EU chief Ursula Von Der Leyen's plane hit by suspected Russian GPS jamming in Bulgaria

The authorities in Bulgaria determined that the GPS jamming incident was likely initiated by Russia, a statement of the European Commission said.

A plane carrying European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen was reportedly targeted by GPS jamming over Bulgarian airspace in a suspected act of interference by Russia, an official said on Monday.

President of the European Commission Ursula Von Der Leyen is continuing with her scheduled EU tour. (AP)

The aircraft, en route to Plovdiv Airport as part of Von Der Leyen’s tour of EU countries bordering Russia and Belarus, lost GPS signal as it approached the airport.

The authorities in Bulgaria determined that the GPS jamming incident was likely initiated by Russia, a statement of the European Commission said. The plane landed safely in the eastern Balkan nation after the interference affected the airport.

“This incident actually underlines the urgency of the mission that the president is carrying out in the front-line member states," Commission spokeswoman Arianna Podesta told a press conference, adding that Von Der Leyen has witnessed “firsthand the everyday challenges of threats coming from Russia and its proxies.”

It is to be noted that Von Der Leyen is a prominent and vocal critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

Meanwhile, the Bulgarian government has also issued a statement saying that “the satellite signal used for the aircraft’s GPS navigation was disrupted. As the aircraft approached Plovdiv Airport, the GPS signal was lost.”

Despite the incident, Von Der Leyen is continuing with her scheduled tour. The European Commission also emphasised that the EU will strengthen its focus on defence readiness and investment in light of growing electronic and hybrid threats.

GPS jamming on the rise

GPS jamming incidents have significantly increased, particularly in the Baltic Sea region, since President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, hitting the Global Positioning System, or GPS, and affecting air and maritime communications.

Estonia’s regulator said that 85% of flights in the country now experience disruption. They’ve also reported a rapid increase in intentional transmission of faulty coordinates, a practice known as spoofing.