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EU Confirms GPS Jamming on Von der Leyen’s Bulgaria Flight as Bulgaria Won’t Investigate

Bulgarian authorities conveyed suspicion of a Russian source, highlighting a wider surge in GNSS interference across Europe’s eastern flank.

Overview

  • Commission officials said interference occurred on approach to Plovdiv, and the aircraft landed safely using standard fallback procedures.
  • Bulgarian authorities informed Brussels they suspect Russia was behind the disruption, while the Kremlin formally denied the account.
  • Prime Minister Rossen Scheljaskow said Sofia will not open a separate national probe, citing routine handling by flight control and daily regional jamming.
  • Flight-tracking data and the Plovdiv airport director disputed early reports of an hour-long hold and paper-map landing, citing roughly a 10‑minute delay and use of the ILS.
  • The episode adds to near-daily jamming and spoofing reported since 2022, with the EU, EASA and industry groups coordinating resilience and information-sharing measures.