Brussels, 1 September 2025 (dpa/MIA) - An aircraft carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was allegedly targeted with deliberate GPS navigation interference by Russia en route to Bulgaria, according to the commission on Monday.

"We can confirm there was GPS jamming but the plane landed safe," a commission spokeswoman said about the Sunday incident. "We have received information from Bulgarian authorities that they suspect this blatant interference was carried out by Russia."

"We are well aware that threats and intimidation are a regular component of Russia’s hostile actions," the spokeswoman added.

"This will further reinforce our unshakable commitment to ramp up our defence capabilities and support for Ukraine."

Von der Leyen was travelling to Bulgaria on Sunday on a charter flight.

According to the Financial Times, the plane had to remain in the air for around an hour longer than planned due to the GPS malfunction.

The pilot then made the decision to land manually in the city of Plovdiv with the aid of analogue maps.

The commission spokeswoman did not provide further details of the incident.

Plovdiv is Bulgaria's second largest city, located some 130 kilometres south-east of Sofia. Plovdiv Airport is used by low-cost airlines and for charter flights.

Von der Leyen has been visiting countries in the north and east of the European Union over the past few days. After arriving in Bulgaria on Sunday, she met with Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov to discuss European security and defence issues.

Photo: EPA