A spokesperson for the European Commission reported on Monday that the radar of a plane carrying Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was jammed over Bulgaria in an operation suspected to be Russian.
The spokesperson for the Commission, Ariana Podestita, said that the plane landed safely at Plovdiv Airport, and von der Leyen will continue her scheduled tour of EU member states bordering Russia and Belarus.
Podestita stated: "We can already confirm that there was jamming of the Global Positioning System (GPS) for the aircraft. We received information from the Bulgarian authorities indicating that they suspect it was due to blatant interference from Russia."
Von der Leyen, a fierce critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin and the war in Ukraine, is on a 4-day tour of EU countries bordering Russia and its ally Belarus.
Podestita explained that: "This incident actually highlights the importance and necessity of the mission that the President of the European Commission is undertaking in the EU member states on the front lines."
The spokesperson for the European Commission added that von der Leyen witnessed "firsthand the daily challenges posed by threats from Russia and its agents."
She mentioned: "Of course, the European Union will continue to enhance investment in the defense sector and further strengthen Europe's readiness following this incident."
Bulgaria issued a statement saying: "The satellite signal used in the Global Positioning System (GPS) for the aircraft was disrupted, and as the aircraft approached Plovdiv Airport, it lost the GPS signal."