A plane carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was forced to land using old-school analogue maps after its GPS navigation failed during an approach to Plovdiv Airport in Bulgaria
Three Bulgarian officials told the Financial Times the jet was targeted by suspected Russian interference while circling the city for nearly an hour before landing manually. One official said “the whole airport area GPS went dark,” calling it “undeniable interference.”
Von der Leyen had flown from Warsaw after visiting Poland’s border with Belarus alongside Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. She continued her tour of eastern EU states with meetings in Bulgaria, including talks with Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov at an ammunition factory.
The European Commission and the Kremlin did not immediately respond to requests for comment, the FT said.
Bulgaria’s Air Traffic Services Authority told the paper that GPS disruptions have increased sharply since Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Jamming and spoofing of satellite signals can affect aircraft and ground systems, raising safety concerns across eastern Europe.
The Baltic Sea region has been a hotspot for such activity, with several cases traced to a Russian military base in Kaliningrad, according to Western officials. Poland has pledged more than €700 million for cybersecurity, while Estonia said Russian jamming this summer caused over €500,000 in damage.
Von der Leyen later left Plovdiv on the same aircraft without further incident, the report said.