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NATO unable to prevent GPS jamming in Baltic region — retired Polish general

Waldemar Skrzypczak said he believes Russia is involved in the suppression of the GPS signal over the Baltic Sea to "test the alliance's reaction"

MOSCOW, May 13. /TASS/. NATO is showing a lack of capability to combat the jamming of GPS navigation signal in the Baltic Sea region, said retired Polish General Waldemar Skrzypczak, a former commander of the country’s Land Forces.

"The worst thing about it is that so far we are powerless. We don't know at this time what to do," he said.

He said he believes Russia is involved in the suppression of the GPS signal over the Baltic Sea to "test the alliance's reaction." Skrzypczak did not provide any evidence to support this theory.

On May 8, the Estonian Foreign Ministry said it had summoned Russia's charge d'affaires amid reports of GPS signal disruptions. The country’s foreign minister, Margus Tsahkna, also tried to blame Russia for the suspension of Finnair flights between Helsinki and Tartu from April 29 to May 31 over GPS jamming. According to the minister, this caused "serious damage" to air traffic in the Baltics. The Estonian Foreign Ministry said Tsahkna communicated this theory about the reasons that caused the navigation system to malfunction to the EU and NATO allies.

On April 28, the foreign ministers of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania told the Financial Times they were concerned over GPS signal disruptions as, according to them, it is interfering with air traffic in the Baltic Sea region. The ministers said they regarded the jamming as "part of Russia's hostile actions."

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