A suspected Russian GPS attack disrupted the flight of EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, forcing the pilot to rely on paper maps for landing in Bulgaria. The incident highlights ongoing GPS interference issues, believed to be part of a Russian proxy war against the West.
EU Leader's Flight Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Attack
EU Leader's Flight Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Attack
Ursula von der Leyen's flight GPS system was knocked out in a suspected Russian attack, forcing the pilot to use paper maps for landing, reports the Financial Times.
The incident occurred on Sunday when the GPS system at the airport in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, stopped functioning.
This happened just as the plane carrying EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was about to land.
After circling the airport for over an hour, the pilot had to resort to paper maps to land without modern aids.
"The entire airport area's GPS went dark," a source told the Financial Times, which published details of the dramatic flight.
The event was confirmed by an EU spokesperson to Sky News.
"We have received information from Bulgarian authorities suspecting Russia was behind it," the spokesperson said.
Over the Baltic Sea, GPS disruptions have become commonplace in recent years. Much points to it being part of a Russian proxy war against the West.
In June, 13 EU countries demanded that the EU Commission take action against Russia to stop the problem.