A plane carrying Robles suffered GPS interference while flying near Kaliningrad.

MadridA Spanish military aircraft with Defense Minister Margarita Robles on board suffered GPS interference while flying over the Russian city of Kaliningrad, a key enclave between Poland, Lithuania, and the Baltic Sea. Specifically, it was about 60 km from the Russian region and at an altitude of 40,000 feet, according to military sources told Efe news agency.. The Spanish Defense Minister was traveling to Siauliai, Lithuania, where she held a bilateral meeting this Wednesday morning with her counterpart, the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Lithuania, Dovilë Sakalienë, as part of a visit to Spanish air and space personnel at this base. Spain has eight Eurofighter aircraft in this area, which are part of NATO's enhanced air surveillance mission to protect its eastern flank from the Russian threat.

"It is essential to demand the right for everyone to move and fly freely across European territory without interference like the one we experienced this morning. [...] In no way does this violate the will of Spain or any other member of the Atlantic Alliance to continue working for peace," Robles stated in a statement. The minister avoided directly pointing the finger at Russia as being behind the attack, simply saying that "everyone knows who carried it out."

The Spanish government explains that while the military aircraft was flying over the outskirts of the Russian city, it suffered an "attempt to disrupt its navigation systems," that is, an "attempt to alter the GPS." "The military protection systems of the GPS have alerted [of the attempt to disrupt]," the Spanish government indicates. They also recall that this is not an anomalous alteration, but rather, in the midst of the war in Ukraine, it is interference that is "common in the region." Military sources told Efe. that it is the A-330 aircraft.

Increase in attacks

The fact is that interference with the GPS of European aircraft flying over Eastern Europe is nothing new. In fact, less than a month ago, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, suffered a disruption in the navigation system of the plane she was traveling on as a result of an alleged cyberattack by Russian intelligence services. Cases like this have recently brought the concept to the forefront. GPS jamming, a hybrid warfare tactic that particularly affects airlines serving areas closest to Russia and Ukraine.

It is, therefore, another method of hybrid warfare between Russia and NATO countries, which has intensified in the Baltic Sea. In a report published in September 2024, OpsGroup – an organization that brings together 8,000 professionals from various areas of the aviation sector – found that cases ofGPS jamminghad grown by 500% in the first six months of 2024 compared to the first half of the previous year. Furthermore, an internal EU Council document from last May indicates that since August 2024, there has been a "dramatic increase" in GPS signal jamming on aircraft, and that attacks on ships have also increased since the beginning of this year.

Lithuania is pushing to go on the defensive

It is because of this increase in tension in the area that Lithuania and other Baltic countries have long been Brussels is under pressure to further protect its borders from Russian drones.In fact, the Lithuanian Parliament has just voted on the possibility of allowing the army of her country, a NATO member, to more quickly and easily neutralize drones that pose a threat.

Taking advantage of Robles' visit, her Lithuanian counterpart called for greater Spanish involvement and requested that Spanish Eurofighter aircraft also be able to neutralize Russian drones that violate European airspace and even aircraft that invade its territory. "NATO air policing must become air defense," Dovilë Sakalienë stated in statements to the media. So far, Spain's role in this mission is to identify these aircraft. Robles acknowledged the increase in tension, but limited herself to saying: "Europe deserves a peaceful society. Russia's aggression against Ukraine, or anywhere in Europe or the world, is unacceptable," and she did not take up her counterpart's challenge.