Moscow accused of jamming plane carrying European Commission president
According to Politico, the plane carrying European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen experienced GPS interference on August 31.
“We can confirm that there was GPS interference, but the plane landed safely,” said Arianna Podesta, deputy spokesperson for the EC.
According to the Financial Times, the plane carrying Ursula von der Leyen to Plovdiv – Bulgaria’s second largest city – was unable to use electronic navigation equipment due to interference, forcing the pilot to land using a paper map.
Ms. Podesta said the European Commission had received information from Bulgarian authorities that they suspected the incident was related to Russia.
“The incident underscores the urgency of the Commission President’s current trip, as she sees first-hand the security risks facing frontline member states,” Podesta added.
Russia has not commented on the incident.
According to experts, GPS jamming and spoofing can prevent aircraft from using navigation systems such as the US’s GPS or Europe’s Galileo, or distort the location data received. These methods are increasingly used to disrupt civilian and military operations.
European governments have previously warned about the phenomenon of targeted jamming, which has been reported in the Baltic Sea region since 2022, and have repeatedly called on the EC to take countermeasures.
Ms von der Leyen’s trip is to visit EU member states on the eastern border, including Latvia, Finland, Estonia, Poland, Lithuania, Bulgaria and Romania. This is seen as a move to demonstrate the European Union’s commitment to strengthening its defense and security capabilities.
In Bulgaria, Ms. von der Leyen visited an arms factory in the town of Sopot, together with Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov.
“We can confirm that there was GPS interference, but the plane landed safely,” said Arianna Podesta, deputy spokesperson for the EC.
According to the Financial Times, the plane carrying Ursula von der Leyen to Plovdiv – Bulgaria’s second largest city – was unable to use electronic navigation equipment due to interference, forcing the pilot to land using a paper map.
Ms. Podesta said the European Commission had received information from Bulgarian authorities that they suspected the incident was related to Russia.
“The incident underscores the urgency of the Commission President’s current trip, as she sees first-hand the security risks facing frontline member states,” Podesta added.
Russia has not commented on the incident.
According to experts, GPS jamming and spoofing can prevent aircraft from using navigation systems such as the US’s GPS or Europe’s Galileo, or distort the location data received. These methods are increasingly used to disrupt civilian and military operations.
European governments have previously warned about the phenomenon of targeted jamming, which has been reported in the Baltic Sea region since 2022, and have repeatedly called on the EC to take countermeasures.
Ms von der Leyen’s trip is to visit EU member states on the eastern border, including Latvia, Finland, Estonia, Poland, Lithuania, Bulgaria and Romania. This is seen as a move to demonstrate the European Union’s commitment to strengthening its defense and security capabilities.
In Bulgaria, Ms. von der Leyen visited an arms factory in the town of Sopot, together with Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov.