Pierluigi Paganini September 02, 2025

Von der Leyen’s plane faced suspected Russian GPS jamming in Bulgaria, but the EU chief landed safely, says European Commission.

The EU confirmed that Ursula von der Leyen’s plane experienced GPS jamming while flying to Bulgaria. The European authorities suspect Russian interference, though the aircraft landed safely. Bulgarian officials provided the information, and the EU spokesperson described it as blatant interference.

“We can indeed confirm that there was GPS jamming, but the plane landed safely in Bulgaria. We have received information from the Bulgarian authorities that they suspect that this was due to blatant interference by Russia,” the EU spokesperson said.

Von der Leyen’s jet lost GPS near Plovdiv, forcing a manual landing with analogue maps after circling for an hour. Officials blame Russian interference. Bulgarian authorities reported a surge in GPS jamming and spoofing since 2022, which disrupts aircraft and ground system operations.

“A jet carrying von der Leyen to Plovdiv on Sunday afternoon was deprived of electronic navigational aids while on approach to the city’s airport, in what three officials briefed on the incident said was being treated as a Russian interference operation.” reported The Financial Times.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told the FT that “your information is incorrect”.

Bulgarian authorities confirmed the plane’s GPS signals were neutralized, and air traffic control provided alternative landing guidance using terrestrial navigation tools to ensure safety.

“The whole airport area GPS went dark,” said one of the officials.”

The European Commission said “threats and intimidation are a regular component of Russia’s hostile actions” and that the incident would reinforce its commitment to “ramp up our defence capabilities and support for Ukraine”.

Following GPS interference affecting Ursula von der Leyen’s flight to Bulgaria, the EU plans more low Earth orbit satellites to detect such disruptions.

Airlines flying near the Baltic area reported tens of thousands of GPS jamming incidents. In March 2024, Russian hackers knocked down the GPS and communications of Defence Secretary Grant Shapps RAF Dassault Falcon 900 jet with electronic warfare attack. Defence Secretary Grant Shapps RAF Dassault Falcon 900 jet flew from Poland, where he visited British troops in Steadfast Defender, to the UK. 

A Sun’s defence editor onboard the RAF Dassault Falcon 900 jet reported that the GPS and communications were disabled by a jamming attack allegedly launched by Russia.

RAF pilots confirmed that the GPS and other signals were blocked for almost 30 minutes while the Grant Shapps was flying near Kaliningrad, which is a Russian exclave neighboring Poland.

Flying without GPS is feasible but increases workload, reduces efficiency, and limits precision for approaches in poor visibility.

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Pierluigi Paganini

(SecurityAffairs – hacking, GPS Jamming)