A plane carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was reportedly subjected to GPS signal jamming as it attempted to land in Bulgaria on Sunday, according to officials from the European Commission.
The interference occurred as von der Leyen was en route to Plovdiv International Airport during a diplomatic tour of Eastern European nations bordering Russia, Belarus, and the Black Sea. The tour is aimed at reinforcing EU unity and support for Ukraine, now entering the third year of war.
Despite the disruption, the aircraft landed safely. A source familiar with the incident said pilots were forced to navigate manually using paper charts after onboard GPS systems failed due to the jamming.
Bulgarian authorities suspect Russia was behind the interference, although the Kremlin has denied any involvement. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, responding to inquiries from The Financial Times, stated: “Your information is incorrect.”
European Commission Deputy Chief Spokesperson Arianna Podestà confirmed the incident and emphasized its significance, describing it as another example of Russia’s hybrid warfare tactics.
“This incident underlines the urgency of the president’s current trip to frontline Member States, where she has seen first-hand the everyday threats from Russia and its proxies,” Podestà said.
Von der Leyen, one of Ukraine’s most vocal supporters in Brussels, has consistently called for increased military and financial aid from EU members. Her current itinerary includes Latvia, Finland, Estonia, Poland, and Bulgaria, with planned stops in Lithuania and Romania.
Speaking shortly after landing—before the GPS jamming was publicly disclosed—von der Leyen warned of the continuing threat posed by Moscow.
“Putin has not changed, and he will not change. He is a predator. He can only be kept in check through strong deterrence,” she said.
Incidents of GPS interference have become increasingly common in Eastern Europe, particularly in airspace near the Baltic region and Black Sea. Research groups in Poland and Germany have previously traced such jamming operations to Russian military installations in Kaliningrad and a fleet of state-linked vessels. The EU has already imposed sanctions on several individuals and entities connected to these activities.
The latest incident raises further concerns about aviation safety and geopolitical tensions in an already volatile region.
