Russia is intensifying its GPS jamming operations across the Baltic region, posing growing risks to both military and civilian systems, Lithuanian Deputy Defense Minister Karolis Aleksa said, according to Lithuanian media outlet Delfi on June 11.
“This threat is not limited to Lithuania — other countries in the North Baltic region are also affected,” Aleksa warned. He emphasized that while Russia’s disruptive activity is not new, “the real issue is the scale and intensity of its impact.”
“It appears the scale is expanding, which is why it’s crucial to respond, monitor, and take preventive measures to avoid serious incidents,” he added.
-cd2c40945e16486a17e6a4a5907b0f7a.png)
Aleksa suggested that the surge in GPS interference is directly tied to Lithuania’s efforts to bolster its defense and to broader developments in the war in Ukraine.
“We see that [Russia] is clearly unhappy with what we’re doing — strengthening our defenses, just as the Ukrainians are. In response, Russia takes certain measures, including signal jamming,” he stated.
The deputy minister indicated the GPS disruptions are likely deliberate and designed to cause maximum disruption.
“It’s important to determine whether this is routine activity or something more malicious. Clearly, this leans toward malicious intent and has the potential to inflict significant harm,” Aleksa noted.
Lithuania’s Armed Forces have recently reported that Russian GPS jamming and spoofing is disrupting drone control systems along the country’s Baltic Sea coastline—particularly near the Curonian Lagoon, which borders Russia’s heavily militarized Kaliningrad region. Some drones have crashed or lost control entirely due to interference.
More broadly, reports emerged in late May that Russian GPS spoofing in the eastern Baltic Sea is now threatening civilian maritime traffic.
In several documented cases, ships have vanished from radar or transmitted false positions via AIS , raising serious alarm across the region.
Earlier, reports emerged that Finland’s National Land Survey will begin developing and testing tools to counter Russian GPS jamming in North Karelia.
