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.