Russia is believed to have jammed the satellite signal on an RAF plane taking Defence Secretary Grant Shapps back to the UK from Poland.

The GPS signal was interfered with for about 30 minutes while the jet flew near the Russian territory of Kaliningrad on Wednesday, according to a report in The Times.

Mobile phones could not connect to the internet and the aircraft, a Dassault 900LX Falcon jet, had to use alternative methods to determine its location.

Mr Shapps, who was travelling with his staff and several journalists, was returning from a military training site in Orzysz, Poland, where he had watched hundreds of troops participate in Steadfast Defender, the biggest NATO exercise since the Cold War.

Experts told The Times it was not clear whether Mr Shapps was targeted but the plane’s flight path could be seen on aircraft tracking websites.

Read more:
Royal Navy ‘plastic’ ships to take part in biggest NATO exercise since Cold War
British troops ‘knowingly exposed’ to toxic chemical during Iraq war tell of cancer battles and daily nosebleeds
UK ‘must’ increase defence spending ‘now’, minister warns

A defence source told the newspaper: “While the RAF are well prepared to deal with this, it still puts an unnecessary risk on civilian aircraft and could potentially endanger people’s lives.

Politics latest: Growing calls for Diane Abbott to have Labour suspension lifted

Prince William sings wife Kate’s praises on youth centre visit

Money blog: Britons to see big rise in many bills next month – here’s how much everything is going up

“There is no excuse for this and it’s wildly irresponsible on Russia’s part.”

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s spokesperson confirmed the incident happened on Wednesday but added it was “not unusual”.

They said: “It didn’t threaten the safety of the aircraft and it is not unusual for aircraft to experience GPS jamming near Kaliningrad, which is of course Russian territory.”

The Ministry of Defence has not commented.

Kaliningrad is separated from the Russian mainland, and is situated between Poland and Lithuania.

It is Russia’s only ice-free port on the Baltic Sea.

The UK’s relationship with Russia has deteriorated in recent years, particularly after the country launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbour Ukraine in February 2022.

Related posts:

Tech firm behind internet outage explains issue that took down major websites worldwide ‘It just doesn’t sit right’: Tennis star pulls out of Olympics after fans banned from attending British hiker ‘fell 100ft to her death after slipping in worn shoes’ Greece investigates plane crash that killed witness in Netanyahu corruption trial TikToker dies after skydiving parachute error ‘Nothing more than hot air’: Kenya’s highest court rejects election rigging claims Helena Bonham-Carter’s cousin arrested for allegedly helping Russian oligarch evade US sanctions ‘We have no hope now’: New tremor ends homeless family’s dream of recovery Zelenskyy’s visit to the G7 has paid dividends – he can fly home confident in the West’s support Jailed Putin critic Alexei Navalny faces 30 more years in prison on new ‘extremism’ charges as new trial begins ‘Special, special night’: How victorious Lionesses celebrated semi-final win South Africa accuses Israel of genocide as hearing at UN’s top court begins