NATO to strike back against Russian jamming after von der Leyen’s plane loses GPS in Bulgaria
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NATO is intensifying efforts to counter Russian interference with civilian aviation after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s aircraft lost GPS navigation over Bulgaria on Sunday. Bulgarian authorities suspect Russian jamming was responsible for the incident, which ended safely.
Secretary General Mark Rutte declared the entire continent now faces “direct threat from the Russians,” stating that “we are all on the eastern flank now, whether you live in London or Tallinn.” He emphasized NATO’s commitment to preventing future incidents, working “day and night” to counter such attacks.
The GPS interference represents part of Russia’s broader hybrid warfare campaign across Europe since 2022. These attacks include cutting undersea cables in the Baltic Sea, cyberattacks on critical infrastructure like Britain’s health service, and various acts of sabotage, vandalism, and attempted assassination.
Rutte highlighted the compressed threat landscape, noting that modern Russian missiles can reach any European city within 5-10 minutes, effectively eliminating the security buffer traditionally enjoyed by Western Europe.
The jamming involves overwhelming communication signals or misleading receivers about their location and time. While NATO treats these incidents seriously, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov indicated his country won’t investigate, calling such interference routine collateral damage from Russia’s Ukraine war.
