Grant Shapps plane's GPS signal 'jammed' near Russia's Kaliningrad

The incident happened while the defence secretary and reporters were flying back from Poland

An RAF plane carrying Defence Secretary Grant Shapps had its GPS signal jammed while flying close to Russian territory.

It was travelling between the UK and Poland when its satellite signal was temporarily interfered with on both legs of the journey.

It happened near Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave on the Baltic, on Wednesday.

A security source told the BBC it is not unusual for interference to occur in airspace near the region.

They said the jamming of the GPS signal - which is used to determine location - did not endanger the safety of the aircraft.

Mobile phones were unable to connect to the internet during the interference, the Times reported.

Journalists accompanying Mr Shapps on his visit to Poland - where he discussed support for Ukraine with his Polish counterpart - were on board at the time.

A Western official told the BBC that Kaliningrad "has got significant sort of electronic warfare capabilities" and it "wouldn't be surprising, alas, if an aircraft fell foul of that in some way".

A Downing Street spokesperson confirmed the plane "experienced GPS jamming when they flew close to Kaliningrad".

They added: "It didn't threaten the safety of the aircraft and it is not unusual for aircraft to experience GPS jamming near Kaliningrad, which is of course Russian territory."

According to the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War, Russia's use of GPS interference across Poland and the Baltic has proliferated in recent months.

The aim may be to disrupt Nato military exercises but it is also interfering with commercial shipping and aircraft.

Ships and aircraft have other means of navigation but the institute warned such jamming could have dangerous consequences.

Kaliningrad, which is sandwiched between Poland and Lithuania, is part of the Russian Federation