Russia Suspected in GPS Disruption of Von der Leyen’s Plane in Bulgaria

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s plane experienced a GPS outage as it attempted to land in Bulgaria over the weekend, according to Brussels officials who have confirmed the incident and said that investigations are ongoing. Bulgarian authorities have pointed to Russia as a possible culprit behind the disruption, while the European Union emphasized its preparedness against such hostile acts. The outage reportedly forced pilots to use traditional navigation methods, though the aircraft landed safely at Plovdiv Airport.

The event has drawn greater scrutiny amid a surge in GPS jamming incidents since the start of the war in Ukraine. Security experts warn that these electromagnetic interferences, believed to be part of Russia’s hybrid warfare tactics, pose significant risks to aviation safety in the region. A Financial Times report highlighted that the pilots on von der Leyen’s flight reverted to paper charts when the onboard navigation systems failed due to the GPS jamming.

Aviation regulators including EASA have documented a growing number of GPS disruptions across airspace in Eastern Europe and the Baltic region. Officials, including the UK Defense Secretary, have also been affected by similar incidents in recent months. Experts caution that GPS interference in busy flight corridors has the potential to create serious system-wide hazards, underlining the threat such activities pose to international aviation and diplomatic travel.