Russia may have developed a GPS jamming capability that works from orbit and reaches across an entire continent.
Tests analyzing interference patterns recorded across Europe indicate Russian satellites are the most likely source of the disruption. That finding carries weight because ground-based jammers - even powerful military-grade ones - typically cover a radius of a few hundred kilometers. Continental-scale interference almost has to originate from orbit. The affected systems include aviation and maritime navigation, sectors where GPS errors translate directly into safety risks. Russia has not claimed responsibility, and analysts are still working out the motive.
The distinction between ground-based and satellite-based jamming matters strategically. A ground jammer needs to be positioned near its target, which creates logistics and exposure problems. A satellite faces neither constraint. If Russia can deny GPS across Europe from orbit, that capability applies equally to civilian infrastructure, military positioning systems, and precision munitions - without deploying a single asset across a border.
Russia has been jamming GPS around Ukraine since at least 2022, so the technology was never a secret - only the range. "Tests suggest" is doing a lot of work in that sentence.