Bulgaria said GPS navigation systems at an airport in the city of Plovdiv were hit by a suspected Russian interference attack, “neutralizing” contact with the plane of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as it approached for landing over the weekend.
The government in Sofia said in a statement on September 1 that the airport control tower lost the GPS signal of the aircraft, which landed safely using ground navigation aids that are independent from the GPS systems.
“There was a neutralization of the satellite signal supplying information to the aircraft’s GPS navigation system. During the landing approach at Plovdiv Airport, the GPS signal disappeared,” the government said.
EU officials confirmed the August 31 incident, saying “we have received information from the Bulgarian authorities that they suspect that this was due to blatant interference by Russia.”
“We are, of course, aware and used to somehow to the threats and intimidations that are a regular component of Russia’s hostile behavior,” Arianna Podesta, the European Commission’s deputy chief spokesperson, said.
Russian officials have not commented publicly on the accusations.
Von der Leyen, a vocal critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, is on a four-day tour of the EU nations bordering Russia and Belarus, a staunch ally of the Kremlin.
Podesta said the incident “underlines the urgency of the mission that the president is carrying out in the frontline member states.”
“Of course, this will only reinforce even further our unshakable commitment to ramp up defense capabilities and support for Ukraine,” she added.
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