A plane flying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to Bulgaria was forced to use its paper maps after its GPS signal was targeted.
A spokesperson of the EC said according to the Bulgarian intelligence services, Russia was behind the incident.
Von der Leyen’s plane was forced to circle the airport for an hour during her August 31 trip to Bulgaria, the Financial Times, who broke the news, reported.
It was added that, according to unnamed officials, the pilot then had to rely on paper maps to land instead of electronic navigation.
“The GPS of the entire airport area went dark,” one source told the newspaper.
During the EC’s midday briefing on September 1, Arianna Podesta, deputy chief spokesperson for the body, said it could confirm the GPS jammed.
She stressed that the plane was able to land safely in Bulgaria.
“We have received information from the Bulgarian authorities that they suspect that this was due to blatant interference by Russia,” Podesta added.
“We are of course aware and used to the threats and intimidations that are a regular component of Russia’s hostile behaviour.”
She said the incident would only “reinforce even further out unshakable commitment to ramp up defence capabilities and support for Ukraine” and that it “underlines the urgency of the mission that the president is carrying out in the frontline member states”.
It was also made clear that von der Leyen was on a charter flight, as she is usually a regular user of private jets.
Podesta said it was unclear if it was a deliberate targeting of the plane because von der Leyen was on it and that the question would best be addressed to the Russians.
But since the EC chief had made her trip known on beforehand and given the clear statement by the Bulgarians, suspicions of it being a deliberate attack were rife.
After Russia severely damaged the building of the European Union delegation to Ukraine on August 28, an outraged von der Leyen said she would visit the seven EU member states that are strengthening external borders with Russia and Belarus. She added that she would share the progress made in the “building of a strong European defence industry”.
Von der Leyen was on her way from Warsaw to Bulgaria to meet the country’s Prime Minister Rosen Zheljazkov and visit an munitions factory.
European allies have repeatedly accused Russia of jamming GPS signals at seaports and airports, describing it as part of Moscow’s hybrid warfare against the west.
Eagle S, the Russian ship suspected of deliberately cutting through communication cables in the Baltic Sea, has also been connected to attempted sabotage in the North Sea of the Atlantic Crossing 1 (AC-1). https://t.co/fvZqrLx4dy
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) January 8, 2025
