GPS block: jamming attack on von der Leyen's plane?
An airplane carrying EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was unable to land as planned in Bulgaria on Sunday because the signal from the GPS satellite navigation system was disrupted as it approached Plovdiv Airport. It was able to land safely a little later using conventional navigation technology. The EU Commission, the Bulgarian authorities and the media all suspect Russian jamming was behind the disruption.
One of many such incidents
Recalling similar incidents elsewhere, Deutsche Welle's Romanian service backs the theory that the navigation problems were caused by Russian jamming devices:
“Such systems are regularly used by Russia in Kaliningrad, Crimea, the Black Sea and Syria. In recent months, dozens of civilian aircraft flying across the airspace of Poland, the Baltic states or over the Black Sea have reported GPS malfunctions. In recent years, dozens of vessels in the Black Sea have displayed erroneous positions - caused by spoofing attacks.”
Moscow's hybrid war has already begun
The attack is almost an unofficial declaration of war, warns La Stampa:
“This is yet another signal to those who needed it that Russia's war in Europe may have started in Ukraine but it won't end there. Determined to rebuild an empire in Eastern Europe, Russian President Vladimir Putin is increasingly resorting to hybrid instruments to attack not only the countries he would like to see in Russia's 'sphere of influence' but also the states and institutions that oppose his macabre vision. The European Commission is one of them. The Kremlin has of course denied that it carried out the attack, but the denial and the accompanying disinformation are all part of the attack.”
The EU must defend itself
The EU must not mince its words in responding to this incident, Zeit Online insists:
“The damage to the EU representation in Kyiv, the disruption of the EU Commission President's navigation system: these are all deliberate provocations that convey a message. A simple but immensely powerful one: We will strike you whenever we want to. And we will show the world that the EU is a paper tiger in terms of security policy. ... How should Europe respond? The answer is clear: it must defend itself. And far more vehemently than it has until now. In concrete terms, this means that the European public sphere must be convinced that Russia is now targeting the EU. The Russian government sees Europe as a belligerent party and is acting accordingly.”