Russian Satellites Identified as Cause of Continental-Scale GPS Jamming Across Europe

According to researchers at the University of Texas at Austin and Stanford University, Russian satellites have been identified as the source of widespread GPS interference affecting Europe from Norway to Spain, reaching as far as Greenland and Canada, a discovery detailed in a preprint paper published on June 2.

Analyzing public data from ground-based GNSS receivers between January 2019 and April 2026, the team found 75 days with at least one large-scale interference event on the GPS L1 frequency band (1575.42 megahertz). Each burst lasted less than 10 seconds but was simultaneously detectable across multiple European ground stations. By calculating the signal coverage area, researchers determined the interference source is located at least 1,200 kilometers above Earth. The disruptions occurred mostly during European business hours on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.