Von der Leyen’s Plane Forced to Navigate Without GPS Amid Suspected Russian Jamming

A plane carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was forced to land in Bulgaria using paper navigation charts after reportedly losing GPS functionality, according to Financial Times, citing anonymous officials.

The incident occurred on August 31 during the aircraft’s approach to the city of Plovdiv. Multiple sources familiar with the matter said the jet lost access to GPS signals in the airport area ceased to function.

The disruption is believed to have been caused by Russian electronic warfare systems.

After circling for nearly an hour, the pilot opted to carry out a manual landing with the assistance of paper maps.

Bulgarian air traffic control confirmed the event and stated in a comment to Financial Times that the country has seen a marked rise in GPS interference and signal spoofing since February 2022.

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“These disruptions affect the accurate reception of GPS signals and create a range of operational challenges for aircraft and ground systems,” the Bulgarian authority said in its statement.

The Kremlin responded to Financial Times, with spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissing the report, stating, “Your information is not accurate.”

Von der Leyen was en route from Warsaw to Plovdiv to meet Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov and to visit a local ammunition production facility. The visit is part of her ongoing tour of EU member states bordering Ukraine, focused on strengthening the bloc’s defense capabilities amid the ongoing Russian invasion.

Earlier, the Institute for the Study of War warned that Russia has intensified GPS jamming and signal spoofing across NATO airspace, particularly over the Baltics and Poland. According to ISW, these disruptions—traced to Russian electronic warfare systems near Kaliningrad—are part of a broader hybrid campaign targeting aviation safety, military logistics, and communications infrastructure.

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