Along Lithuania's coast, blocked GPS signals and disrupted controls are causing drones to crash or become uncontrollable. While commercial drone flights have been completely banned in the Klaipėda port area, GPS signal jamming has increased sevenfold, according to the Lithuanian Armed Forces.
Saulius Balčiūnas, who has been flying drones professionally for seven years, said he first noticed more active GPS disruptions two weeks ago during a competition in Nida, a resort town on the Curonian Spit.
"Although the drones used to drift around in the air, the signal would remain clear, everything was fine, but now we’re seeing not only much stronger GPS jamming, but cases of control signal interference too. [...] Two of my colleagues have already had drones crash, and several others have experienced severe signal loss," said Balčiūnas.
Drone pilots report the worst disruptions near the coast and the Curonian Lagoon, closest to Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave.
Kaliningrad is a heavily militarised Russian region sandwiched between Lithuania and Poland. Analysts say Russia frequently conducts electronic warfare operations from the area to disrupt Western surveillance and deter NATO activities in the Baltic region.
Previously, experts have also said that GPS jamming occurs due to Russia using Electronic Warfare to protect its bases.
These efforts have gradually intensified since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The Lithuanian Armed Forces have observed that GPS jamming is occurring seven times more frequently compared to last year.
"This seems to have coincided with that successful Ukrainian operation in Russia – maybe they got mad at the whole world and are trying to take revenge," Balčiūnas said.
The disruptions are also affecting the port of Klaipėda. However, since maritime transport uses other navigation systems as well, ships continue to enter and leave the port smoothly, authorities say.
"At first it was from Tauragė, then from Kaunas – the zones where navigation doesn’t work are expanding," said Bronius Zaronskis, head of Nida Air Park. "Those of us who are older, like me, we navigate using maps, draw a line and use a compass – we can get anywhere, no problem. It’s harder for the younger ones, they’re not used to it, but maybe they’ll learn."
Signals are not only being jammed but also spoofed, according to military representatives. They say there are alternative ways to determine the location of an aircraft or vessel, such as visual navigation. Officials advise using multiple different GPS systems and additional navigational tools.
Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
