Russian GPS interference incidents surge: the motivations and impacts behind them
Since early December 2022, there has been a significant increase in GPS signal interference in the western Russian cities of Saratov, Volgograd and Penza. These cities are only a few hundred kilometers from the Ukrainian border and are in a sensitive area of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. On December 5, GPS monitoring system GPSJam first recorded interference in Russia. Although it was mainly concentrated in the area around Moscow at the time, this situation has quickly expanded to more areas since December.
| Level of GPS interference | |
| Green color | 0-2% |
| Yellow color | 2-10% |
| Red color | >10% |
According to observations by wireless data analysis company Aurora Insight, GPS signal levels in western Russia have increased significantly since early December, and this change may be caused by interference. Although GPS interference was not common in these areas in the early months of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, sporadic signs of interference have also begun to appear in Belarus and near the Russian-Finnish border in recent months.
GPS jamming may be a strategy to prevent drones from relying on GPS for navigation. As Ukraine increases long-range drone attacks on Russian territory, Russia may have taken more defensive measures. Eric Kannick, a program manager at SensusQ Defense Intelligence, said the scale of these jamming signals is unprecedented, covering hundreds of kilometers around tactical cities. These jamming signals not only affect the operation of drones, but may also make GPS devices on the ground unreliable.
Aurora Insight and GPS Jam monitor and analyze GPS jamming
GPSJam tracks global navigation satellite system (GNSS) problems by monitoring ADS-B signals emitted by aircraft. The system shows that GPS jamming around Moscow has a long history, but the scope of jamming has expanded from the capital to more areas amid the intensification of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. Although most of this jamming is concentrated in the area where aircraft fly, discussions about ground-based GPS signal outages are also increasing on Russian-language social media, reflecting the expanding impact of jamming.
Todd Walter, director of Stanford University's GNSS Laboratory, called GPSJam a "valuable resource" for tracking GPS jamming, but its technology for monitoring using ADS-B data also has certain limitations. For example, it is difficult to detect weak interference or interference on other frequencies. In addition, the fuselage of an aircraft may shield the interference source, making some local GPS signal jammers difficult to detect.
Data from Aurora Insight shows that GPS signal strength has increased in western Russia in recent weeks, which may cause interference to some types of GPS receivers, although this does not necessarily mean that the interference has occurred widely. As the Russian-Ukrainian conflict continues, GPS signal jamming and spoofing attacks may become an important part of Russia's defense measures to respond to Ukrainian attacks on its territory.
In short, the recent GPS jamming in Russian cities is likely a defensive response to Ukrainian long-range drone attacks. Electronic warfare - including the jamming and blocking of GPS signals form military GPS jammer - plays an increasingly prominent role in modern warfare, and Russia is using a variety of means to protect its homeland security. This trend suggests that the stability and security of GPS signals will be more challenged in the future in a war environment.
