On Sunday, 1 September 2025, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s plane was reportedly subjected to GPS jamming during its flight to Bulgaria, forcing it to land at Plovdiv using conventional paper maps due to electronic navigation failure. The European Commission confirmed suspicion of Russian interference, though Bulgarian officials later denied evidence of prolonged jamming and declined to investigate, describing such events as common. The incident aligns with a broader trend of growing GPS jamming and spoofing in Europe, especially in the Baltic Sea region since 2022, allegedly involving Russia and Belarus. Lithuania recorded over 1,000 cases in June 2025, 22 times higher than the previous year, Estonia saw 85% of flights impacted, and Poland documented 2,732 cases in January 2025. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte emphasized the continent faces an increasing direct threat from Russian hybrid tactics, including electronic warfare. Experts suggest Russia's operations might involve local proxy actors within EU territory to conduct subversive electronic warfare, part of Moscow's 'grey zone' active measures campaign. The International Institute for Strategic Studies observed a near quadrupling of Russian sabotage operations in Europe from 2023 to 2024, targeting critical infrastructure with strategic intent to intimidate and disrupt without triggering full retaliatory responses. The EU plans to augment satellite capabilities to counter GPS interference, while pilots receive training on alternative navigation. No confirmed civilian deaths have resulted directly from these sabotage operations so far. This episode underscores Russia's hybrid warfare strategy focusing on electronic warfare and subversive tactics across Europe.

On Sunday, 1 September 2025, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s plane was reportedly subjected to GPS jamming during its flight to Bulgaria, forcing it to land at Plovdiv using conventional paper maps due to electronic navigation failure. The European Commission confirmed suspicion of Russian interference, though Bulgarian officials later denied evidence of prolonged jamming and declined to investigate, describing such events as common. The incident aligns with a broader trend of growing GPS jamming and spoofing in Europe, especially in the Baltic Sea region since 2022, allegedly involving Russia and Belarus. Lithuania recorded over 1,000 cases in June 2025, 22 times higher than the previous year, Estonia saw 85% of flights impacted, and Poland documented 2,732 cases in January 2025. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte emphasized the continent faces an increasing direct threat from Russian hybrid tactics, including electronic warfare. Experts suggest Russia's operations might involve local proxy actors within EU territory to conduct subversive electronic warfare, part of Moscow's 'grey zone' active measures campaign. The International Institute for Strategic Studies observed a near quadrupling of Russian sabotage operations in Europe from 2023 to 2024, targeting critical infrastructure with strategic intent to intimidate and disrupt without triggering full retaliatory responses. The EU plans to augment satellite capabilities to counter GPS interference, while pilots receive training on alternative navigation. No confirmed civilian deaths have resulted directly from these sabotage operations so far. This episode underscores Russia's hybrid warfare strategy focusing on electronic warfare and subversive tactics across Europe.