According to Russian media reports, the national Russian road freight association, Gruzavtotrans, has lodged an official complaint with Moscow's Ministry of Transport. The complaint alleges that electronic warfare (EW) equipment, used by the military to protect strategic facilities in the country, disrupts onboard devices used for toll collection, as well as tachographs and navigation systems.
These devices, as reported by the economic news agency RBC, not only malfunction under the influence of EW but also cause issues with highway toll systems and disable tachographs, exposing transporters to heavy fines. Vladimir Matyagin, the president of Gruzavtotrans, stated that he has personally experienced the impact of electronic warfare on heavy vehicle circulation devices. He recounted an incident where his truck's GPS indicated the vehicle was stationary near a protected oil depot, while it was actually moving at 100 km/h. Initially, this issue seemed confined to the Belgorod area and regions close to the Ukrainian border, but complaints are now coming from carriers across the country.
"We support the protection of sensitive areas, but carriers are receiving unreasonable fines; we need to be more fair to ourselves," explained Matyagin. He cited the example of a carrier who received 65 fines of 5,000 rubles each within three months, totaling over 300,000 rubles (approximately 3,200 euros at the current exchange rate). In the appeal to the Ministry, it was explained that tachographs record speed, work, and rest periods of drivers, and after exposure to electronic warfare instruments, they transmit incorrect data or completely burn out, forcing companies to bear extra costs for replacements.
As a result, Gruzavtotrans has requested that penalties be suspended until the end of the conflict. The association also complained that the use of EW affects the functioning of the Platon system, introduced in 2015 to collect tolls from heavy vehicles, with proceeds intended for the maintenance of the federal road network.
In response to the appeal, the Ministry of Transport told the press that there is no information on the influence of electronic warfare equipment on the operation of the Platon system. It reminded the public that there are three alternative ways to calculate the toll amount: using onboard devices, third-party onboard devices, or route cards. The Ministry also clarified that no suspension of fines is planned during wartime and that carriers must file formal appeals if they consider fines unjust.
"If a carrier believes a fine has been issued unreasonably or incorrectly, they can appeal according to the procedures outlined in Chapter 30 of the Administrative Code and contact Rostransnadzor (the Federal Transport Oversight Service) with an official complaint. A separate complaint must be filed for each request, and an appeal can be submitted to a court or a higher official," the ministry clarified.
Russian transport associations will continue to monitor the situation, and if the accusations prove valid, the impact of EW on onboard instruments could also affect heavy vehicles transiting the European side of the border, potentially opening new scenarios in the context of hybrid warfare.
Marco Martinelli
