Moscow Warns It will Take ‘Appropriate’ Measures if Armed Conflict Breaks Out in Greenland – and May Already be Compromising Flight Operations Radar in Svalbard

Paul Goble

            Staunton, July 20 – Vladimir Barbin, Moscow’s ambassador in Copenhagen who attracted attention with his talk about Russian interest in the Danish island of Bornholm (windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2025/07/moscow-launches-new-propaganda-campaign.html) now says Russia will take measures if armed conflict breaks out in Greenland.

            In an interview with Russia’s Novosti press agency, he said that any military moves in Greenland would “further undermine regional security” and that Moscow “would be compelled to take approximate military and technical measures to adequately address such emerging threats” (ria.ru/20250717/grenlandiya-2029608279.html).

            There is a possible indication that the Russians may be doing so already. The Barents Observer reports that “someone is messing with GPS signals in the airspace of Norway’s Svalbard archipelago with jamming and spoofing affecting flights into a place that would be involved in any Greenland-centered conflict (thebarentsobserver.com/news/someone-is-messing-with-gps-signals-in-svalbard-airspace/433658).

            That “someone,” although the news agency says it cannot confirm this, is likely to be Russian, and this activity which continues and is consistent with Russian operations in and near Scandinavian countries in recent months is almost certainly at the very least an indication of Russian capabilities if not yet intentions. 

            For background on this issue, see jamestown.org/program/moscows-first-move-against-nato-could-take-place-in-norways-svalbard-archipelago/, windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2025/01/duma-defense-committee-member-wants.html, and windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2024/12/with-trump-again-talking-about.html.