Tracing a powerful GNSS interference source over Europe

Researchers have identified a Russian constellation of early warning satellites in Molniya orbits as the source of powerful GNSS interference events affecting Europe, Greenland, and Canada since 2019. Using data from terrestrial GNSS reference stations collected between 2019 and 2026, the study developed detection and identification techniques combining received-power and time-difference-of-arrival measurements to characterize the wide-area interference patterns. The findings highlight the escalating threat posed by space-based GNSS interferers, which have far greater geographic reach than terrestrial sources.