Ursula von der Leyen’s plane forced to land with paper maps after 'undeniable' Russian GPS hack
Ursula von der Leyen’s plane was forced into a blind landing after suspected Russian interference with its on-board GPS.
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The plane’s pilot was forced into landing using paper maps.
The jet, which was carrying European Commission president Ms von der Leyen to Plovdiv in Bulgaria, had its GPS navigation systems disabled and was forced to circle the airport for an hour.
Officials described it as an incident of “undeniable interference.”
A European Commission spokeswoman said: “We can confirm there was GPS jamming but the plane landed safe.
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“We have received information from Bulgarian authorities that they suspect this blatant interference was carried out by Russia. We are well aware that threats and intimidation are a regular component of Russia’s hostile actions.”
Ms Von der Leyen was travelling from Poland to Bulgaria as part of a seven-country tour of the European Union’s front-line states to pledge the bloc’s support in the face of Russian aggression.
On a visit to the Poland-Belarus border on Sunday, she said: “We have to keep the sense of urgency because we know that Putin has [not changed] and will not change.”
Days ago, a Russian air assault on Kyiv killed 23 people and badly damaged a European diplomatic compound.
Two missiles landed about 50 metres from an EU diplomatic mission in Kyiv, shattering the office's windows and doors but causing no injuries there. The EU summoned the Russian envoy in Brussels over the attack.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said: "Russia chooses ballistics instead of the negotiating table.
"We expect a response from everyone in the world who has called for peace but now more often stays silent rather than taking principled positions."
The British Council said its office in Kyiv had been "severely damaged".