A plane carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen experienced GPS jamming while flying over Bulgaria, according to a spokesperson. The incident occurred on Monday, but the plane landed safely at Plovdiv Airport. Von der Leyen is set to continue her planned tour of Eastern European nations, as confirmed by commission spokesperson Arianna Podestà.

Podestà stated, "We can indeed confirm that there was GPS jamming. We have received information from the Bulgarian authority that they suspect that this was due to blatant interference by Russia." This incident is part of a broader pattern of suspected Russian electronic interference with GPS navigation systems, which has raised concerns among countries bordering Russia.

Countries such as Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia have reported increased electronic activity that disrupts flights, ships, and drones. Russian authorities have not responded to requests for comment regarding this specific incident.

Von der Leyen, a vocal critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin and the ongoing war in Ukraine, is on a four-day tour that includes visits to Lithuania, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Romania, and Bulgaria. Podestà emphasized the significance of the incident, stating, "This incident actually underlines the urgency of the mission that the president is carrying out in the front-line member states." She noted that von der Leyen has witnessed "firsthand the everyday challenges of threats coming from Russia and its proxies."

In light of the incident, Podestà mentioned that the European Union will continue to increase its defense spending and enhance Europe’s readiness. Bulgaria's Civil Aviation Authority reported that the satellite signal used for the aircraft's GPS navigation was disrupted during the flight from Warsaw, Poland, to Plovdiv. As the plane approached Plovdiv Airport, the GPS signal was lost, prompting air traffic controllers to instruct the pilots to use backup navigation systems for a safe landing.

The Associated Press has documented nearly 80 incidents of disruption across Europe attributed to Russian interference, which Western officials have described as "staggeringly reckless." Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, there have been numerous accusations against Russia and its proxies for various attacks and incidents, including vandalism and attempted assassination.

The types of interference reported include jamming and spoofing. Jamming occurs when a strong radio signal overwhelms communications, while spoofing misleads a receiver into believing it is in a different location or time. In August, Latvia's Electronic Communications Office identified several hotspots for jamming along its borders with Russia. In April 2024, a Finnish airline temporarily suspended flights to Tartu, Estonia, due to jamming incidents.

Eric Schouten, an intelligence analyst and CEO of Dyami Security Intelligence, noted that pilots and air traffic controllers from Sweden to Bulgaria are reverting to traditional navigation methods due to the unreliability of GPS. He commented, "They cannot rely on GPS anymore," and added that while it is unlikely Russia specifically targeted von der Leyen, they could increase interference as a form of intimidation. "Russia knew she was coming. They can just turn up the knob a little bit to be an irritating neighbor," Schouten said.