A airplane carrying the European Fee President Ursula von der Leyen was focused by GPS navigation jamming whereas attempting to land in Bulgaria on Sunday, a spokesperson for the fee informed CNN.
The fee obtained “data from Bulgarian authorities that they think this blatant interference was carried out by Russia,” the spokesperson stated.
The airplane landed safely, the spokesperson stated. A supply acquainted with the scenario informed CNN the pilots landed the airplane utilizing paper maps.
Von der Leyen and the fee have been staunch supporters of Ukraine as Kyiv tries to defend itself towards Russia’s unprovoked aggression. She was one of many European leaders who attended US President Donald Trump’s summit on Ukraine final week and has constantly urged EU member states to allocate extra assets to serving to Ukraine.
The incident occurred as she was touring member states within the japanese a part of the bloc to rally assist for Ukraine. “This incident underlines the urgency of the President’s present journey to frontline Member States, the place she has seen first hand the day by day threats from Russia and its proxies,” the fee spokesperson informed CNN.
CNN has reached out to the Bulgarian authorities for remark, and requested Russia to touch upon the allegations.
GPS interference that causes disruptions to flights and maritime site visitors has lengthy been among the many instruments in Russia’s hybrid conflict arsenal.
Authorities in Scandinavian and Baltic states have stated repeatedly that Russia has been usually jamming the GPS sign within the area. After a staff of researchers in Poland and Germany carefully studied GPS interferences for a interval of six months beginning June 2024, in addition they concluded Russia was the perpetrator, and that Moscow was utilizing a shadow fleet of ships and its Kaliningrad exclave to take action.
The European Union has beforehand sanctioned a number of Russian state-linked entities and people for being behind jamming incidents.
“This can additional reinforce our unshakable dedication to ramp up our protection capabilities and assist for Ukraine,” the spokesperson added.
The journey to Bulgaria was a part of von der Leyen’s tour of a number of European Union states that border Russia, Belarus and the Black Sea.
The journey was meant to indicate power and unity as Russia continues to assault Ukrainian cities and sabotaging any makes an attempt to succeed in a ceasefire deal.
The president visited Latvia and Finland on Friday, Estonia on Saturday, and Poland and Bulgaria on Sunday. She was rounding up the journey on Monday, visiting Lithuania and Romania.
Talking in Bulgaria’s capital shortly after the airplane incident, however earlier than it turned public, von der Leyen stated Europe wanted to “sustain the sense of urgency.”
“(Russian President Vladimir) Putin has not modified, and he won’t change. He’s a predator. He can solely be stored in verify by means of robust deterrence,” she stated.
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