A possible electronic interference action from Russia disabled the GPS navigation services at a Bulgarian airport and forced the plane carrying the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, to land in Plovdiv on Sunday using paper maps.
The plane carrying von der Leyen to Plovdiv on Sunday afternoon was deprived of electronic navigation systems as it approached the city’s airport, which three officials briefed on the incident said is being treated as a Russian interference operation, according to the Financial Times.
"The entire GPS system of the airport was blocked," one official stated. After circling the airport for an hour, the plane's pilot made the decision to land manually using traditional maps.
"It was an undeniable interference," officials said. The Bulgarian Air Traffic Services Authority confirmed the incident in a statement to Financial Times.
"Since February 2022, there has been a noticeable increase in GPS jamming and, recently, spoofing. These interferences disrupt the precise reception of signals (GPS), leading to various operational challenges for aircraft and ground systems," the quoted officials added.
In response, the Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, told the FT, "Your information is incorrect."
GPS jamming and signal spoofing methods, which distort or prevent access to the satellite navigation system, were traditionally used by military and intelligence services to protect sensitive sites, but have been increasingly used by countries like Russia as a means of disrupting civilian life.
EU governments have warned that the increasing GPS jamming, attributed to Russia, risks causing an aviation disaster, practically blinding commercial aircraft during travel.
GPS jamming incidents have significantly increased in the Baltic Sea and in Eastern European states close to Russia in recent years, affecting planes, ships, and civilians using the service for daily navigation.
Von der Leyen was flying from Warsaw to the city of Plovdiv, in central Bulgaria, to meet with the country's Prime Minister, Rosen Zhelyazkov, and to visit an ammunition factory.
She is on a tour of frontline EU states to discuss the bloc's defense preparations in response to Russia's war against Ukraine.
"Russian President Vladimir Putin has not changed and will not change," von der Leyen told reporters while in Bulgaria on Sunday. "He is a predator. He can only be kept in check through strong deterrence," she said.
On Monday, Ursula von der Leyen will make an official visit to Romania, in Constanța, where she will meet with President Nicușor Dan, as well as with military officials.