A plane carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen experienced GPS jamming over Bulgaria in what officials suspect was Russian interference, the EU said Monday.
The aircraft landed safely in Plovdiv, and von der Leyen continued her four-day tour of EU states bordering Russia and Belarus. Commission spokesperson Arianna Podestà confirmed the disruption, citing Bulgarian authorities’ suspicion of “blatant interference by Russia.”
Podestà said the incident highlighted the urgency of von der Leyen’s mission, stressing EU commitments to boost defense spending and readiness. Bulgaria also confirmed the aircraft lost GPS navigation signals on approach to Plovdiv Airport. Von der Leyen was scheduled to hold a press conference later in Romania.