Europe Announces Sanctions Over GPS Jamming in the Baltics

The European Union has announced new sanctions targeting Russian individuals and organizations involved in disrupting GPS signals across Europe.

According to the official website of the Council of the European Union, the measures specifically apply to members of Russian military units, in particular, the 841st Separate Electronic Warfare Center, including two senior officials responsible for overseeing operations in the Kaliningrad region.

They are directly involved in jamming and spoofing GNSS signals, which primarily affect the Baltic countries and disrupt the operations of both civil aviation and maritime navigation.

The new restrictions are part of the European Union’s broader sanctions policy against Russia, which since October 2024 has targeted not only military but also hybrid activities.

It is worth noting that in May 2025, the Onet media reported that Russia had started jamming and spoofing GPS signals in the eastern part of the Baltic Sea, posing a threat to civilian maritime traffic.

The jamming caused ships to disappear from radar and disrupted navigation systems, raising serious concerns among countries in the Baltic region.

In addition, there have been recorded instances where ships vanish from radar, and their AIS (Automatic Identification System) signals transmit incorrect location data.

To enhance security, European countries have increased the number of patrol vessels escorting civilian ships and monitoring maritime traffic in case of further GPS jamming incidents.

Additionally, General Gheorghiță Vlad, Chief of the Romanian Defence Staff, has also warned about the threat of signal interference, stating that Romania regularly experiences GPS spoofing attacks, with such incidents being recorded on a weekly basis.

Militarnyi previously reported that Russia’s jamming of global GPS satellite navigation signals in the Baltic region is intensifying.

The Lithuanian Armed Forces stated that GPS signal disruptions and interference with control systems along the country’s Baltic Sea coast have led to accidents and loss of control over drones. These incidents are occurring particularly in the Curonian Lagoon area, located near Russia’s Kaliningrad region.