Russia jams GPS in the Baltic States: researchers locate signal sources near Kaliningrad
Polish researchers have finally told the world where Russia is wreaking havoc in the skies and at sea in the Baltic region. Using a network of monitoring stations, they have tracked down the locations of satellite navigation jamming (GNSS) and pointed the finger at Kaliningrad and the St Petersburg area. The resourceful military uses both signal jamming and spoofing, a more sophisticated technique of coordinate spoofing that can make aircraft or ships think they are in a different location on the map altogether.
Approximate trajectory of Russian GNSS jamming emanating from Baltiysk, Kaliningrad, as of 29 March 2025. Illustration: Gdynia Maritime University, University of Colorado, Gdynia Maritime Administration
Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, GPS problems have become a familiar pain for pilots and seafarers in the Baltic region. Airports were closed, flights were cancelled, and ships were "walking" on the sea as if someone was turning their steering wheels at random. In March of this year, eight European countries got tired of enduring this and filed a complaint with the UN. However, official Moscow maintains a proud radio silence.
An example of the results of the localisation of the source of GNSS interference from 4 May 2025, where clusters of ships indicate falsified readings. Illustration: Gdynia Maritime University, University of Colorado, Gdynia Maritime Administration.
Jamming the Baltic: equipment and locations
A team led by Jaroslaw Cydejko from the Gdańsk Maritime University recorded attacks from Kaliningrad, in particular from the area of the Okunevo and Baltiysk antenna complexes. The area has long been home to military electronic warfare units, and satellite imagery from 2018 shows the GT-01 Murmansk-BN system with 32-metre-high antennas. It is capable of jamming communications at a distance of up to 8,000 km.
Photo of the Murmansk-BN system: armyrecognition.com
The jammers are not necessarily stationary - experts have noted that devices the size of a shoebox can disable GPS for several kilometres around. Some systems even move around, as in the case of the transmitter that was "walking" around the outskirts of St Petersburg.
About Murmansk-BN
The Murmansk-BN is a modern Russian electronic warfare (EW) system developed by KRET for long-range radio jamming of enemy communications. The system was put into service in 2014 and first deployed in Crimea, and later in the Kaliningrad region and at Russian Arctic bases. The main task of the system is to suppress short-wave (HF, 3-30 MHz) NATO military communications, including the US HF Global Communications System (HFGCS), as well as high-frequency satellite communications.
The Murmansk-BN consists of a group of KAMAZ trucks with telescopic antenna masts up to 32 m high, a command post, generator and auxiliary vehicles. The complete system has up to 16 antennas, can be deployed in 72 hours and can jam an area of up to 640,000 km². The range is 5,000-8,000 km, which makes it possible to affect the communications of troops in Europe, the Middle East and even partially in the United States.
Murmansk-BN can automatically detect radio sources, conduct radio reconnaissance, intercept and jam signals from enemy ships, aircraft and satellites, blocking the transmission of information between them. The system is capable of affecting the avionics of modern aircraft, including the F-35, and complicating the control of smart weapons and drones. In 2024, it was reported that Murmansk-BN was also deployed in Iran to counter US and Israeli communications systems.
Hybrid war or accident?
The Baltic states, Germany and Sweden consider this an element of hybrid warfare. But Tsydeiko is more reserved: according to him, most interference is a side effect of military systems, not targeted attacks on civilian aircraft or ships.
However, this does not make the consequences any less annoying. In Tartu, for example, the airport had to cancel flights due to GPS dependence.
What can be done?
Scientists propose to roll back to the pre-GPS era by using ground-based beacons and inertial systems. The Germans are already rolling out the R-Mode Baltic project: ships determine their coordinates using ground stations. Similarly, the UK already has an eLoran system in place, and South Korea is developing its own due to constant cyberattacks from North Korea. According to experts, pilots and sailors will have to train with a compass and map again. Because while the satellites are flying high, jammers on the ground are more stable than the schedule of low-cost airlines.
Source: Defence News