Finland accuses Russia of GPS failures during NATO exercises
The Finnish Foreign Ministry said that they agree with the conclusions of the Norwegian military that the interference in the GPS navigation system during the NATO exercises was caused by Russia. Nevertheless, in a statement published on its website, the Ministry said that it believed it was inappropriate to disclose details of this case to the public, it was stated .
As noted by the ministry representative, the authorities continue to investigate the incident and are currently discussing this issue with Russia through diplomatic channels. Finland believes that such actions jeopardize air traffic.
The Finnish military reported that they detected GPS failures on November 9. Malfunctions were observed in the north and northwest of the country. Due to failures, the air navigation service of Finland sent a warning to pilots. A week before this incident, the military from Norway recorded a problem with the GPS system. Finland believes the failures were caused by Russia, whose activity increased during the NATO exercises Trident Juncture.
Later, Finnish Prime Minister Juha Sipilä said that the failures in the GPS system could be caused by Russia. “Technically, it’s quite easy to break the radio signal, and it’s quite possible that Russia stands behind this failure,” he said. The prime minister viewed this incident as a message for the participants of the NATO exercises.
When asked about the failures in the GPS system, Dmitry Peskov, Spokesman for the Russian President, said that “there is a tendency to accuse Russia of all mortal sins” and added that these accusations most often have no grounds.
On November 13, the Norwegian Ministry of Defense officially blamed Russia for the GPS failures observed from October 16 to November 7.