September 24, 2025
A military plane carrying Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles was targeted with GPS jamming while flying over Russia’s Kaliningrad region, Spanish outlet El Mundo reported on Sept. 24.
The minister was en route to NATO’s air base in Šiauliai, Lithuania.
The attack had no impact, as the aircraft relied on a military satellite signal less vulnerable to such interference. An onboard Spanish commander noted that GPS disruptions are common when flying near Kaliningrad, affecting both military and civilian flights.
In addition to Robles, the plane carried journalists and relatives of service members from Spain’s VILKAS aviation detachment, who were traveling to visit troops deployed in the conflict zone. Robles’ visit also included a meeting with her Lithuanian counterpart as part of NATO’s efforts to strengthen deterrence against Russian threats on the alliance’s eastern flank.
On Sept. 1, Reuters, citing the Financial Times, reported that a plane carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was forced to land in Bulgaria using paper maps after suspected Russian jamming disabled its GPS.
According to that report, von der Leyen’s aircraft lost electronic navigation systems while approaching Plovdiv Airport on Aug. 31. An unnamed official said GPS had been disabled across the area, which was viewed as Russian interference.
Bloomberg has previously reported that Russia uses the Kaliningrad region, bordering Poland and Lithuania, as one of its hubs for disrupting EU satellite systems.
This is an act of war. Don’t the jellyfish have a few missiles that could stray off course due to EW to destroy the jamming systems?
They do, but the courage is severely lacking to fire them off.
I wonder if the Spanish will continue sitting on two chairs?…
Nothing.
How about drones that can home in on GPS jammers?