BRUSSELS. A plane carrying EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has allegedly been the target of Russia's deliberate attempt to disrupt the satellite-based GPS navigation system.

"We can confirm that GPS jamming occurred," a spokeswoman for the European Commission in Brussels said of the incident in Bulgaria on Sunday. Bulgarian authorities suspect that the interference was carried out by Russia.

GPS jamming disrupts satellite signal reception. According to the spokeswoman, the incident ended without incident. The plane carrying von der Leyen landed safely.

Spokesperson does not comment on details

According to a report in the Financial Times, the jet had to stay in the air about an hour longer than planned due to the malfunction. The pilot then made the decision to land manually in the city of Plovdiv using analogue maps, it was reported. Plovdiv is Bulgaria's second-largest city. The airport there is primarily used by low-cost airlines and charter flights.

The EU Commission spokesperson initially declined to comment on the details. She merely added, in general terms, that the EU Commission is aware that threats and intimidation are a regular part of Russia's hostile behavior. Incidents like this, however, only strengthen the resolve to develop defense capabilities and increase support for Ukraine.

Ursula von der Leyen visited several countries in the north and east of the EU in recent days. In Bulgaria, she met with Prime Minister Rossen Zhelyazkov on Sunday, among other things, to discuss European security and defense.