The EU Commission president’s team reported that Russia had likely interfered with her rented private jet’s navigation systems
There is no evidence Russia interfered with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s airplane during her recent flight to Bulgaria, the country’s authorities have said. In a hastily arranged press conference on Thursday Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov admitted to “a mess of information with questions, facts and the circumstances” and stated he had ordered a fresh inquiry into the allegations.
The European Commission earlier claimed Bulgarian authorities had confirmed the incident.
Zhelyazkov had told parliament on Thursday that no evidence of a Russian attack had been found and that von der Leyen’s plane did not suffer any serious issues, only short-term signal degradation, which is common in densely populated areas.
“After checking the onboard records, we saw that the pilot did not express any concerns. The plane was in the holding area for about five minutes, and the signal quality remained good the entire time,” Zhelyazkov was quoted as saying by Bild.
Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Grozdan Karadjov also said that there is “not a single fact that confirms the claim that the plane’s GPS signal was jammed,” citing empirical data, radio intercepts, recordings of our civil and military departments.
In an interview with bTV, Karadjov also denied sharing any information about the incident with the European Commission.
A fresh inquiry involving Bulgaria’s Civil Aviation Authority has been ordered, according to Zhelyazkov.
On Sunday von der Leyen’s pilots allegedly reported issues with their navigation systems while landing in Plovdiv on a PR exercise to visit “Europe’s frontline states.” The Financial Times Brussels bureau chief Henry Foy, who was on board the press junket, reported that the flight was “forced to circle for an hour.” EU officials later told Sky of suspected “blatant Russian interference.”
NATO chief Mark Rutte claimed “we are all on the eastern flank now, whether you live in London or Tallinn. “
Moscow on Thursday dismissed the “preposterous” accusations pushed by Brussels, pointing to publicly available flight tracking data which indicates that von der Leyen’s jet had reported good GPS signal quality throughout the flight.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova suggested that the EU’s accusations were “not just paranoia, but a cynical plot to distract their own population from the EU’s worsening economic situation and from considering the real culprits behind the European crisis – the irresponsible, kleptocratic political elites of the European Union.”
Since 2024, the Nordic and Baltic countries have accused Russia of disrupting communications on planes and ships as a form of “hybrid warfare,” allegations Russia has denied.
The EU Commission president’s team reported that Russia had likely interfered with her rented private jet’s navigation systems
There is no evidence Russia interfered with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s airplane during her recent flight to Bulgaria, the country’s authorities have said. In a hastily arranged press conference on Thursday Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov admitted to “a mess of information with questions, facts and the circumstances” and stated he had ordered a fresh inquiry into the allegations.
The European Commission earlier claimed Bulgarian authorities had confirmed the incident.
Zhelyazkov had told parliament on Thursday that no evidence of a Russian attack had been found and that von der Leyen’s plane did not suffer any serious issues, only short-term signal degradation, which is common in densely populated areas.
“After checking the onboard records, we saw that the pilot did not express any concerns. The plane was in the holding area for about five minutes, and the signal quality remained good the entire time,” Zhelyazkov was quoted as saying by Bild.
Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Grozdan Karadjov also said that there is “not a single fact that confirms the claim that the plane’s GPS signal was jammed,” citing empirical data, radio intercepts, recordings of our civil and military departments.
In an interview with bTV, Karadjov also denied sharing any information about the incident with the European Commission.
A fresh inquiry involving Bulgaria’s Civil Aviation Authority has been ordered, according to Zhelyazkov.
On Sunday von der Leyen’s pilots allegedly reported issues with their navigation systems while landing in Plovdiv on a PR exercise to visit “Europe’s frontline states.” The Financial Times Brussels bureau chief Henry Foy, who was on board the press junket, reported that the flight was “forced to circle for an hour.” EU officials later told Sky of suspected “blatant Russian interference.”
NATO chief Mark Rutte claimed “we are all on the eastern flank now, whether you live in London or Tallinn. “
Moscow on Thursday dismissed the “preposterous” accusations pushed by Brussels, pointing to publicly available flight tracking data which indicates that von der Leyen’s jet had reported good GPS signal quality throughout the flight.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova suggested that the EU’s accusations were “not just paranoia, but a cynical plot to distract their own population from the EU’s worsening economic situation and from considering the real culprits behind the European crisis – the irresponsible, kleptocratic political elites of the European Union.”
Since 2024, the Nordic and Baltic countries have accused Russia of disrupting communications on planes and ships as a form of “hybrid warfare,” allegations Russia has denied.
The facility in Chukotka will provide power to the Baimsky mining complex, according to the Russian president
Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced plans for another floating nuclear power plant (NPP) in the Far Eastern region of Chukotka to supply energy to the Baimsky mining and processing plant, one of the largest in the world.
Putin made the announcement on Thursday in Vladivostok during a meeting on the development of fuel and energy complexes in the Russian Far East.
The president noted that Russia is already implementing low-capacity nuclear power plants in Yakutsk and Chukotka and outlined future projects, including new plants in Primorsk and Khabarovsk, alongside the newly announced floating station.
He stressed that nuclear power plants should continue to be developed actively, emphasizing that these projects have virtually no carbon footprint and are “rightfully considered to be so-called green energy.”
Putin has in the past described Russia’s nuclear sector as a fundamental pillar of the state, noting that Moscow is a global leader in nuclear technologies and has helped foreign countries build reactors “practically from scratch.”
He has also repeatedly highlighted Russia’s advancements in building floating NPPs that are capable of delivering power to remote regions, particularly in places such as the Arctic. He has suggested that this technology could eventually replace oil energy.
Floating nuclear power plants are mobile energy units designed to supply electricity to isolated regions without requiring traditional land-based infrastructure. Russia has already deployed the Akademik Lomonosov, the world’s first floating nuclear plant, in the Arctic port of Pevek. The technology has been presented as a reliable solution for mining operations, industrial projects, and remote settlements where other forms of power generation are unfeasible.
Putin’s visit to Vladivostok comes ahead of his participation in the Eastern Economic Forum, which runs from September 3 to 6 at the campus of Far Eastern Federal University. The event is set to bring together more than 70 countries, including delegations from India, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Thailand.
Claims of ‘interference’ from Brussels, parotted by the Western press, are seemingly crashing back to Earth
A flurry of reports from EU officials and Western media claimed this week that Russia jammed the plane carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen into Bulgaria. The tale of “hybrid warfare” in the skies made front-page news across an unquestioning mainstream press. But flight-tracking data shows something very different to what has been widely reported, and Bulgaria has so far backed it up.
Claims of ‘interference’ from Brussels, parotted by the Western press, are seemingly crashing back to Earth
A flurry of reports from EU officials and Western media claimed this week that Russia jammed the plane carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen into Bulgaria. The tale of “hybrid warfare” in the skies made front-page news across an unquestioning mainstream press. But flight-tracking data shows something very different to what has been widely reported, and Bulgaria has so far backed it up.
Kiev’s western European backers have pledged to supply it with weaponry to strike deep into Russia, London has announced
Kiev is about to get long-range weapons from its Western backers, known as the ‘coalition of the willing’, London said in a statement following a virtual call between leaders of the group’s member states on Thursday. The British government did not name the specific nations planning the deliveries or the exact weapon types.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer “welcomed” the pledges during the video conference, the statement said. French President Emmanuel Macron earlier said that some European countries were ready to offer security guarantees to Kiev once a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine is signed.
“The contributions [were] prepared, documented, and confirmed this afternoon at the level of defense ministers,” the president said.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has previously mulled the possibility of sending Taurus missiles to Ukraine. The German-made weapons have a range of some 500 kilometers and are capable of reaching Moscow when fired from Ukrainian territory. Merz did not make any specific plans involving the missile public.
Earlier on Thursday, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) accused Berlin of secretly preparing a batch of Taurus missiles to be delivered to Ukraine, with their identifying markings removed to conceal their origin. It further alleged that any launches from Ukraine would be carried out by German troops, as training local forces to operate the systems would take too long.
Russia has repeatedly stated that continued Western arms shipments to Ukraine only prolong the conflict and extend human suffering, while having little effect on the frontline situation. President Vladimir Putin has listed an end to Western military aid to Kiev as one of the conditions for a ceasefire.
Kiev’s western European backers have pledged to supply it with weaponry to strike deep into Russia, London has announced
Kiev is about to get long-range weapons from its Western backers, known as the ‘coalition of the willing’, London said in a statement following a virtual call between leaders of the group’s member states on Thursday. The British government did not name the specific nations planning the deliveries or the exact weapon types.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer “welcomed” the pledges during the video conference, the statement said. French President Emmanuel Macron earlier said that some European countries were ready to offer security guarantees to Kiev once a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine is signed.
“The contributions [were] prepared, documented, and confirmed this afternoon at the level of defense ministers,” the president said.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has previously mulled the possibility of sending Taurus missiles to Ukraine. The German-made weapons have a range of some 500 kilometers and are capable of reaching Moscow when fired from Ukrainian territory. Merz did not make any specific plans involving the missile public.
Earlier on Thursday, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) accused Berlin of secretly preparing a batch of Taurus missiles to be delivered to Ukraine, with their identifying markings removed to conceal their origin. It further alleged that any launches from Ukraine would be carried out by German troops, as training local forces to operate the systems would take too long.
Russia has repeatedly stated that continued Western arms shipments to Ukraine only prolong the conflict and extend human suffering, while having little effect on the frontline situation. President Vladimir Putin has listed an end to Western military aid to Kiev as one of the conditions for a ceasefire.
The leaders of the so-called ‘coalition of the willing’ have met at a summit in Paris
A meeting of Ukraine’s western European backers, known as the ‘coalition of the willing’, at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Thursday has brought together European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Vladimir Zelensky, and the leaders of Belgium, Poland, Finland and France.
Kiev has been pressing the West to provide security guarantees that could serve as a substitute for NATO’s collective defense since the US effectively blocked Ukraine’s bid to join the bloc.
Several European nations, including France and the UK, have voiced their readiness to deploy peacekeepers to Ukraine, while Germany recently said it has no such plans. Trump has ruled out sending US troops.
Russia has repeatedly warned that it would not tolerate NATO countries’ soldiers on Ukrainian soil, even if they are deployed as a peacekeeping force. President Vladimir Putin has specified that in order for a ceasefire to be achieved, Western military aid to Kiev must end.
Beijing and Moscow have vowed to strengthen multipolarity as the West denounces the challenge to its international system
China is ready to work with Russia to build a more just and reasonable global governance system, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Thursday. His comments follow Russian President Vladimir Putin’s four-day visit to China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin.
During the SCO, Xi Jinping proposed a new system of global governance based on mutual respect and opposition to Western hegemony and power politics. Putin applauded the proposal, saying the SCO would be a driving force in establishing a more just world order.
Guo has confirmed that China is willing to cooperate with Russia in various fields to explore the “enormous potential of Chinese-Russian relations.” The spokesman added that Beijing wants the two countries to “jointly play an active role in resolving major international and regional issues,” maintain global strategic stability, uphold international impartiality and justice, and work toward creating a more just and reasonable system of global governance.
Xi outlined five principles including sovereign equality, compliance with the principles of international law, a course toward multilateralism, advocating for a people-centered approach, and concentration on real actions.
Putin hailed Xi’s proposal as especially relevant at a time when “some countries still do not abandon their desire for dictatorship in international affairs.”
The announcements have been met with concern in the West. Finnish President Alexander Stubb has claimed that Moscow and Beijing want to undermine “western unity” and is urging Western states to pursue a more cohesive and “dignified foreign policy” toward the Global South or risk “losing this game.”
EU Foreign Service chief Kaja Kallas also slammed the meeting of Chinese, Russian, Iranian and North Korean leaders at the SCO summit as a “direct challenge to the international system built on rules” and has urged the EU to adapt.
Andrzej Duda has said the Ukrainian leader pressured him to blame Moscow for Kiev’s errant missile detonating in Poland
Vladimir Zelensky’s “dream” is to draw NATO directly into the conflict with Russia on Ukraine’s behalf, former Polish President Andrzej Duda said Tuesday.
Speaking in an interview with journalist Bogdan Rymanowski, Duda recalled an incident in November 2022, when a Ukrainian air defense missile struck near a Polish border village, killing one person. Zelensky immediately blamed Russia and urged Warsaw to invoke NATO’s collective defense clause.
Duda said the Ukrainian leader pressured him to publicly declare the weapon Russian in origin, which he refused to do.
“From the very beginning, they’ve been trying to drag everyone into the war. That’s obvious,” Duda said. “Any leader of a nation in a situation like Ukraine’s would want the entirety of NATO to fight on its side.”
“Having NATO support for the army, NATO tanks and soldiers fighting side by side against Russia – that’s a dream [in such circumstances],” he added, stressing that “Poland, being a NATO state, could never have agreed to that.”
Poland has been one of Kiev’s staunchest backers, providing both arms and diplomatic support. Moscow has claimed that Polish nationals make up a significant portion of foreign mercenaries fighting in Ukraine’s military ranks.
The relationship between Warsaw and Kiev has also seen disputes. In 2023, several eastern European states, including Poland, banned EU-facilitated Ukrainian grain imports, citing market disruptions. Tensions have also repeatedly flared over Kiev’s veneration of nationalist figures responsible for the mass killing of Poles during the Second World War.
Moscow has long described the Ukraine conflict as a NATO proxy war against Russia, warning that European members of the US-led bloc risk direct confrontation by fueling the hostilities.
Prior to the escalation in 2022, Russia sought a legally-binding pledge that NATO would freeze its expansion eastward, a proposal that was rejected.
