A plane with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on board was targeted on Sunday, according to reports quoting an EU spokesperson. The Global Positioning System (GPS) of the plane was jammed while she was on her way to Bulgaria.
The commission received “information from Bulgarian authorities that they suspect this blatant interference was carried out by Russia,” the EU spokesperson was quoted as saying by CNN.
The spokesperson confirmed that the plane landed safely at a Bulgarian airport. According to the report, the pilots had to rely on paper maps to successfully complete the landing." The Bulgarian government has also confirmed the incident.
"The satellite signal used for the aircraft’s GPS navigation was disrupted. As the aircraft approached Plovdiv Airport, the GPS signal was lost,” Bulgarian government said in an offical statement.
Probe Launched
The spokesperson stated that the European Union has launched a detailed investigation into the matter.
Von der Leyen and the European Commission have been vocally backing Ukraine in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Earlier last week, Leyen along with other European leaders, attended US President Donald Trump’s summit on Ukraine.
She has repeatedly called on EU member states to increase support for Ukraine.
“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, speaking in Bulgaria’s capital shortly after the plane incident. However, the incident was not made public then.
Notably, incidents of GPS jamming have seen a surge, particularly in the Baltic Sea region, since Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, hitting the Global Positioning System, or GPS, and affecting air and maritime communications.
