A ‘massive escalation of electronic warfare’: Researchers show how Russian satellites can jam GPS across Europe – and mysterious series of ‘interference events’ shows it could already be happening

New research analyzes GPS jamming signals over the past 7 years
A Russian satellite network appears to be the source of the interference
Questions remain about the purpose of 10-second bursts

Losing access to GPS navigation systems might not stop you from getting to the office, but it would disrupt military maneuvers — and it could explain why Russia has apparently tested a way to jam GPS signals across the European continent.

Russia’s involvement and intentions have not been confirmed, but a new study by researchers at the University of Texas at Austin and Stanford University (via Ars Technica) makes a pretty strong case. It analyzes a series of powerful “interference events” in Europe, Greenland and Canada, based on data collected between 2019 and 2026.

These events have affected the global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) on which GPS relies, and they may be caused deliberately or as the result of natural events (such as atmospheric interference). This new study focuses on sharp, intense, regular bursts of interference that last less than 10 seconds and strike the same frequencies.

A potential source

Something is jamming the GPS over Europe. Here’s what we found – YouTube

Look on it

Figuring out where the interference was coming from required more work. With the help of a larger team, the researchers calculated the source of the jamming based on the times and locations of an event that occurred in February 2026. These calculations pointed to the Russian satellite Kosmos 2546, with a precision level of five meters (16.4 feet).

Further analysis suggests that the rest of the system that Kosmos 2546 belongs to – the Russian Edinaya Kosmicheskaya Sistema (EKS) – is causing this interference. EKS is Russia’s only early warning system, designed to detect the launch of ballistic missiles from anywhere on Earth. In theory, it is therefore largely passive rather than active.

What we don’t know is why this is happening. “I think this is a massive escalation in the electronic warfare conflict that’s happening now,” aerospace engineer Todd Humphreys, one of the researchers involved, told the science and education YouTube channel Veritasium in a detailed analysis of the study.

Although the disruption appears deliberate, not everyone Veritasium has spoken to is sure the actions were malicious. Other experts interviewed by The New York Times said they did not think Russia would risk misusing its unique early warning system with a secondary objective.

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