On Thursday, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov announced that he has instructed aviation authorities to conduct a deeper investigation into the disruptions experienced by a flight carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The incident, which occurred on Sunday, has raised suspicions of GPS jamming, potentially linked to Russian operations.

Conflicting statements have emerged from the Bulgarian government regarding the status of the flight's GPS systems. The European Commission reported that von der Leyen's aircraft lost its satellite GPS signal over Bulgaria, which has led to increased scrutiny of what transpired during the flight. Fortunately, the plane landed safely at Plovdiv airport.

Prime Minister Zhelyazkov stated, “During the approach of the aircraft, the GPS signal disappeared, which was reported by the pilots to Bulgarian air traffic control.” He explained that a landing using the Instrument Landing System (ILS) was suggested to the pilots due to the absence of the GPS signal. The Russian Foreign Ministry has, however, denied any involvement, with spokesperson Maria Zakharova labeling the allegations of GPS interference by Russia as “100% made-up fake.”

After learning about the flight's situation once the delegation disembarked, Zhelyazkov quickly ordered an investigation by air traffic control and the Civil Aviation Administration (CAA). Initially, he was informed that ground equipment did not detect any jamming signals at that time. Nonetheless, he emphasized that this does not rule out the possibility that jamming could have been experienced by the aircraft's onboard systems. Consequently, he has directed the CAA to follow up with the airline operating the flight to thoroughly check the aircraft's instruments and computers.

Speaking in parliament, Zhelyazkov pointed out that ongoing electronic warfare operations by Russia from its base in Crimea have caused disturbances in the radio frequency spectrum across many regions in Europe. He made it clear, however, that this broader issue is not directly related to the specific incident involving von der Leyen's flight.

Countries adjacent to Russia, including Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, have reported similar incidents in recent months, citing increased electronic activity causing interference with flights, maritime operations, and drone activities. This pattern of electronic disruptions in the region has heightened concerns regarding aviation safety and operational protocols in areas near Russian borders.