European Countries Complain To The UN Agency About Satellite Disturbances To Broadcasts Allegedly Russian

UNSPLASH/Donald Giannatti ILLUSTRATION

JAKARTA - The International Telecommunications Association (ITU) is reviewing a series of complaints this week from Ukraine and European countries about satellite disruptions affecting navigation services and television shows.

The disruption has disrupted GPS signals and could jeopardize air traffic controls, the European Union said in a statement earlier this month.

In some cases, children's TV channels were targeted by attacks, and violent images of the war in Ukraine were also disseminated.

Ukraine's complaint to the UN agency, dated June 3, has been seen by Reuters, documenting 11 cases of "piracy", in the last three months affecting dozens of Ukrainian TV programs.

Ukraine asked the agency to take all possible measures to stop the intervention of the Russian Federation.

France, Sweden, and Luxembourg also sent complaints accusing their satellite network of "dangerous intervention", confirming, without specifying who was responsible. Russia's digital ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Western officials accused Russia of carrying out a massive cyberattack against the satellite internet network in Ukraine at the start of a massive invasion of its neighboring country in 2022.

Recently, airlines complained about an increase in GPS interference affecting navigation over months and Estonia, blaming Russia for damaging navigation devices in airspace over Baltic countries.

The IT, which consists of 193 member states, is responsible for regulating and coordinating the global satellite system and holding meetings this month. Its constitution assigns it to coordinate efforts to eliminate harmful interference.