Russian Satellites Cause Brief GPS Disruptions Across Europe, Greenland, and Canada Since 2019

A network of Russian satellites has caused brief disruptions to GPS signals across Europe on perhaps dozens of occasions since 2019, according to a research paper highlighted by Sky News.

“Russian satellites have been identified as the cause of mysterious, seconds-long bursts of GPS interference across Europe—a rare example of human-made GPS interference coming from space”

Ars Technica

Sky News said the disruption was detected at stations across Europe, Greenland and Canada simultaneously, with incidents typically lasting between three and five seconds.

Ars Technica

The paper described the interference as a space-origin hypothesis, saying the affected terrestrial receivers span a geographic area so large that no single ground-based or aircraft-based source could reach them all.

Sky News reported that the research was carried out by Todd E Humphreys, head of the Radionavigation Laboratory at the University of Texas at Austin, and others, and that Moscow has repeatedly denied carrying out GPS jamming.

The same Sky News report said the data suggested a single source per event and that the scientists identified a small constellation of Russian satellites in Molniya orbits.

Sky News said the paper stops short of saying the GPS disruption is being done on purpose, but adds that if deliberate it portends a qualitative escalation in GNSS interference.

The report also cited The New York Times, saying senior US Air Force officials have been briefed on the interference, and that a person familiar with the briefing confirmed the interference was occurring and that the Russian satellite network was responsible.

Computing UK

In a separate account, SpaceNews described Todd Humphreys as saying, "The pattern is far too consistent for this to be accidental. In fact, our data shows it has to be intentional," while arguing the interference is purposeful rather than hardware malfunctions.

SpaceNews further said Humphreys and his research student Zach Clements confirmed the interference was coming from space and presented a paper with their findings, published September 2025 in the journal Proceedings of the 38th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of the Institute of Navigation.

Computing UK added that the University of Texas at Austin and Stanford University researchers identified three satellites belonging to Russia’s Edinaya Kosmichicheskaya Sistema (EKS), and said the US Russian Embassy told The New York Times it currently had no comment on the matter.

Ars Technica said the investigation found seconds-long bursts of GPS interference across Europe that were simultaneously detectable by ground stations from Norway to Spain to Poland, and even reaching as far west as Greenland and Canada.

“En octobre dernier, un petit avion a décollé du minuscule aéroport de Griffith, dans l’arrière-pays australien, avec à son bord un appareil qui pourrait bien changer la façon dont les drones, les navires et les avions américains navigueront dans des zones de guerre”

Courrier international

Ars Technica reported that by analyzing ground station data from January 2019 to April 2026, the researchers found 75 days with at least one widespread GNSS interference event overlapping with the GPS L1 frequency band centered on 1575.42 megahertz.

The same Ars Technica report said Humphreys told Veritasium that the interference patterns happened mostly on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays during business hours in Europe.

Computing UK said the incidents have been recorded on dozens of occasions since 2019 and that they appear to originate from a single source, with the likely culprit identified as Russian early-warning satellites in high-altitude Molniya orbit.

Le Monde reported that large-scale GPS jamming by Moscow around the Baltic Sea has intensified in recent weeks, disrupting air and maritime navigation and provoking the ire of the capitals involved, with effects felt from northern Norway to southern Poland.