cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/408016

Original report (pdf)

Russia has been utilizing Kaliningrad, its strategic exclave bordering Poland and Lithuania, as a base to disrupt European Union satellite systems, according to a report from the United Nations International Telecommunications Union (ITU).

The ITU’s Radio Regulations Board (RRB) urged Russia to “immediately cease any deliberate action to cause harmful interference to frequency assignments of other administrations.” This statement follows a review of geolocation data from disrupted signals, which the board described as “extremely worrisome and unacceptable.”

For several months, European satellite companies have reported being targeted by Russian radio frequency interference, leading to broadcast interruptions and, in at least two instances, violent programming overriding content on children’s channels.

Initially, complaints from several NATO members identified the sources of disruption as mainland Russia and occupied Crimea. However, the RRB’s latest findings indicate that recent interference originated from locations including Kaliningrad and Moscow.

The disruptions have primarily targeted TV and radio channels with Ukrainian content, but have also affected channels operated by the Administration of the Netherlands, the report said. The interference has manifested in various forms, such as high-power unmodulated carriers and replicated multiplexing signals, which override the original content transmitted by satellite.

Two separate satellite operators conducted geolocation analyses, both independently concluding that the interference occurred from earth stations located in Moscow, Kaliningrad, and Pavlovka.

Last week, reports emerged that a commercial transatlantic flight experienced significant disruptions due to GPS jamming, marking the first known instance of such an incident on this route. A flight from Madrid to Toronto was forced to operate in a “degraded mode” because a higher-altitude flight had been affected by GPS interference.

The Institute for the Study of War, a think tank that monitors global conflicts, previously reported that it observed high levels of GPS jamming over Poland and the Baltic region since late 2023. Some analysts and experts have attributed these incidents to Russian electronic warfare (EW) activity from the Kaliningrad area and near St. Petersburg, Russia.

  • tal@lemmy.today
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    4 months ago

    since this type of interference is geographically relevant, it clearly has nothing to do with the war.

    So, I’m not sure what the rationale is – it might be worrying about long-range drones, like those light aircraft, flying around Belarus, but I’ve definitely seen some sources say that they believe that the Kaliningrad jamming is a function of the war.

    This article, from late May, has the Finnish government saying that they believe that it’s related to the war.

    https://www.politico.eu/article/gps-jamming-is-a-side-effect-of-russian-military-activity-finnish-transport-agency-says/

    Jamming GPS signals over the Baltic Sea is “most likely” a side effect of Russia’s anti-drone activities, Traficom, the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency, said today.

    “The interference intensified when Ukraine’s drone attacks on Russia’s energy infrastructure began in January 2024,” Traficom said in a press release.

    Estonia also blames Russia for the signal jamming, but the Finnish agency doesn’t agree with the Tallinn government in defining the interference as a hybrid attack.

    “It is possible that the interference observed in aviation currently are most likely a side effect of Russia’s self-protection” that is used “to prevent the navigation and control of drones controlled by GNSS [Global Navigation Satellite System] or mobile frequencies,” Traficom said.