EU chief plane hit by suspected Russian GPS jamming

A plane carrying European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen was reportedly targeted by GPS jamming over Bulgarian airspace in a suspected act of interference by Russia, a spokesperson said on Monday. The European Commission said on Monday that its president, Ursula von der Leyen, was en route to Bulgaria when her plane faced deliberate GPS jamming. "We can confirm there was GPS jamming but the plane landed safe," said Arianna Podesta, a commission spokeswoman.

Ursula's 'frontline states' tour continues — Lithuania next in line

‘Europe needs a strong [INSERT COUNTRY] to protect our borders and our people’

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Von der Leyen's plane landed in Plovdiv airport and she is continuing her planned tour of EU countries bordering Russia and Belarus, Podesta said. The EU chief arrived in Bulgaria on Sunday and met with Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov to discuss European security and defense issues.Separately, Bulgaria issued a statement saying that "the satellite signal used for the aircraft's GPS navigation was disrupted." "As the aircraft approached Plovdiv Airport, the GPS signal was lost," the statement said. As per media report, the plane had to remain in the air for around an hour longer than planned due to the GPS malfunction. The pilot reportedly decided to land manually in the city of Plovdiv using analogue maps. The airport in Bulgaria's second-largest city is used by low-cost airlines and for charter flights.