Disrupted Flight Featuring von der Leyen - No Probe Launched
In an unusual turn of events, the Bulgarian government has decided not to launch an investigation into the incident involving the plane carrying EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. This decision comes after Bulgarian Prime Minister Rossen Scheljaskov stated that there is "no evidence" of an attack, despite initial suspicions that Russia was behind the interference.
The incident happened during a flight from Poland to Bulgaria. As reported by a reporter from the "Financial Times" on board, the plane circled the airport for about an hour before landing safely in the city of Plovdiv. The disruption was due to so-called GPS jamming, a tactic that has been used in similar incidents in the past.
Upon landing, von der Leyen and the other passengers were unharmed, according to the airport director. The plane remained in the air for approximately ten minutes longer than originally planned due to the incident. Approaching the airport in Plovdiv without GPS is usually not a problem.
The EU Commission has confirmed the incident and has also expressed suspicion that Russia was behind the attack. Scheljaskov referred to the incident as electronic warfare and cited the Russian invasion of Ukraine as the backdrop for his comments.
In response to the renewed accusations, Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov dismissed accusations against Russia and spoke of disinformation in the "Financial Times." He asserted that such claims are part of a broader pattern of attempts to blame Russia for various incidents without concrete evidence.
In his defence, Scheljaskov stated that incidents of this kind occur daily, from Helsinki across the Black Sea... to Tripoli. He emphasised that air traffic controllers made no errors, according to protocol, and that such incidents are a common occurrence in the region.
Despite the Bulgarian government's decision not to investigate, the renewed accusations mark a further escalation in tensions between the EU and Russia. The incident serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing geopolitical tensions and the potential risks they pose, even to high-profile individuals like von der Leyen.
