Disrupting the GPS signal is a problem that affects not only Poland but also the Baltic states and Finland. Behind it is Russia, which, deliberately using electronic-warfare (EW) systems deployed in Kaliningrad, interferes with satellite navigation signals, retired Colonel Mariusz Kozłowski of the Military Counter-Intelligence Service (SKW) told the news portal Niezależna.pl.
Recently, the media have reported numerous instances of GPS interference in north-eastern Poland. The disruption was so severe that, on one occasion, a passenger aircraft had to land at an alternate airport.
Given the situation, the editorial staff of Niezależna.pl asked the Ministry of National Defence (MON) for information on the scale of the problem and the threat to safety.
We inform you that GPS-signal interference does not pose a threat to military aircraft, naval vessels, or land-based GPS users. In accordance with the Operational Commander’s guidelines, appropriate safety procedures have been implemented for the air, sea, and land components. Alternative systems are used to minimise the effects of GPS jamming, the ministry emphasised in its reply.
“GPS Has Gone Mad; the Military Responds”—Special Procedures Triggered by Hostile Russia
In April of this year, three UN-affiliated agencies issued a highly alarming communiqué. According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), there has been a sharp rise in the jamming and spoofing of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS)—including the widely used GPS. One of the regions affected is the northern part of Poland.
GPS interference has been ongoing since late 2023. It began roughly after the parliamentary elections, intensified in 2024, and continues this year. The problem is most evident in the Baltic Sea basin, in the Warmian-Masurian and Podlaskie voivodeships, but the disruptions even reach central regions of the country, Colonel Kozłowski told Niezależna.pl.
The Russian side is behind these actions. They do it deliberately, using electronic-warfare systems (EW) concentrated in Kaliningrad—specifically the Tobol, Borisoglebsk-2 and Pole-21 systems. These systems jam satellite navigation signals, he added.
All of this affects Polish civil aviation, maritime shipping and land transport. When the GPS signal is jammed, it causes problems for lorries: navigation apps stop working. In road transport, this may interfere with tachographs, which in turn disrupts supply chains. Civilian drones lose their signal and fly off in unknown directions, leaving private users without their equipment, he explained.
Military analysts and experts clearly identify Russia as the source. The EW systems mentioned are used by Russia to test defences against drones as well as GPS-guided missiles. What Russia is doing is unquestionably an element of hybrid warfare, Colonel Kozłowski said.
Russia’s actions will continue and intensify. They will keep pushing the limits, testing how far they can go with jamming signals. The Russians are checking whether they can, for instance, disrupt the installation in Redzikowo. Such interference could also affect NATO exercises conducted in the Baltic, he added.
This is an international problem. It affects the Baltic states, Finland and Poland, and Russia is behind it. In this way, it is testing its electronic-warfare capabilities, he concluded.