The European Commission says a plane carrying EU President Ursula von der Leyen was reportedly affected by suspected GPS jamming, an incident Bulgarian authorities believe was "carried out by Russia," the Commission's Deputy Chief Spokesperson, Arianna Podestà told reporters. The Kremlin has denied the allegation.

The disruption occurred as the aircraft was about to land at Plovdiv International Airport in southern Bulgaria during von der Leyen's tour of eastern member states to rally support for Ukraine.

The European Commission confirmed the plane landed safely; a source familiar with the situation told CNN that the pilots navigated to the runway using paper maps after their navigation systems were disrupted.

Bulgarian authorities passed on information to the Commission suggesting they suspect the interference was deliberate. Asked about the report, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told the Financial Times, "your information is incorrect".

The Commission has not publicly attributed blame beyond relaying the Bulgarian assessment.

Podestà said the episode underscores the urgency of von der Leyen's visits to frontline member states, where she has witnessed "everyday threats from Russia and its proxies," and noted that the flight in question was a charter. It remains unclear whether the interference was intended to target the president's plane specifically, Podestà added.

Von der Leyen, who is a consistent and high-profile supporter of Ukraine, recently attended a US summit on Ukraine and has repeatedly urged EU members to increase support for Kyiv as it defends itself against Russian aggression.

The incident will likely intensify calls in Brussels for a thorough investigation and for strengthened measures to protect civil aviation from electronic interference.

European and Bulgarian authorities are expected to coordinate further inquiries; the Commission said it would continue to seek clarity from national partners while monitoring the situation.