The shadow of hybrid warfare
Russia has used electronic warfare on a large scale in its war with Ukraine to jam GPS and other satellite navigation systems around the Baltic Sea. Estonian Foreign Minister Malgus Chakna revealed that Russian jamming forced the closure of the country's second largest airport, Tartu, affecting Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Sweden, and even Poland and Germany.
Jamming technology and sources
The jamming originated in Kaliningrad and other places in Russia, suppressing the real GPS signal by emitting jamming signals that are stronger than GPS signals. Although the jamming is mainly aimed at drone attacks in Ukraine, it has affected civil aviation in many Eastern European countries.
Hybrid warfare or spillover effect?
The motivation behind the jamming is unclear. Some experts believe that this is a spillover effect of Russia's defensive measures to protect itself from GPS-guided drone attacks. But Estonian officials believe that this is part of Russia's hybrid warfare, aimed at disrupting normal life in NATO countries without provoking direct military conflict.
Legal and security challenges of electronic warfare
According to the Geneva Conventions, the spillover effects of such interference in war are generally legal, but intentional attacks on civilian infrastructure in non-belligerent countries are illegal. NATO and European aviation safety agencies are responding to this challenge, and although the interference did not cause casualties, its impact on aviation safety cannot be ignored.