In its daily assessment, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported that similar incidents occurred across the Baltics and Poland in late December 2023 and early January 2024, and may be linked to Russian electronic warfare activity in Kaliningrad.
Nate Ostiller
(Updated: )
