On Thursday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova dismissed the allegations that Russia was responsible for jamming European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's aircraft, labelling them as fake and a product of paranoia.

On Thursday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova dismissed the allegations that Russia was responsible for jamming European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's aircraft, labelling them as fake and a product of paranoia. This came after an EU spokesperson had earlier confirmed that the GPS system of von der Leyen's plane was disrupted while en route to Bulgaria on Sunday, with suspicions pointing to Russian interference.

The incident led to the plane being forced to land in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, where the crew had to rely on paper maps rather than the usual electronic systems. Von der Leyen’s visit to Bulgaria was part of her tour aimed at promoting the EU’s €800 billion plan to bolster defence spending. While the EU Commission spokesperson confirmed the GPS jamming, they also reiterated that the plane landed safely, and Bulgarian authorities have expressed suspicion that Russia was behind the interference.

Despite the disruption, the planned route remained unchanged. Von der Leyen, speaking alongside Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov, stated, "We have to keep up the sense of urgency. Putin has not changed, and he will not change. He is a predator. He can only be kept in check through strong deterrence."

While Russia has yet to respond to the jamming claims, President Putin recently accused NATO of destabilising the region at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, dismissing any suggestion that Russia triggered the conflict in Ukraine. "This crisis was not triggered by Russia’s attack on Ukraine, but was a result of a coup in Ukraine, which was supported and provoked by the West,” he said.

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