A plane carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was reportedly subjected to GPS signal jamming while attempting to land in Bulgaria on Sunday, according to European Commission officials.
Bulgarian authorities suspect that Russia was behind the interference, though the Kremlin has denied involvement.
Deputy Chief Spokesperson Arianna Podestà confirmed that the incident occurred as von der Leyen was en route to Plovdiv International Airport during a high-stakes tour of Eastern European states bordering Russia, Belarus, and the Black Sea. The tour aims to rally European unity and support for Ukraine as the war drags into its third year.
Despite the interference, the plane landed safely. A source familiar with the situation said pilots were forced to rely on paper maps after GPS systems were disrupted.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissed the allegations, telling The Financial Times:“Your information is incorrect.”
Podestà, however, stressed the seriousness of the incident, calling it a stark reminder of Russia’s ongoing 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,” she said.
Von der Leyen has been one of Ukraine’s staunchest advocates, urging EU nations to increase military and financial aid. Her recent itinerary included visits to Latvia, Finland, Estonia, Poland, and Bulgaria, with stops in Lithuania and Romania on Monday.
Speaking shortly after landing—before the incident was publicly disclosed—von der Leyen reiterated Europe’s need for strong deterrence against Moscow:
“Putin has not changed, and he will not change. He is a predator. He can only be kept in check through strong deterrence.”
GPS jamming has been increasingly linked to Russian operations in Europe, particularly near the Baltic and Black Seas. Previous studies by research teams in Poland and Germany traced such interference to Russian state-linked actors operating from Kaliningrad and a shadow fleet of ships. The EU has already sanctioned individuals and entities connected to these disruptions.
