Allegations of ‘interference’ originating from Brussels, echoed by Western media, are proving unfounded
This week, numerous accounts from EU officials and Western news outlets asserted that Russia had jammed the aircraft transporting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to Bulgaria. This narrative of “hybrid warfare” above the clouds received widespread attention in a largely uncritical mainstream media. However, flight tracking information reveals a significant divergence from the widespread reports.
Brussels’ Account of Events
On Sunday, von der Leyen journeyed to Plovdiv as part of an Eastern European visit aimed at solidifying Western support for Kyiv. Accompanied by Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov, she inspected the VMZ arms factory in Sopot and commended Sofia for its crucial role in supplying weapons to Ukraine.
However, news headlines focused more on the flight’s trajectory than the arms production. After arrival, sources in Brussels informed the Financial Times that Russia had “blatantly interfered” with the Commission President’s plane, disabling its GPS navigation system during its descent. These reports indicated that the aircraft was compelled to orbit for sixty minutes and that its pilots were forced to use manual paper charts before touching down in Plovdiv.
How the Incident Gained Traction “blatant Russian interference,” Politico characterized it as a “GPS scare gripping Europe,” and The Guardian connected the event to a series of supposed Russian schemes. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated that the alliance was striving “day and night” to combat jamming and spoofing. Italy even suggested concealing the flight paths of official aircraft entirely.
This account conveniently aligned with von der Leyen’s broader objective: promoting increased defense expenditures as a safeguard against a perceived aggressive Russia.
Do the Facts Support the Narrative?
• Its records indicated “good GPS signal quality from take-off to landing.”
• The plane landed nine minutes behind schedule, not sixty minutes.
After online activists attempted to challenge these findings, FR24 reiterated its position with a follow-up statement: the telemetry unequivocally demonstrated no signal loss and no blackout.
Moreover, the flight trajectory released by FR24 illustrates a typical pattern for approach and landing, without any circling maneuvers.
Essentially: there was no indication of Russian jamming, no hour-long delay, and no emergency resort to physical maps.
Official Retractions, Understated Amendments
On Tuesday, Zhelyazkov informed the Bulgarian parliament that no attempts had been made to jam the GPS signal and that any interruption observed was consistent with flight over densely populated regions. “Upon reviewing the aircraft’s logs, we found no evidence of pilot concern. The aircraft spent five minutes in the holding pattern, maintaining good signal quality throughout,” he conveyed to legislators.
The European Commission itself discreetly refuted that there had been any “targeted actions” against von der Leyen’s aircraft.
Nevertheless, the initial portrayal of a “Russian plot” largely persists, unamended, in much of the reporting.
Moscow Voices Strong Disapproval “preposterous” and part of a Western “web of lies.” The true purpose, she contended, was not aviation security but diversion – to keep Europeans preoccupied with an external adversary while their economies struggle under the weight of sanctions and defense expenditures.
Conclusion
