Russia is believed to have jammed the satellite tv for pc sign of a airplane carrying the European Fee president, Ursula von der Leyen, over Bulgaria, reportedly forcing it to circle an airport for an hour.
Von der Leyen was travelling to Plovdiv on Sunday when her constitution airplane misplaced satellite tv for pc navigation aids, delaying its arrival within the central Bulgarian metropolis.
The fee deputy spokesperson Arianna Podestà confirmed the incident. “Now we have obtained info from the Bulgarian authorities that they believe this was attributable to blatant interference by Russia. In fact, we’re conscious and used to … the threats and intimidations which might be a daily part of Russia’s hostile behaviour,” she stated.
Interference with satellite tv for pc navigation has grow to be more and more frequent in airspace close to Russia and it’s unclear whether or not von der Leyen was intentionally focused. Requested about this level, Podestà stated: “The query is finest requested to the Russians.”
Main airports use a wide range of instruments to navigate and land if GPS just isn’t working, together with radio navigation, which is dependable.
The incident was first reported by the Monetary Occasions, which stated von der Leyen’s airplane circled Plovdiv airport for an hour.
The incident occurred throughout a four-day journey by von der Leyen to seven EU member states on the bloc’s jap border. In Vilnius on Monday, von der Leyen didn’t point out the incident however spoke of “fixed army and hybrid threats” going through Lithuania.
Referring to 2 drones that crossed Lithuania’s border with Belarus final month, she stated: “As Lithuania is being examined, Europe as a complete is being examined.”
The fee spokesperson stated the incident “solely reinforce[s] even additional our unshakeable dedication to ramp up defence capabilities and our assist for Ukraine”.
In March 2024, Russia was believed to have been answerable for jamming the sign of a airplane carrying Grant Shapps, the then UK defence secretary, who was returning to the UK from Poland. The RAF airplane was affected by GPS interference for about half-hour whereas it flew close to the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. It was reported on the time that it was unclear whether or not Shapps was the goal.
GPS jamming and “spoofing” – an digital warfare tactic that causes incorrect navigation info to be displayed – has elevated since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and escalated much more sharply within the final yr.
In June, 13 EU member states raised the alarm about jamming and spoofing threats disrupting air and sea journey. Poland recorded 2,732 circumstances of digital interference in January 2025, up from 1,908 in October 2023, whereas Lithuania recorded 1,185 circumstances in the identical month, up from 556 in March 2024, in accordance with an inner EU doc drafted in Could.
The doc describes interference to international satellite tv for pc navigation techniques as “not random incidents however a systemic, deliberate motion by Russia and Belarus”. It says: “Inflicting vital harm has been easy and low cost” and is prone to proceed with out “proportional countermeasures”.
The fee stated on Monday it had imposed sanctions on a number of corporations concerned in GPS sign disruption “within the very apparent blatant case of those originating from Russia”. It stated it was creating an aviation-specific plan and broader methods to forestall jamming.
Individually, Ukrainian police have accused Russia of involvement within the weekend killing of a former parliamentary speaker and pro-western politician.
Andriy Parubiy, a key determine in Ukraine’s anti-Russia motion, was shot lifeless within the western metropolis of Lviv on Saturday by a person dressed as a supply driver.
The nationwide police chief, Ivan Vyhivskyi, stated on Fb: “We all know that this crime was not unintended. There may be Russian involvement. Everybody shall be held accountable earlier than the regulation.”
He stated the killer disguised himself as a courier and opened hearth on Parubiy in broad daylight, firing his weapon eight occasions. The shooter made certain that the sufferer was lifeless, Vyhivskyi stated.
“He spent a very long time getting ready, watching, planning, and eventually pulling the set off. It took us solely 36 hours to trace him down and arrest him,” he stated.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated the “horrific homicide” had affected “safety in a rustic at struggle”.
Hopes for a ceasefire are low after final month’s summit between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump supplied no tangible outcomes. A deadline set by the US president on the summit for the Russian chief to take motion to finish the struggle or face new sanctions is because of expire this week. Trump has a historical past of delaying threatened motion. On Friday Emmanuel Macron stated Putin was making an attempt to “play” Trump.
Von der Leyen stated Ukraine’s allies have been engaged on safety ensures. She described the primary line of defence as “a powerful, well-equipped and skilled” Ukrainian military, and the second as “a multinational group from the coalition of the prepared, with the backstop of the People”.
About 30 nations – referred to as the coalition of the prepared – have pledged assist for Ukraine but it surely stays unclear what number of European nations would ship troops or how these forces may very well be deployed. The US expects European nations to do the heavy lifting however may present logistical assist.
Zelenskyy is anticipated to fulfill European leaders in Paris on Thursday as a part of an try to pressure an finish to Russia’s three-and-a-half-year-old invasion.
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