GPS disruption tied to Russia grounds von der Leyen plane

A plane carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was forced to land manually at Plovdiv Airport in Bulgaria on Sunday after its satellite navigation systems failed in what EU officials and Bulgarian authorities say was suspected Russian interference. The aircraft, flying from Warsaw to Plovdiv, circled the city for about an hour while the crew navigated using analogue charts and paper maps before touching down safely, officials said.

European Commission deputy chief spokesperson Arianna Podestà told reporters on Monday that there had been GPS jamming and that Bulgarian authorities suspect the disruption was deliberate and linked to Russia. Podestà said the commission had received information from Sofia indicating the interference was blatant and added that the question of whether von der Leyen herself was the target should be put to the Russians. An EU spokesperson also described the device that affected the aircraft as a radar jammer. The plane later departed Plovdiv on the same aircraft without further incident.

Bulgarian Air Traffic Services Authority issued a statement saying the satellite signal used for the aircraft's GPS navigation was disrupted as the...