A plane carrying EU Commission President von der Leyen was affected by GPS interference before landing in Bulgaria. The pilot landed using analog maps. Bulgaria suspects a Russian attack.

A plane carrying EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is suspected of being the target of Russia's deliberate attempt to disrupt the satellite-based GPS navigation system."We can confirm that GPS jamming occurred," a European Commission spokeswoman in Brussels said of the incident in Bulgaria.

So-called GPS jamming disrupts the reception of the satellite signal. According to the spokeswoman, the incident ended relatively harmlessly. The plane carrying von der Leyen landed safely. Bulgarian authorities have expressed the suspicion that the disruption"was due to blatant Russian interference," the spokeswoman said.

Pilot used analogue maps

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 declined to comment on the details. She did, however, say 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 only strengthen the resolve to build defense capabilities and increase support for Ukraine.

EU speaks of several disruptive actions

The EU also stated that"a significant number of such jamming and deception activities" had been observed in recent months,"particularly on Europe's eastern flank." In June, 13 EU countries wrote a letter to the Commission to draw attention to"almost daily" incidents of this kind. The Commission is working with various organizations to combat GPS jamming.

On Monday, von der Leyen concludes a multi-day trip through seven EU countries bordering Russia or Belarus. She said she wanted to express"the EU's unconditional solidarity" to the member states. In Bulgaria, she met with Prime Minister Rossen Zhelyazkov on Sunday, among other things, to discuss European security and defense.