Spain’s defence minister, Margarita Robles, was flying near Russia ’s Kaliningrad exclave on Wednesday when her plane’s GPS navigation was attacked, a Spanish defence ministry source said.
The ministry added that the plane, which was en route to Lithuania , was equipped with an encrypted navigation system and remained unaffected.
"There was an attempt to scramble the GPS signal" of the plane transporting Margarita Robles to Lithuania, the source said.
The ministry also said such interference seems to be common for flights, including commercial ones, passing close to Kaliningrad, a small Russian territory sandwiched between EU and Nato members Poland and Lithuania.
At a press conference at Lithuania’s Siauliai air base, Robles appeared to hint that Russia was behind the incident.
"We all have the right to fly and travel across all European territory without, as we experienced this morning, interference by everyone knows who," she was quoted by AFP as saying.
Her Lithuanian counterpart, Dovile Sakaliene, called it "another illustration that Russia is a neighbour that does not follow any rules and does not care about the damage it may cause".
Earlier this month, the European Commission said Russia was suspected of interfering with the GPS of EU chief Ursula von der Leyen’s plane as it approached Bulgaria. Bulgaria’s prime minister, however, dismissed the incident as “nothing unusual,” calling it “one of the consequences” of Russia’s war in Ukraine and ruling out an investigation.
Sweden has also reported a surge in GPS disruptions, with incidents in Swedish airspace rising from 55 in 2023 to 733 by August 18, 2025, which authorities blamed on Russia. The interference has been reported over Swedish land, at sea, and in international waters.
In June, Sweden, along with Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland, raised the matter with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), where Russia is a member. The ICAO Council "expressed grave concern over the situation" and urged Russia to stop the interference, but reports suggest the problem in the Baltic Sea region has continued to grow.
The ministry added that the plane, which was en route to Lithuania , was equipped with an encrypted navigation system and remained unaffected.
"There was an attempt to scramble the GPS signal" of the plane transporting Margarita Robles to Lithuania, the source said.
The ministry also said such interference seems to be common for flights, including commercial ones, passing close to Kaliningrad, a small Russian territory sandwiched between EU and Nato members Poland and Lithuania.
At a press conference at Lithuania’s Siauliai air base, Robles appeared to hint that Russia was behind the incident.
"We all have the right to fly and travel across all European territory without, as we experienced this morning, interference by everyone knows who," she was quoted by AFP as saying.
Her Lithuanian counterpart, Dovile Sakaliene, called it "another illustration that Russia is a neighbour that does not follow any rules and does not care about the damage it may cause".
Earlier this month, the European Commission said Russia was suspected of interfering with the GPS of EU chief Ursula von der Leyen’s plane as it approached Bulgaria. Bulgaria’s prime minister, however, dismissed the incident as “nothing unusual,” calling it “one of the consequences” of Russia’s war in Ukraine and ruling out an investigation.
Sweden has also reported a surge in GPS disruptions, with incidents in Swedish airspace rising from 55 in 2023 to 733 by August 18, 2025, which authorities blamed on Russia. The interference has been reported over Swedish land, at sea, and in international waters.
In June, Sweden, along with Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland, raised the matter with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), where Russia is a member. The ICAO Council "expressed grave concern over the situation" and urged Russia to stop the interference, but reports suggest the problem in the Baltic Sea region has continued to grow.
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