Spanish defense minister's plane hit by GPS disturbance near Russia's Kaliningrad exclave
A Spanish military plane carrying Defense Minister Margarita Robles was hit by a GPS disturbance on Sept. 24 while flying near Russia's Kaliningrad exclave, Reuters reported, citing a Spanish Defense Ministry spokesperson.
The A330 aircraft was traveling to Lithuania's Siauliai air base, reportedly also carrying relatives of Spanish air force personnel deployed as part of a NATO air policing mission.
The mission was launched earlier this month after a Russian drone incursion into Poland on Sept. 10, one of the several aerial violations of NATO airspace in recent weeks.
Russia's Kaliningrad exclave is a heavily armored territory lying between Poland and Lithuania — Spain's NATO allies — and the Baltic Sea.
Cases like these "must be common on this route and also with commercial flights. It is not because it is our aircraft," the ministry spokesperson told Reuters, adding that the plane was not affected thanks to having encrypted systems.
The incident comes weeks after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's plane was also hit by GPS jamming while attempting to land in Bulgaria. Bulgarian authorities said they suspected Russian involvement.
"Under no circumstances will they break the will of Spain or any of the countries of the Atlantic alliance to continue working for peace and coexisting in peace," Robles said during a press conference with her Lithuanian counterpart, Dovile Sakaliene, after arriving.
Sakaliene added that many civilian aircraft have faced similar disturbances in the past weeks.
The Baltic countries have long warned about GPS jamming and hybrid operations in the region, linking them to Russia.
Recent weeks saw tensions flare up between Moscow and NATO after Russian drones violated Polish and Romanian airspace, and three MiG-31 fighter jets flew into Estonia.
