Bulgaria Shifts Explanations Regarding Potential GPS Interference with Von der leyen’s Aircraft
SOFIA, bulgaria – Bulgarian officials have offered conflicting accounts regarding a potential disruption to the GPS signal on the aircraft carrying European Commission President ursula von der Leyen during her arrival in Bulgaria on Sunday. initial claims suggested possible Russian interference,but those explanations have since been revised and qualified.
Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov first told Parliament on Thursday that President von der Leyen’s aircraft experienced only a “partial disturbance,” a common occurrence in densely populated areas. This contrasted with earlier statements implying a targeted attack.
Hours later, at a press conference, Zhelyazkov stated that the lack of detected disturbance by Bulgarian authorities did not necessarily indicate a problem with the aircraft’s onboard equipment. “That is why I instructed the civilian flight authorities to contact the airline and to re-examine the aircraft’s on-board computer and instruments,” he said.
The initial incident involved a reported disruption to the navigation system before landing, though pilots successfully completed the flight. Authorities initially suggested a intentional Russian attempt to disable the aircraft’s GPS.
Experts have questioned whether a signal disturbance actually occurred,noting that landings without GPS are routine at some airports and that navigational errors can occur. While the possibility of Russian intervention has not been definitively ruled out, the nature and intent of any interference remain unclear.
