A Ryanair plane about to land at Vilnius airport was diverted to Warsaw in Poland on Thursday because of GPS interference, Lithuania's air navigation authority said on Friday.

A Ryanair flight has been forced to abandon its landing after a mysterious GPS ‘jamming’ signal caused interferance as it approached Russia’s border. The flight – which was due to land in Lithuania’s Vilnius airport after departing from Luton airport on Thursday – was forced to divert at the last minute after already beginning its descent.

This incident echoes concerns over Russia's electronic warfare tactics, with reports indicating that Moscow has been actively jamming GPS signals across Europe, affecting aviation safety and critical infrastructure.

Lithuania’s president says his country has made the decision to raise its spending on defense to between 5% and 6% of overall national economic output starting in 2026

Lithuania plans to increase defense spending to deter potential threats from Russia after US President-elect Donald Trump urged European allies to boost funds for the military.  Trump has threatened to abandon NATO and demanded members of the military alliance more than double the current target for defense expenditure to the equivalent of 5% of economic output.