Von der Leyen’s GPS scare gripped Europe. The Russia allegations are starting to unravel.

5 comments

1. > On Sunday, a Commission-chartered plane on a tour of “front-line states” in Europe reportedly lost access to GPS signals while approaching Bulgaria’s Plovdiv airport.

   > The Financial Times, whose correspondent was on the plane, wrote that the aircraft circled for an hour before the pilot landed using paper maps.

   > Brussels and Sofia were quick to blame Russia, calling it “blatant interference.”

   > But days later, the incident is being brushed aside by the Bulgarian government and the EU executive

   > On Monday, flight-tracking service Flightradar24 revealed that its data showed the GPS signal was never lost and that the plane’s landing was only delayed by nine minutes. Public data also showed the same aircraft had experienced GPS jamming the day before over the Baltics — but not in Bulgaria

   > On Tuesday, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov toned down claims of direct Russian interference, calling the incident a routine glitch tied to broader fallout from the war in Ukraine.

   > “There is no need to investigate the situation,” Zhelyazkov said, “because these disturbances are neither hybrid nor cyber threats.”

   > The plane also had an electronic backup system using radio beams that enabled it to land — no paper maps required — Bulgarian authorities found.

   This story is just bizarre, has no one asked the FT reporter what they meant? It seems like they just lied about paper maps and the flight times?

2. TL;DR

   The allegations are bullshit. But GPS jamming is a thing that can happen. It wasn’t the case here. But Russia does GPS jamming. Planes have multiple redundant systems and GPS is not a requirement. But Russia has been increasing GPS jamming in their 4 year conflict with Ukraine.

   “These cases are not random incidents but a systematic, deliberate action by Russia and Belarus, which can be used as a hybrid attack on strategic radio spectrum, which is essential for modern technology and regional safety and security – a delegation of eight countries wrote at the time.”

   Therefore Russia bad. This has been your daily reminder, in case you forget.

   [edit] Additional details: https://globalfactchecking.com/who-jammed-the-plane-of-european-commission-president-ursula-von-der-leyen/

   > On Tuesday, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov toned down claims of direct Russian interference, calling the incident a routine glitch tied to broader fallout from the war in Ukraine.

   > “There is no need to investigate the situation,” Zhelyazkov said, “because these disturbances are neither hybrid nor cyber threats.”

   Even half an hour didn’t pass between the incident occuring and media putting out articles about it. You’d think it would take more than that to do even a public sham of an investigation, not to mention penning, reviewing and publishing articles about it.

   It would have been stupid funny if this was just another case of western leaders reflexively blaming everything on Russia, as always; but this has a distinct smell of deliberation behind it.

   Much like that AA missile that killed two polish farmers that Zelensky called Polish president Duda about, asking him to put out a claim it was Russian and dragging Poland into war over it.

   > Zhelyazkov added that such radio-electronic disruptions have been routine since the start of the conflict in Ukraine. “Unfortunately, this is one of the side — but not insignificant — consequences of such conflicts,” he told reporters during an EU-themed conference in the port city of Burgas.

   Bro you just said that “these disturbances are neither hybrid nor cyber threats”, but here you are reverting back to the “deliberate disruptions” narrative again.

   > The Financial Times, whose correspondent was on the plane, wrote that the aircraft circled for an hour before the pilot landed using paper maps.

   Yes, of course, modern airplanes have no redundant backup navigation or landing systems or other means of finding the airport and taking the plane down other than good old physical maps tucked away in a dusty cabinet in a corner somewhere, pen, paper, rulers, some algebraic calculations and trigonometry, and sheer guts of piloting the plane completely unassisted.

   Do you really want to scare all the people that are afraid of flying to death with these kinds of statements?

   > “air traffic services immediately proposed an alternative landing approach using ground-based navigation aids (Instrument Landing System) … independent of GPS systems.”

   Who would have thought there would be backup systems in place for things that happen hundreds of times per day per airport, and where hundreds of lives and viability of commercial air freight are on the line every time.

   > The alleged attack on von der Leyen could have triggered a major diplomatic crisis — or worse.

   As if the current EU-Russia relations could be described as anything but, or could somehow get even worse.

   > and the Guardian reported that Italy is considering keeping state flight routes classified.

   Wouldn’t be surprised if this was partly the purpose for why the accusations have been made. First classify the routes, then the flights themselves, because Russia is always watching. Keep your population in the dark about what’s going on.

   >The Financial Times, whose correspondent was on the plane, wrote that the aircraft circled for an hour before the pilot landed using paper maps.

   When are these people are going to start getting jail time for blatantly lying in the news, and shaping narratives that could have wide reaching catastrophic consequences.

3. Flying to the border near warzone for PR stun and then complaining her GPS got jammed.

   Like did she expect a kiss and hug for flying near active warzone?

4. So it was an obvious disinformation but it worked because “Russia”. And people will not remember that it was bs but will remember that “Russia jammed a plane” with this hag without any reason just because dark, evil, Mordor. Very cute

5. Why has no one told high ranking people not to freak out over nothing or even a bit of jamming histrionics like that make you look weak.

   Also it is possible to make GPS receivers more resistant to jamming so perhaps look into that if you lose many of your underwear and your trust in your pilots over it.

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