Russian Federation Jammed The GPS Of The Plane Carrying Britain's Defense Minister

• 25.05.2026, 8:25

John Healy was on his way back from Estonia.

A British Royal Air Force plane carrying British Defense Secretary John Healey had its GPS signal jammed while flying near the Russian border.

It was reported by BBC.

The incident occurred on Thursday, May 21, as the official was returning to the UK after visiting the British military in Estonia.

The plane's navigation system was disabled during the three-hour flight, causing the pilots to have to switch to alternative means of navigation. Russia is believed to be behind the attack, but there is no official confirmation of this yet, the BBC writes.

It is not yet known whether the plane carrying the defense minister was a deliberate target. At the same time, it is noted that the flight route could be tracked on public flight monitoring websites.

On May 20, the BBC quoted the British Defense Ministry as saying that in April, two Russian fighter jets - Su-27 and Su-35 models - "repeatedly and with a security risk" intercepted an unarmed British Air Force reconnaissance plane over the Black Sea.

"The Russian Su-35 fighter jet came so close to the Rivet Joint reconnaissance plane that its emergency systems kicked in, disabling its autopilot. In addition, the Su-27 fighter jet flew in front of the British Air Force plane six times - and approached its nose at a distance of only six meters," the ministry said.

In addition, the British Defense Ministry said the Rivet Joint plane was on a routine international flight over the Black Sea to help secure NATO's eastern flank.