Russian Jamming Suspected as European Commission President's Plane Loses Navigation

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s plane was forced to land in Bulgaria using paper maps after suspected Russian GPS jamming disrupted navigation systems.

The European Commission later confirmed the incident, linking the interference to Russia. "We can confirm there was GPS jamming, but the plane landed safe," European Commission spokesperson Arianna Podesta told The Kyiv Independent. She added that Bulgarian authorities suspected this "blatant interference was carried out by Russia," calling such actions "a regular component of Russia’s hostile activities."

Von der Leyen was flying to Bulgarian city Plovdiv on August 31 as part of her tour of eastern EU member states. During the approach to the Bulgarian airport, the aircraft reportedly lost navigational aids and circled for nearly an hour before the pilot switched to analog maps to complete the landing.

Russia has not yet commented.

The visit included a stop at VMZ Sopot, Bulgaria’s largest state-owned arms producer, where von der Leyen was accompanied by Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov. “Bulgaria is actively contributing to both Ukraine and the European Union's defense security,” von der Leyen said. She noted that the country supplied one-third of Ukraine’s arms at the start of Russia’s invasion.

Western officials have repeatedly warned that Russia is engaging in GPS jamming and radar interference across eastern NATO and EU states as part of hybrid warfare. European Commission spokesperson Anna-Kaisa Itkonen claimed that such interference occurs “nearly on a daily basis” with “serious impacts on maritime and navigation.”

The suspected jamming follows a pattern of Russian-linked sabotage, including arson in Poland and Lithuania, sabotage of Baltic Sea infrastructure, and incendiary parcels sent across Europe. In March 2024, a Royal Air Force jet carrying U.K. Defense Secretary Grant Shapps also experienced GPS disruption near Kaliningrad, which experts linked to Russian electronic warfare systems Krasukha-2O and Krasukha-4.

While suspected sabotage cases declined in 2025 due to tighter security, officials warn the threat of Russian jamming and hybrid tactics remains a persistent risk across Europe.