EU chief plane hit by suspected Russian GPS jamming
Ursula von der Leyen’s flight en route to Bulgaria was targeted with navigation interference, which the EU says was possibly deliberately done by Russia.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visiting the engineering plant in Sopot, Bulgaria, ahead of the establishment of a joint venture with Rheinmetall. Location: Sopot, Bulgaria
Von der Leyen is on a 4-day tour of EU nations bordering Russia and its ally Belarus
The European Commission said on Monday that its president, Ursula von der Leyen, was en route to Bulgaria when her plane faced deliberate GPS jamming.
“We can confirm there was GPS jamming but the plane landed safe,” said Arianna Podesta, a commission spokeswoman.
Von der Leyen’s plane landed in Plovdiv airport and she is continuing her planned tour of EU countries bordering Russia and Belarus, Podesta said.
The EU chief arrived in Bulgaria on Sunday and met with Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov to discuss European security and defense issues.Russia suspected of ‘blatant interference’
The commission spokesperson said the EU received information from Bulgarian authorities that “they suspect this blatant interference was carried out by Russia.”
“We are well aware that threats and intimidation are a regular component of Russia’s hostile actions,” the spokeswoman added.
“And, of course, the EU will continue to invest into defense spending and in Europe’s readiness even more after this incident.”
Von der Leyen’s plane hit by suspected Russian GPS jamming
Commission president was on a tour of frontline states when her plane was the target of interference.
“We can confirm there was GPS jamming but the plane landed safe,” Arianna Podestà, deputy spokesperson of the Commission, said in a statement shared with
BRUSSELS — A plane carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was hit by GPS interference on Sunday, with Russia suspected of being behind the attack.
“We can confirm there was GPS jamming but the plane landed safe,” Arianna Podestà, deputy spokesperson of the Commission, said in a statement shared with POLITICO.
Von der Leyen is on a tour visiting “frontline states” Latvia, Finland, Estonia, Poland, Lithuania, Bulgaria and Romania, in an effort to underscore the European Union’s commitment to ramping up its defense and security capabilities.
She arrived in Bulgaria on Sunday, where she visited an arms producer in Sopot, accompanied by Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov.
The jet, which was chartered by the European Commission for the trip, was unable to use electronic navigational aids as a result of the interference while approaching the airport at Plovdiv, Bulgaria’s second-largest city.
“Air Traffic Services immediately proposed an alternative landing approach using ground-based navigation aids (Instrument Landing System). The ground-based navigation aids used in Bulgaria are independent of GPS systems,” a press release from the Bulgarian government said.
“We further clarify that there was no need to divert the flight,” it added.
Podestà said the Commission received information from Bulgarian authorities indicating that “they suspect this blatant interference was carried out by Russia.”
“This incident underlines the urgency of the President’s current trip to frontline Member States, where she has seen firsthand the everyday threats from Russia and its proxies,” she said.
