A charter aircraft transporting a senior European official encountered significant GPS interference while flying over Bulgarian airspace, resulting in an extended holding pattern before landing. The incident occurred during a diplomatic tour of eastern European Union member states.
Official sources indicated that Bulgarian authorities suspect deliberate signal disruption originating from Russian territory. A spokesperson described the event as consistent with established patterns of hostile activity in the region, though declined to speculate whether the aircraft was specifically targeted.
This marks the latest in a series of navigation system disruptions affecting air travel near conflict zones. Similar incidents have been reported with increasing frequency since the beginning of the Ukraine conflict, with documentation showing thousands of electronic interference cases recorded by eastern European nations in recent months.
European institutions have acknowledged the growing threat to aviation safety and are developing comprehensive countermeasures. Recent actions include sanctions against entities involved in navigation signal disruption and the creation of specialized protection protocols for civilian air travel.
Separately, Ukrainian authorities reported the arrest of a suspect in the fatal shooting of a prominent political figure in Lviv. Law enforcement officials described the killing as a carefully planned operation, with the perpetrator disguising himself as a delivery service worker before carrying out the attack in daylight hours.
International diplomatic efforts continue amid ongoing security challenges, with European leaders preparing for additional consultations on regional security guarantees. The coordination of multinational support remains a priority as military and hybrid threats persist across the continent’s eastern flank.
