Pilots of European Union President Ursula von der Leyen’s plane were forced to rely on paper maps after their radar was reportedly jammed by Russian GPS interference technology.
According to three officials privy to the information, Von der Leyen’s plane was forced to apply the maps to land in Bulgaria on Sunday as the president was traveling to the industrial town of Plovdiv. Von der Leyen was building an appearance in the town as part of her tour of the EU’s eastern member states.
The Financial Times reported that Von der Leyen was there to discuss Europe’s security with leaders of countries in Russia‘s vicinity. It was reported that during her approach to a Bulgarian airport, the aircraft allegedly lost navigational aids and, after circling for about an hour, the pilot decided to land the plane applying analog maps.
Sources notified the outlet that the case is being treated as a case of a Russian interference operation. Bulgarian air traffic control authorities also confirmed the incident to the Financial Times.
Neither Moscow nor Brussels has yet commented on the incident.
After finally landing the plane, Von de Leyen and Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov visited the counattempt’s largest, state-owned arms producer, VMZ Sopot. They praised Bulgaria’s booming defense indusattempt. “Bulgaria is actively contributing to both Ukraine and the European Union’s defense security,” von der Leyen declared.
The EU chief also added that Bulgaria had supplied one-third of Ukraine‘s arms at the onset of the full-scale Russian invasion. This is not the first time that Russia has seemingly carried out a GPS and radar jamming attack.
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Drone Attack
A previous instance of Russia utilizing radar jamming came on Wednesday when a Ukrainian combat drone crashed and detonated in a farmer’s field in Estonia. The unmanned aircraft is believed to have struck the ground in the southern region of the NATO member state during the early morning hours of Sunday, though wreckage wasn’t discovered until Monday afternoon.
Estonian officials believe the aerial vehicle was tarreceiveing locations within Russia but was knocked off its intfinished path due to Russian GPS interference and electronic warfare tactics. On Sunday, Ukraine executed a massive drone strike on a crucial Russian gas facility in Ust-Luga – approximately 15 miles from the Estonian border and 621 miles from Ukraine.
The head of Estonia’s Internal Security Service stated there was “nothing” suggesting it could have been a Russian drone.”Based on very preliminary data, we have reason to believe that this may be a Ukrainian drone that was tarreceiveed at inland Russian sites but was diverted from its course by Russia‘s GPS jamming and other electronic warfare measures, caapplying it to veer into Estonian airspace,” Margo Palloson declared.
“At the scene, pieces of the combat drone were found scattered across the field, and a clearly identifiable post-explosion crater was visible. Based on very preliminary data, we estimate that the drone came down already in the early hours of Sunday, around 4 to 5 am.”
Had the drone struck a residential structure, it could have caapplyd substantial destruction, he added, according to ERR. A resident who believed she detected the drone informed the public broadcaster that she observed a “strange sound” passing over her residence before a “loud explosion that created the windows shake.”
“A drone wreck with signs of explosion was found in southern Estonia yesterday,” Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal declared on X. “No injuries reported. Russia has long applyd GPS jamming and other EW [electronic warfare] tactics to disrupt regional air and sea traffic. Estonia will respond by building layered air defence, including a drone wall.”
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