The European Union confirmed on Monday that a private jet carrying Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, experienced severe GPS interference while en route to Bulgaria, but fortunately landed safely. Bulgarian authorities suspect the incident may be linked to Russia.
A spokesperson for the EU stated, “We can confirm that the aircraft indeed encountered GPS interference, but landed safely in Bulgaria. We have received information from the Bulgarian side suspecting that this was a result of Russia’s blatant interference.”
According to a statement from the Bulgarian government, the incident occurred as the plane was approaching Plovdiv airport, with the pilots losing GPS signal and having to rely on ground navigation systems for landing. Three officials informed the Financial Times that “the entire airport area’s GPS was dysfunctional,” and after circling in the air for nearly an hour, the pilots resorted to using paper maps and manual navigation to land.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov denied the allegations, saying, “Your information is incorrect.”
At the time, von der Leyen was undertaking a four-day visit, touring EU member states bordering Russia, and arrived in Bulgaria on August 31 to inspect a state-owned arms company. She met with Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov in Plovdiv and visited an ammunition factory before departing on the same private jet.
The incident highlights Europe’s high alertness to GPS interference. The EU spokesperson noted that Russia has long used jamming and spoofing methods to disrupt satellite positioning, impacting not only military operations but also civil aviation and daily life. “We observe a significant amount of such activities in the eastern flank region, with Europe being the most affected region globally.”
According to the Bulgarian Civil Aviation Authority, since the outbreak of the Russo-Ukrainian war in 2022, incidents of GPS signal interference and falsification have significantly increased, causing difficulties in aircraft and ground system operations. Earlier this year, 13 EU member states jointly warned the EU that GPS interference could lead to aviation disasters.
German Armed Forces Director General Carsten Breuer also revealed to the Financial Times that he personally experienced GPS interference twice during exercises in the Baltic Sea and Lithuania, once even in the vicinity of Russian reconnaissance planes. He pointed out that Russia is using these methods to “test NATO’s response.”
In recent years, Bulgaria has become an important military supply country for Ukraine, initially providing weapons from the Soviet era and currently exporting a large amount of artillery and domestic military equipment. The EU emphasizes that this incident once again proves that Europe must accelerate defense investments and steadfastly support Ukraine in resisting Russian aggression.