"The GPS just stopped working in the entire airport area," an official with knowledge of the incident told the daily.

According to him, the plane circled in the air for almost an hour before the pilot decided to land using analog maps.

GPS jamming is the blocking or distortion of satellite-based navigation systems, originally used for military and intelligence protection. Recently, it has been increasingly documented as a deliberate tool of disruption.

European governments are warning that the growing number of disruptions attributed to Russia pose a serious threat to aviation security.

Similar incidents are becoming more common in the Baltic Sea region and Eastern European countries bordering Russia - not only airplanes, but also ships and civilian navigation systems are experiencing disruptions.

Speaking in Bulgaria, she stressed:"V. Putin has not changed and will not change. He is a predator. He can only be stopped by a strong policy of deterrence."

U. von der Leyen left Bulgaria on the same plane, and there were no further incidents.