In late July, the research vessel Mikhail Kazansky of the Russian Baltic Fleet entered Finnish territory. The Finnish Coast Guard and civilian boats reported severe interference with GPS signal reception that day.
The Russian vessel Mikhail Kazansky stayed on the Finnish archipelago for several minutes, covering a distance of about two kilometers, the Finnish Border Guard confirmed on Friday, August 16. The incident occurred on July 26 near the port of Kotka. The Mikhail Kazansky was on a course from the Russian island of Gogland towards Vyborg, at which time it deviated from international waters and entered Finnish waters, the release said. “Despite attempts to establish radio contact, the vessel did not respond to calls,” it was emphasized.
Russian unit “Mikhail Kazansky” mil.ru
Eventually, a Coast Guard patrol, using sign language among other things, escorted the vessel out of Finnish waters. The sea conditions at that time were “easy” for motor vessels. During the investigation, the Russians stated that the vessel had experienced technical problems and “apologized for the incident.”
The Border Guard also revealed that on the same day, July 26, the Finnish Coast Guard and civilian boats reported strong interference with GPS signals. “At this stage, interference by a Russian vessel cannot be confirmed or ruled out,” the Finnish service said.
Last year, Finnish media reported that on the island of Gogland (Finnish: Suursaari, Swedish: Hogland), located in the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland, approximately halfway between Finland and Estonia, Russia increased military activity and installed, among other things, a radar station.
According to a journalistic investigation, this island was probably the source of the GPS signal interference that destabilized local air traffic in southern Finland.
Main image source: mil.ru