Russia is believed to have jammed the satellite signal of a plane carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen over Bulgaria, forcing it to circle Plovdiv airport for an hour before landing. The incident occurred on Sunday as von der Leyen travelled to the central Bulgarian city.
The commission’s deputy spokesperson, Arianna Podestà, confirmed the incident and said Bulgarian authorities suspected it was due to “blatant interference by Russia”. She noted that the EU is aware of such “threats and intimidations” as a regular component of Russia’s hostile behaviour. It remains unclear whether von der Leyen was deliberately targeted.
Interference with satellite navigation has become increasingly common in airspace near Russia. In March 2024, the signal of a plane carrying then UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps was jammed for about 30 minutes near the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. GPS jamming and spoofing have escalated since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
An internal EU document drafted in May reported that Poland recorded 2,732 cases of electronic interference in January 2025, up from 1,908 in October 2023, while Lithuania recorded 1,185 cases, up from 556 in March 2024. The document describes these as “systemic, deliberate actions by Russia and Belarus”. The European Commission said on Monday it had imposed sanctions on several companies involved in GPS signal disruption.
