site.btaMedia Review: September 2

ALLEGED GPS JAMMING OF VON DER LEYEN'S PLANE

The news media feature analyses and commentaries following a Financial Times report on Monday morning that "a suspected Russian interference attack targeting Ursula von der Leyen disabled GPS navigation services at a Bulgarian airport". Bulgaria's Government Information Service said that when approaching Plovdiv Airport (South Central Bulgaria) on Sunday, the flight carrying the European Commission President lost the satellite GPS signal to its navigation system and the Bulgarian Air Traffic Services Authority immediately proposed instrument landing as an alternative. The media quote experts who rule out an operation targeting precisely von der Leyen's plane.

Interviewed by the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR), former deputy interior minister Filip Gunev said that the allegedly jammed GPS signal on von der Leyen's plane should not be exaggerated, and that there is no evidence that her life or the flight was in danger. "This jamming could not have come from Russia. It may have originated outside Bulgaria, for example from Serbian territory," Gunev explained. "At a high altitude, a jamming device in a straight line above the plane could be hundreds of kilometres away. If the attack were deliberately aimed at a single aircraft, it would have to be very close, near the airport. Even then, many other systems would be affected." Gunev noted that such GPS disruptions are a routine occurrence in countries near Russia.

"These GPS systems are not used for landing the aircraft; they are used primarily for navigation towards the airport. Alternative guidance systems exist, including map-based navigation," Gunev told BNR. "If jamming did occur, it would involve equipment under the control of the State Agency for National Security (SANS). Whether the source was military or civilian will require analysis once the scope is determined: where it happened, how and for how long."

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Trud has a detailed account of reports on the matter under the headline "Scary Plane Story Debunked in 24 Hours". After the flight-tracking site Flightradar denied that von der Leyen’s plane had any issues over Plovdiv, new evidence emerged suggesting the story was exaggerated, the daily says.

Recordings of the pilot's conversation with the airport tower just before landing show that the pilot did not issue any emergency calls. The audio, available on liveatc.net, reveals that the pilot requested guidance for an Instrument Landing System (ILS) approach to Runway 30 due to a minor GPS issue. This explains why the initial approach to Runway 12 was cancelled, as it relies solely on GPS navigation.

No PAN-PAN or MAYDAY calls were made, and no emergency code (SQUAWK 7700) was issued. The pilot merely informed the tower about the GPS problem and requested an ILS landing, indicating normal handling of a minor technical issue. Flightradar24 confirmed that the plane's transponder indicated good GPS signal quality from takeoff to landing, fully dispelling claims of any ­­GPS jamming or navigation issues.

The claim by The Financial Times that the plane circled over Plovdiv for nearly an hour has also been debunked. Flight data show that the flight from Poland to Plovdiv was planned for 1 hour 48 minutes and actually landed just 9 minut­­­es late.

The misinformation was further refuted by Plovdiv Airport Director Krasimir Peshev, who tracked the flight in real time on Flightradar and said that there had been no cause for concern d­uring the flight or landing. He emphasized that at no point was the crew or Ursula von der Leyen in danger.

Finally, Interior Minister Daniel Mitov confirmed in an interview with the Bulgarian National Television (BNT) that there was no cyberattack involved, putting an end to the sensationalist scenario of a "nightmare" flight over Plovdiv.

Meanwhile, the Plovdiv-based Maritsa daily published comments from aviation experts, who explained that the theory put forward by The Financial Times, and echoed by some politicians in Bulgaria and Brussels, is completely unfounded.

"One possible explanation could be a minor malfunction on the aircraft itself. It is impossible to jam the GPS of just a single plane. Any interference would affect the entire airport. The landing system frequencies are fixed, and you cannot block them for one aircraft while leaving others unaffected. Any real system issues would cover a radius of about 100 kilometres and would be immediately detected by automatic system tests," experts said.

Thus, the hype about a dramatic incident over Plovdiv was debunked within 24 hours, underscoring once again the old adage that in wartime, truth is always the first casualty, says Trud.

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24 Chasa quotes a Facebook post in which Interior Minister Daniel Mitov said on Monday the Ministry had been notified promptly. The General Directorate for Combatting Organized Crime checked for a possible cyberattack, and there was categorically none. He added that other institutions would take the necessary actions to establish the truth. "Hybrid attacks are a broader problem affecting the entire West. Bulgaria has tools to counter them, but they need to be more targeted. To address this, the government has announced the creation of a Task Force modelled on the FBI to combat money laundering, one of its first and most important priorities to remove the country from the list it was placed on after four years of stagnation," Mitov said, referring to the "grey list" of countries under enhanced monitoring due to insufficient measures and unsatisfactory evaluations of key recommendations from the MONEYVAL Committee.

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Dimo Gyaurov, former head of the State Intelligence Agency and security expert, commented on Nova TV: "The most likely explanation is an effort to shield from GPS-guided smart weapons. Russia may have been trying to avoid strikes, not to deliberately cause an incident on von der Leyen's plane. It is not true that the plane circled for hours or that the pilots relied on paper maps [as claimed by The Financial Times]." Gyaurov added that there were indications of signal jamming, which happens frequently in the Black Sea region. At the same time, he did not rule out the possibility of deliberate interference. "Russia has long conducted sabotage operations in Europe. Our security services, especially SANS, must provide a clear answer on whether this was a deliberate attack."

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Interviewed by bTV, former President Rosen Plevneliev (2012-2017) commented on the alleged incident with Ursula von der Leyen's plane: "On Monday the world learned that Bulgaria is a high-risk country, that our institutions do not function properly, and that the security of global leaders is not guaranteed, even in our own skies. This is not good news for anything we aim to achieve in Bulgaria." In his view, the Bulgarian security services do not function effectively, and the country has been the target of severe hybrid attacks for many years. "We continue to be extremely dependent on Russian technology. Our radars, which are over 50 years old, are Russian," Plevneliev commented. Russia is trying to create problems not only for airplanes but also for shipping: signal jamming in the Baltic Sea is becoming widespread. "Bulgaria is very vulnerable. Russian propaganda is everywhere, brainwashing Bulgarians in an extremely brutal way, it is time to wake up," he said.

Plevneliev put forward a theory linking a statement von der Leyen's made in Poland and the alleged incident: "In Poland, the day before landing in Bulgaria, Ursula von der Leyen said Putin is a 'predator'. Then, when she tries to land in Bulgaria, the GPS signal on her plane disappears. Who could do this? Europeans do not even have such satellites. The only ones who do are Russia, the US, and probably China."

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On BNT, Democratic Bulgaria Co-chair Bozhidar Bozhanov said that since the start of the war, Russia has attempted to jam GPS signals near airports, particularly in the Baltic states. He noted that while it is unclear if this occurred with Ursula von der Leyen's flight, Bulgarian authorities should have taken precautions. Bozhanov criticized the country's security services as generally inadequate and recalled a similar GPS jamming incident near Sofia last year. He also renewed calls for the resignation of acting SANS Chairman Denyo Denev, accusing him of sabotaging the local elections' electronic voting system.

Likewise, Democratic Bulgaria Co-chair and Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB) leader Atanas Atanasov said Denev must be immediately removed as acting SANS Chairperson, and the Security Council with the Council of Ministers must be convened urgently. Atanasov argued that there is a legal requirement for positions at SANS to be held by politically neutral people. "In this particular case, there appears to be sufficient evidence that this person [Denyo Denev], who was nominated by the Prime Minister and temporarily appointed by a government decision, is politically dependent."

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24 Chasa quotes EU Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius as saying the EU will deploy additional satellites in low Earth orbit to strengthen resilience against GPS interference and will improve capabilities to detect it.

HOME SCENE

MPs of the 51st National Assembly have been fined nearly BGN 90,000 for unjustified absences in the nine months from the start of their term on November 11, 2024 until the end of July. The amount has been deducted from their salaries, according to data provided to 24 Chasa under the Access to Public Information Act.

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In an interview with BNR, journalist Spas Spasov from Dnevnik.bg discussed a series of photos showing former Varna mayor Ivan Portnih with representatives of MRF-New Beginning. They have been visiting municipalities and negotiating with mayors nominated by GERB, offering municipal funding, which, according to Spasov, gradually draws these mayors toward MRF-New Beginning led by Delyan Peevski.

He noted that GERB is slowly losing influence at the local level. Many GERB-backed mayors are attracted not so much by the party's platform, but by the funding opportunities provided through Peevski's strategy. Spasov opined that Varna serves as a testing ground for new hybrid political entities. Continue the Change has failed to build a stable party structure, emerging instead as a movement that absorbed a large portion of the political clientele. As a result, Varna's Mayor Blagomir Kotsev lacks a strong party to support and protect him. Kotsev was arrested on July 8 as part of a corruption investigation prompted by a complaint from a failed public procurement tenderer.

Varna's acting Mayor Pavel Popov will be in office until October 30 by order of Blagomir Kotsev, who continues to exercise his mayoral powers even while in custody. "Kotsev has asked for a two-month leave. It is unusual and coincidental, but apparently the law allows it. Until now, Kotsev had been detained," Spasov said. After winning the mayoral election, Kotsev appointed deputy mayors who had worked with him for many years and whom he trusted. "Some of these people betrayed him," Spasov added.

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In the context of serious water shortages, Dimitar Glavchev, President of the Bulgarian National Audit Office and former caretaker prime minister, told 24 Chasa that in late August, a report on EU funding under Operational Program Environment 2014-2020 was received, assessing how wastewater treatment funds were spent and what real benefits resulted. The findings are a cause for concern: in Bulgaria, just EUR 3 per citizen per year is invested in wastewater treatment, compared to an EU average of EUR 41. Only 30% of settlements with more than 10,000 residents treat wastewater up to EU standards, with smaller settlements performing even worse. Less than half of EU-funded investment projects are completed on schedule. Glavchev also said an audit is looking into investments in the water and sewerage sector, where water loss reaches up to 80% in pipes with an average age of 36 years. To increase effectiveness, repeated inspections are conducted: Dimitrovgrad Municipality has undergone a fifth audit, and the state sports lottery has been checked four times.

Glavchev also talked about the causes of the municipalities' financial issues. Some municipalities report over 70% of local taxes and fees uncollected because mayors avoid upsetting voters and expect subsidies from the Finance Ministry.

FINANCE

On Monday, mediapool.bg published a BGNES interview with former finance minister Simeon Djankov, who now chairs the Fiscal Council. He said that an increase in certain taxes in 2026 was inevitable, and that the easiest way to address the deficit would be to raise VAT (from 20% to 22%) because cutting spending is politically difficult in a broad coalition. The proposed 3% increase in social security contributions for businesses and employees in 2026 and 2027 is "the worst possible idea" as it "directly impacts businesses and working Bulgarians and has the most distorting effect on the economy". A commentary by Tsvetelina Sokolova in mediapool.bg says on Tuesday: "Djankov, along with other GERB members, would rely on the easiest revenue measure for the government, which is also the hardest on people: raising the indirect tax. VAT applies to nearly all goods and services and is paid by the end consumer. Considering that low-income households spend almost their entire budget on direct consumption and basic living expenses, they would be the worst affected by such a measure." Ultimately, Djankov admitted that if taxes are to be raised, it would make the most sense to increase local taxes, especially those related to properties that are not the owner's primary residence, the journalist says. This would target owners with sufficient means to purchase property for investment purposes in the context of the real estate boom.

Mihail Krastev, CEO of the Union for Private Economic Enterprise, commented on Nova TV that revenues are not growing at the pace the government expected, while spending policies are focused mainly on the social sector. "Raising taxes will not solve the structural problem. Increasing VAT by 2% could bring in around BGN 5 billion in additional revenue, but social security spending has grown by about BGN 15 billion in the last five years alone. This is a temporary solution that will burden businesses and households," he said.

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24 Chasa reports that the council made up of representatives of the government, unions and business will discuss on Tuesday an increase in the poverty line to BGN 764 from BGN 638 now as of January 1. In 2025, 1.4 million people (21.7% of the population) fall below the proposed poverty line. The Confederation of Independent Trade Unions suggests a slightly higher level of BGN 782, using a small consumer basket index, while the Labour and Social Policy Ministry calculates the official line based on overall inflation.

DEFENCE INDUSTRY

Following a visit by Ursula von der Leyen to the VMZ-Sopot ordnance plant, 24 Chasa has a front-page story headlined "VMZ Could Repay Loan for Two New Plants in 5 Years, Gunpowder to Revive Cotton Production". The plant is expected to fulfil orders worth BGN 1 billion by the year's end, the daily says. With current profit levels, VMZ-Sopot could repay the planned EUR 480 million loan for the construction of two new plants with Rheinmetall within five years.

On Monday, Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov confirmed that Rheinmetall and VMZ will form a 51-49 joint venture, with Bulgaria providing EUR 480 million of the total EUR 1 billion investment. Funding will come from the EU Security Action for Europe (SAFE) instrument.

In the first half of 2025, VMZ-Sopot, Bulgaria's largest state-owned defence factory, posted a profit of BGN 116 million, slightly below last year's BGN 119 million, while total sales rose by BGN 126 million to BGN 503 million. Specialized products, mainly artillery ammunition, accounted for BGN 492.4 million, with artillery shells representing 43.3% of all sales (BGN 213 million).

Despite strong demand, Bulgaria's defence industry faces challenges in securing explosives such as gunpowder. The planned gunpowder plant with Rheinmetall is expected to strengthen the country's position as a strategic supplier in European ammunition supply chains, the daily says.

Smokeless gunpowder, made from nitrocellulose derived from hemp, cotton and wood, is key to production. Hemp is used for cartridges, while lightweight cotton is used for long-range artillery. Bulgaria cultivates cotton on around 2,000 hectares, with an additional 1,300-hectare quota, but interest in farming has declined over the past 35 years due to a lack of processing facilities.

BULGARIA AND THE EURO

Interviewed by the BNR, Deyan Vasilev, founder and CEO of the MoitePari.bg financial portal, said that people do not trust that the euro changeover will happen at the official exchange rate of BGN 1.95583 per EUR 1. He attributes this to a fear that savings in leva will lose their value. The expert stressed that everyone will be able to exchange their lev-denominated savings at the official rate after January 1, free of charge. He said a leading exchange bureau is offering a rate of 1.972 for BGN/EUR conversions, which means a loss of BGN 8 per BGN 1,000.

Joining the eurozone is an anchor for everyone who owns property or has converted savings into real estate, which gives them confidence that prices will rise because Bulgaria is entering the eurozone, said Vasilev. This is a self-fulfilling prophecy: everyone believes prices will jump, and so they do. Many property owners hold on to real estate because they fear inflation. Even with apartment buildings at the basic construction stage, people believe their value is enormous. Still, once the first half of 2026 is over, property prices will stabilize. There is no economic reason for them to grow by 10-15% a year; a 2-3% increase is normal.

TRAM DERAILS IN CENTRAL SOFIA

The news media covered an accident which took place in central Sofia at 5 am on Tuesday. A No. 22 tram crashed into an underpass and several parked cars early Sunday morning, after reportedly travelling uncontrolled between two stops. The underpass was almost completely destroyed, and at least seven vehicles were damaged. No one was reported injured. Preliminary reports indicate that the tram driver had stepped out for coffee when the vehicle started moving. There are also unconfirmed claims that youths boarded the tram and set it in motion.