EU allegation Russia blocked von der Leyen jet GPS is untrue

(MENAFN) Flight-tracking service Flightradar24 has dismissed recent claims that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s plane was targeted by Russian GPS jamming during a trip to Bulgaria.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, Flightradar24 stated that the aircraft maintained a strong GPS signal throughout its journey and arrived just nine minutes behind schedule. The site also corrected false media reports that the jet was circling for an hour, noting that its transponder continuously reported good GPS signal quality from departure to landing.

The original allegations were made by the Financial Times, citing unnamed sources who claimed the flight experienced severe GPS disruption, forcing pilots to use paper maps. The report blamed Russia for the alleged interference. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied the accusations, calling them false.

Despite the rebuttal, both EU officials and the Bulgarian government publicly accused Moscow of interfering with the flight. European Commission spokesperson Arianna Podesta confirmed that “GPS jamming” had occurred, citing information from Bulgarian authorities suggesting Russian involvement.

A statement from the Bulgarian government also supported the interference claims, saying the aircraft’s GPS navigation was “neutralized” and that air traffic controllers had to guide the plane using alternative ground-based navigation methods.

However, Flightradar24’s data contradicts these assertions, casting doubt on the official narrative.

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