The European Commission said on Monday that Bulgarian authorities believed Moscow was responsible for the weekend incident but it was not clear whether the aircraft was deliberately targeted as GPS jamming has become common in the region since war broke out in Ukraine more than three years ago.
Bulgaria's Prime Minister Rossen Jeliazkov said there was "nothing unusual" about the GPS jamming, "one of the consequences" of the war in Ukraine, which has been raging since Moscow launched its invasion in 2022.
"These interferences do not target a specific plane," he told reporters.
"There is no reason to open an investigation," he said, adding such disruptions were "not classified as hybrid or cyberthreats".
"Since the beginning of the war with Ukraine, we have witnessed what is called electronic warfare," Jeliazkov added.
The chartered flight landed safely on Sunday at Plovdiv International Airport, in the south of the country, without having to change route.
Commission president von der Leyen was in Bulgaria as part of a seven-country tour of "frontline" European Union states, which, sitting on the 27-nation bloc's eastern flank, are more exposed to Russian hybrid threats.
Related Links
GPS Applications, Technology and Suppliers
| Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters |
| Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters |
