Govt to continue work to prevent GPS signal disruption

The President and the Ministerial Committee on Foreign and Security Policy on Friday at a meeting discussed the GPS signal disruption in northern Finland that came from Russian territory, said an official press release.

An assessment of the situation was made in the meeting and it was noted that work will continue to prevent GPS signal disruptions and similar actions that impact the safety and security of the Finnish people.

The Finnish authorities on November 15 said the interference with the GPS satellite navigation service in northern Finland during a NATO exercise came from the Russian territory.

The issue was also discussed with the Russian authorities through diplomatic channels.

Earlier, President Sauli Niinistö called for a probe into the alleged interference with the GPS satellite navigation service.

Before that Prime Minister Juha Sipilä said it’s highly probable that Russia was behind the signal blocking.

Meanwhile, the Russian authorities denied straightway the allegation of its involvement in the interference.

The Finnish Air Navigation Service sent a warning to the air traffic that satellite positioning based on the GPS system could be unreliable in a large area.

The situation assumed political dimensions on November 9 as Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Matti Vanhanen said such “infringement is comparable to a border violation”.

The Norwegian media have attributed comparable interference with GPS detected in Norway to Russia.

The NOTAM (short of “Notice to Airmen”) that was in force on 6-7 November covered areas extending from the airport of Kittilä northwards to the Norwegian border and eastwards to the Russian border.

The President and the Ministerial Committee also discussed topical bilateral matters between Finland and Russia. Amongst other things, the Finnish-Russian Intergovernmental Commission for Economic Cooperation meeting and high-level visits were on the agenda.