【By Observer News Net, Chen Sijia】According to a report by the UK's Financial Times on September 1, an EU Commission spokesperson stated that on August 31, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was traveling by plane to Bulgaria when the plane's GPS system was interfered with, but the plane eventually landed safely at a Bulgarian airport. The EU attributed this incident to Russia, accusing it of carrying out the interference.

Russian President's press secretary Peskov denied the EU's accusation, calling the statement incorrect.

Three informed officials told the Financial Times that von der Leyen traveled by plane to Bulgaria on August 31, but when approaching the Plovdiv Airport, the aircraft's navigation equipment was interfered with, "the entire airport area's GPS failed." One official said that after circling over the airport for an hour, the pilot decided to land using paper maps.

On August 31 local time, Bulgarian Prime Minister Zhelyazkov (left second) and von der Leyen (left third) visited a munitions factory. Visual China

The Bulgarian Air Traffic Services Agency confirmed the incident, stating in a statement: "Since February 2022, there has been a significant increase in GPS interference incidents, and recently there have also been cases of spoofing signals. These interferences have disrupted the accurate reception of GPS signals, causing various operational challenges for aircraft and ground systems."

The EU Commission's spokesperson later also confirmed the news and blamed Russia for the issue. The spokesperson said: "Indeed, there was GPS interference, but the plane landed safely in Bulgaria. We received information from Bulgarian authorities, who suspect it was Russian interference."

The spokesperson claimed that this incident would reinforce the EU's "unwavering commitment to enhancing defense capabilities and supporting Ukraine," saying, "She (von der Leyen) personally witnessed the daily threats and challenges from Russia, and after this incident, the EU will continue to increase defense spending and further enhance Europe's defense preparedness."

The Financial Times reported that at the time of the incident, von der Leyen was flying from Warsaw, Poland to Bulgaria, preparing to meet with Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelezkov and visit a munitions factory. Bulgaria has been one of the main European countries providing military equipment to Ukraine, initially mainly providing Soviet-era weapons, and now providing artillery and other products produced by Bulgarian defense companies.

The report mentioned that after ending her visit to Bulgaria, von der Leyen returned from Plovdiv on the same plane, without any abnormalities occurring during the trip.

Russia denied any connection between the GPS device failure of von der Leyen's private jet and itself. Russian President's press secretary Peskov told the Financial Times, "Your information is incorrect."

Von der Leyen is currently visiting EU eastern countries to discuss increasing EU defense preparedness to deal with the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Von der Leyen said on August 31 that several European countries have finalized a "detailed roadmap" for deploying troops in Ukraine, a force that could reach tens of thousands in scale, led by Europe and supported by the US in command and control systems, intelligence, and surveillance. She specifically emphasized that the plan has received the backing of US President Trump's repeated confirmation.

Since the escalation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in February 2022, the EU has frequently accused Russia of interfering with GPS signals in the Baltic Sea and Eastern Europe. An EU Commission spokesperson said, "Overall, we have seen a considerable number of such interference and spoofing activities, especially along the eastern border. Europe is the most severely affected region globally."

Eurosport News reported that in June this year, 13 EU member states, including the Baltic countries, wrote to the EU Commission, demanding a response to "interference from Russia." Russia, however, denied any improper behavior.

This article is an exclusive article from Observer News Net. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.

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