Bulgaria PM denies Russian GPS jamming during von der Leyen’s flight

Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov has dismissed speculation that Russia interfered with the GPS signal of a plane carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, saying there was “no evidence” of “prolonged interference or jamming” near Plovdiv airport during her landing.
According to a Euro News report, Zhelyazkov told parliament on Thursday that von der Leyen’s aircraft had not encountered sustained jamming. He later clarified that while “ground instruments” had not detected any disruptions, the possibility of “onboard devices” registering interference could not be ruled out.
The debate comes after the European Commission suggested earlier this week that Bulgarian authorities believed the disruption to von der Leyen’s flight from Warsaw to Plovdiv on Sunday was “due to blatant interference from Russia.”
However, Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Grozdan Karadjov contradicted this version, telling local broadcaster bTV that Sofia had never submitted such an assessment to Brussels.
He said aviation officials only passed on a transcript of a pilot-control tower exchange mentioning “minor issues” with GPS, but “it did not mention Russian interference.”
Euro News cited analysts who noted that GPS spoofing — the use of false satellite signals — could have explained the disruption even if no ground-based jamming was detected.