A suspected Russian interference attack on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen disabled GPS navigation services at a Bulgarian airport on Sunday afternoon, compelling her aircraft to land using paper maps, the Financial Times reports. The incident occurred as the plane, transporting von der Leyen from Warsaw to Plovdiv, had its electronic navigation systems disrupted during its approach. Three officials briefed on the event described it as a Russian interference operation.
“The GPS for the entire airport area went dead,” stated one official. After circling the airport for an hour, the pilot made the decision to execute a manual landing with analog maps. “It was a clear case of interference,” the official added.
The report notes that so-called GPS jamming and spoofing, which distorts or blocks access to satellite navigation, was traditionally used by military and intelligence services to protect sensitive sites. However, countries like Russia have increasingly deployed it as a means to disrupt civilian life. Incidents of GPS signal disruption have risen sharply in the Baltic Sea and Eastern European states near Russia in recent years, affecting aircraft, shipping, and civilians relying on the service for daily navigation.
Following her visit, von der Leyen departed Plovdiv on the same aircraft without further incident.