Russia denies GPS jamming claims on von der Leyen’s plane, calls allegations ‘preposterous’

MOSCOW: Russia has strongly rejected claims that it attempted to jam the GPS system of a plane carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

At a press briefing on Thursday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called the allegations “preposterous” and “100% false,” RT reported.

Zakharova said Moscow will continue to combat “the West’s web of lies” aimed at discrediting Russia on the world stage, suggesting the claims were intended to distract the public from “actual events,” including problems in the EU’s economy and the recent summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Tianjin, China, which concluded on Monday.

“It is 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,” Zakharova said, RT reported.

She also pointed to data from the flight-tracking website Flightradar24, which indicated that von der Leyen’s jet “reported good GPS signal quality from take-off to landing.”

Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov added on Tuesday that the incident would not be investigated, stating that “these disturbances are neither hybrid nor cyber threats,” according to RT.

Since 2024, Nordic and Baltic countries have accused Russia of disrupting communications on planes and ships as part of “hybrid warfare,” allegations Russia has consistently denied.

Amid these claims, von der Leyen and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk arrived at the Polish-Belarusian border on Sunday, where they discussed defence and security, among other issues, highlighting continued EU focus on regional stability, Euro News reported.

The EC chief on Sunday assured Tusk and the Polish people of “Europe’s full solidarity with Poland as a frontline state,” stressing the importance of continued pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“Putin has not changed and will not change. He is a predator,” von der Leyen said, adding that “he can only be kept in check through strong deterrence,” as per Euro News.

Her trip comes as part of a four-day tour of European states bordering Russia or its ally Belarus, aimed at stressing solidarity with border states and supporting the development of Europe’s defence industry.

The meeting between Tusk and von der Leyen coincided with the 45th anniversary of the August Agreements, a historical deal between the communist government and striking workers that paved the way for the creation of the Solidarity Trade Union, the first independent trade union in the Eastern bloc, which played a pivotal role in the collapse of communism in Europe, Euro News reported.

Meanwhile, at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit on Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the West’s constant attempts to draw Kiev into NATO are one of the main causes of the Ukrainian conflict.

He noted that the crisis arose largely because of the 2014 coup d’etat in Kiev, which was provoked by the West, Tass reported.

“The second reason for the crisis is the West’s constant attempts to draw Ukraine into NATO. As we have repeatedly emphasized, this poses a direct threat to Russia’s security,” Putin said.

According to the Russian president, as a result of the 2014 coup, “the political leadership of the country that did not support Ukraine’s accession to NATO was removed,” Tass reported. (ANI)