EditSuspected Russian GPS jamming targeted Von der Leyen’s plane over Bulgaria
The Bulgarian government avoided mentioning possible Russian interference in its position
On Sunday (31 August), an incident involving the plane carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during her visit to Bulgaria raised alarms about potential Russian interference.
The Financial Times broke the news on 1 September, citing three informed officials, the GPS navigation systems at Plovdiv Airport were disrupted, forcing the pilot to rely on paper maps to land safely.
The Bulgarian government confirmed the GPS disruption but stopped short of directly attributing it to Russia, while the European Commission pointed to Moscow’s pattern of hostile actions.
The Financial Times detailed that the GPS outage affected the entire airport zone, compelling von der Leyen’s plane to circle for about an hour before the pilot executed a manual landing using analog maps.
“The entire GPS zone of the airport went out,” one source told the outlet. Despite the disruption, the landing was completed without incident.
Von der Leyen was in Bulgaria to visit the VMZ-Sopot factory alongside Prime Minister Rossen Zhelyazkov, part of a trip to EU frontline states to assess security threats.
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European Commission spokesperson Ariana Podesta confirmed the incident to Bulgarian National Television (BNT), stating, “Bulgaria informed us that it suspects Russia of interfering with the GPS signal during President von der Leyen’s landing.”
She added, “We can indeed confirm that there was jamming, but the plane landed safely.”
The Bulgarian Council of Ministers, however, avoided mentioning Russia in its official statement. It acknowledged that “during the flight of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to Plovdiv, there was a neutralization of the satellite signal that provided information to the plane’s GPS navigation system.” Air Traffic Control swiftly offered an alternative landing approach using ground-based navigation aids, specifically the instrument landing system, ensuring a safe touchdown.
The Financial Times noted that GPS jamming, which distorts or blocks satellite navigation signals, is a tactic often employed by military and intelligence services to shield sensitive locations. The European Commission’s Air Traffic Management Directorate corroborated the incident, telling the outlet, “Since February 2022, there has been a significant increase in cases of GPS jamming. These interventions disrupt accurate signal reception, causing operational challenges for aircraft and ground systems.”
The Directorate highlighted a surge in such incidents since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has strained relations with the EU, designated as “unfriendly” by Moscow in March 2022.
The European Commission’s reaction emphasised resilience: “We are well aware that threats and intimidation are a regular component of Russia’s hostile actions. This incident underscores the urgency of President von der Leyen’s trip to frontline member states, where she witnessed the daily threats from Russia and its proxies. The EU will continue to invest in Europe’s defence capabilities and support for Ukraine.”
EU governments have repeatedly warned that Russia’s increasing GPS jamming could precipitate a catastrophic air disaster by effectively “blinding” passenger planes, a risk amplified by this incident.
Jamming of international flights
Russia’s use of GPS jamming has escalated since its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, targeting aviation in Europe, particularly in regions near its borders. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) reported a sharp rise in jamming incidents, with over 1,000 flights affected monthly in 2024, especially in Eastern Europe, the Baltic Sea, and the Black Sea region.
These disruptions involve electronic warfare systems that spoof or block GPS signals, forcing pilots to rely on less precise navigation methods, increasing the risk of navigational errors or mid-air collisions. Countries like Poland, Finland, and Bulgaria have frequently cited Russia as the source, with jamming often emanating from Kaliningrad or Russian territory near Ukraine.
In April 2024, Finnair suspended flights to Tartu, Estonia, after repeated GPS interference traced to Russia. Similar incidents have disrupted flights over Romania and Lithuania, prompting NATO to bolster air traffic monitoring. Experts suggest Russia employs jamming to protect military assets, disrupt NATO operations, or sow chaos in EU airspace as part of hybrid warfare tactics.
Caption: Prime Minister Rossen Zhelyazkov greets European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen upon arrival at Plovdiv airport, on 31 August 2025. [BGNES/Council of Ministers]
Updated: September 1, 2025 - 15:36
