BRUSSELS: A plane carrying EU chief Ursula von der Leyen was hit by GPS jamming as it readied to land in Bulgaria and Russia was suspected to be behind the incident, the European Commission said on Monday.

The commission said Bulgarian authorities believed Moscow was responsible for the incident on Sunday but it was not clear whether the aircraft was deliberately targeted as such attacks are common in the region.

“We can indeed confirm that there was GPS jamming,” commission spokeswoman Arianna Podesta told a press conference.

The chartered flight landed safely at Plovdiv International Airport, in the south of the country, without having to change route. Commission president Von der Leyen, 66, was in Bulgaria as part of a seven-country tour of “frontline” European Union states, which, sitting on the 27-nation bloc’s eastern flank, are more exposed to Russian hybrid threats.

The region has experienced “a lot of such jamming and spoofing activities”, a separate commission spokesperson said, adding it has sanctioned several companies believed to be involved. “The Bulgarian authorities suspect this blatant interference was carried out by Russia,” Podesta said.

Published in Dawn, September 2nd, 2025