- Russia is using electronic warfare units to disrupt Ukrainian drone and missile attacks.
- But Russian electronic warfare may also be disrupting GPS signals in nearby countries.
- Electronic warfare units are playing a central role in the Ukraine war.
Russia's electronic warfare units are so widespread, they may be causing havoc with GPS signals in nearby countries, according to a report.
The Institute for the Study of War, a US-based think tank, said that recent disruptions to GPS signals in Poland and the Baltic area have sparked rumors about the use of Russian electronic warfare systems nearby.
The US-based think tank cited reports about high levels of GPS interference in Poland on January 10 and 16, and in the south Baltic Sea between December 25 and 27.
Polish media said that the interference affected aircraft GPS systems, but that flights were not impacted because air traffic control enabled navigation through alternative systems.
There was also speculation the interference could've been caused by secret NATO exercises or by Russian electronic warfare units in Russia's Kaliningrad enclave on the Baltic coast, said the ISW.
Kaliningrad is a territory between Poland and Lithuania that's separate from mainland Russia. It was formerly part of Germany and named Königsberg before being seized by the Soviet Union and renamed after World War II.
Joakim Paasikivi of the Swedish Defense University told Swedish broadcaster SVT that the interference was likely a result of Russian hybrid warfare. He was referring to Russian tactics that seek to undermine countries through a range of covert methods.
"I believe this is part of Russian influence activities or so-called hybrid warfare," Paasikivi said. "This may be Russia's way of sowing uncertainty and showing strength."
Jukka Savolainen, director of the Finnish Center of Excellence for Hybrid Warfare, was also cited by Polish and Swedish media claiming that Russia was most likely behind the interference.
"ISW cannot independently verify the cause of the GPS jamming levels at this time, but the suggestion that Russian EW (electronic warfare) capabilities in Kaliningrad Oblast could so significantly impact Poland and the Baltic region is notable," said the think tank.
Tensions with NATO have escalated during the Ukraine conflict, with recently leaked German military plans envisaging a scenario in which Russia attacks NATO allies near Kaliningrad.
Russia's electronic warfare units have played a pivotal role in its invasion of Ukraine, diverting drones and missiles by remotely scrambling the GPS coordinates and other electronic signals that enable them to be guided to their targets.