For Ukrainian tech specialist Roman, Tuesday morning took an unexpected turn. Half the night, he lay awake, listening to explosions from a fresh wave of Russian drone strikes on Kyiv. By morning, he found himself unable to book a taxi, leaving him late for his early workout. When he finally made it to the gym, he was over an hour behind schedule, only to realize his phone had mysteriously switched to a different time zone.
Roman, preferring to stay anonymous, initially suspected his phone was acting up. Instead of stressing over his missed workout, he grabbed a coffee and soon noticed he wasn’t alone in his frustration—many others were experiencing similar issues. Across the city, Ukrainians overslept, missed calls, and arrived late to work, bewildered by their devices displaying locations in Russian cities like Moscow, Bryansk, Kursk, and Belgorod, placing them hours ahead in the wrong time zone.
One social media user shared her experience, humorously tweeting, “My phone told me I was in Belarus, and it showed 10 PM. I thought I’d lost my mind and misplaced an entire hour!”
Amid the confusion, the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ General Staff issued a statement clarifying that these disruptions were side effects of electronic warfare (EW) systems in use to defend against Russian drones. The EW systems, designed to spoof GPS signals, help divert hostile drones or cause them to malfunction. Yet, these same tactics unintentionally mislead civilian devices, confusing their time and location displays and causing chaos with navigation apps.
To help, Ukrainian officials advised the public to disable automatic time adjustments on their phones. Social media lit up with tips and warnings. One post read, “Friends, if you don’t want to mess up like I did, turn off the automatic time change on your phone. You might think you overslept, but really, your phone could be showing Kursk time, damn it!”
Combat in the Skies
Over the past two months, only one night in Ukraine has gone undisturbed by Russian airstrikes. From September to October, the Ukrainian military recorded 3,482 drones launched toward civilian and military targets, with most intercepted. Yet, even fragments from downed drones have set ablaze numerous buildings.
Ukraine’s defenses span from electronic warfare to anti-aircraft missiles, fighter jets, and mobile units armed with surface-to-air weapons, all aimed at repelling the relentless aerial threats. Both Ukraine and Russia use EW systems to interfere with GPS, using radar, radio, and infrared signals to disrupt each other’s operations.
Meanwhile, Russia’s investment in GPS jamming tech extends from short-range systems to equipment capable of disrupting signals across extensive areas. Earlier this year, Russian jamming reportedly forced flights from Helsinki to Estonian airspace to turn back mid-route. In another incident, GPS signals on a jet carrying U.K. Defence Secretary Grant Shapps were jammed over Kaliningrad.
Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna condemned these tactics as “deliberate hybrid attacks,” calling them a violation of international conventions.
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