Russia Attempts to Assassinate Ursala Von Der Leyen

The EU is powerless to do anything about it.

The high-profile disruption of the navigation system aboard a plane carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Bulgarian airspace was far more than a technical hiccup, they jammed her jet’s navigation into a digital coma, turning a routine diplomatic hop into a high-altitude game of blind man’s bluff—it’s a stark warning about the not-so-new face of Russian aggression gripping Europe’s eastern horizon. With Bulgarian authorities and EU officials both pointing the finger at “blatant interference” from Russia, von der Leyen’s flight was forced to circle for nearly an hour, ultimately landing the old-fashioned way: guided by paper maps and terrestrial radio signals.

This wasn’t some technical oopsie-daisy. This was Putin’s foreign policy in a nutshell: a middle finger disguised as a malfunction. It’s a stark reminder that the new Cold War isn't fought with ICBMs pointed at cities, but with terrorist gremlins in a Moscow basement turning off the GPS. The message is clear: “We can’t shoot you down, but we have other ways of making you die. Now, about those sanctions…”

The Expanding Threat of GPS Jamming

Comrade Ursula isn't the only VIP getting the Kremlin's special treatment. The UK’s then Defence Secretary, a chap named Grant Shapps, recently took an unscheduled scenic tour of Kaliningrad airspace because his GPS went deader than the Kremlin’s sense of humour. Finnair, that plucky Nordic carrier, has had to turn so many planes around you'd think they were running an aerial hokey-pokey service. All told, the Baltic and Eastern Europe regions are now the world's premier open-air laboratory for electronic jamming, with thousands of incidents reported. That’s not a glitch, that’s full-blown state-sponsored terrorism. According to internal EU assessments, these disruptions are “systemic, deliberate action by Russia and Belarus,” part of a campaign calculated to undermine European security, intimidate leaders, and foster chaos on the EU’s borders.

Real Aviation Dangers, Not Technicalities

While aviation officials point to backup systems—such as radio navigation—critics warn that these incidents are anything but routine. Jamming GPS signals mid-flight doesn’t just inconvenience pilots; it raises the risk of catastrophic accidents or sparks panic in increasingly crowded European airspace. Describing the trauma, Lithuania’s foreign minister, a man who clearly knows what it's like to have a bear constantly chewing on the tires of his nation, nailed the feeling. He said it was like someone switching off your headlights while you're doing ninety on a dark country road. One minute you’re cruising, the next you’re blind, white-knuckled, and praying to a god you’re not entirely sure you believe in. This isn’t a prank. It’s a threat. A reminder that the new face of Russian aggression doesn't always wear a uniform or make statements from the Kremlin; sometimes it’s just a guy in a tracksuit in a forest outside Minsk, flicking a switch and cackling as a billion dollars of aviation technology is reduced to hoping someone left a paper map in the glove compartment.

Why Isn’t This an Assassination Attempt?

How did Europe's leaders respond to this act of aerial hoodlumism? Pathetically, with all the fiery rhetoric of a librarian shushing a patron. Despite the gravity of last week’s incident, few, if any, European leaders have described it in terms matching the risk involved. Technically, aircraft redundancy means that pilots can still land safely—but this sidesteps the intent, the escalation, and the ever-creeping peril that has senior spooks pulling their hair out. Security experts warn that such interference, especially when VIP aircraft are affected, is not collateral damage, but instead a new form of hybrid warfare: a campaign of intimidation targeting the heart of the European Union.

To downplay the event as simply a “threat” is to obscure the issue with the kind of diplomatic fog that would ground every flight in Brussels. If Russia’s actions force a plane carrying the EU’s top leader to circle helplessly above, the potential for disaster—even unintended—must be acknowledged. Whether or not Kremlin officials schemed directly to endanger von der Leyen, Russia’s terrorist actions undeniably put the lives of the EU’s top official at risk. If Von Der Leyen’s plane had crashed, it would have been an assassination.

An EU Response Trapped by Its Own Weakness

What’s most concerning is not just the attack itself, but the European Union’s persistent inability to act with meaningful resolve. While Brussels has announced new satellites( to be launched in a decade) and some more sanctions, and has released a battery of statements so indignant you could power a small Belgian village with the sheer wattage of their disapproval. But nearly all concrete action is slow, incremental, and symbolic. Serious military aid, robust countermeasures, or rapid technological upgrades remain rare, mired in bureaucratic process and political deadlock. Calls for “unity” too often serve as a thin cover for deep divisions and risk-aversion within the bloc to stand up to Russian thugs with a taste for electronic terrorism.

Cowardice in Action

This event exposes what some describe as the EU’s “cowardice in action.” Instead of decisive response, Europe’s leaders defer, delay, or limit themselves to gestures that are promptly watered down by economic or political interests—especially from larger powers like Germany or Italy, where token aid has regularly replaced real military support during crises. Despite warnings and increasing incidents, Europe so far prefers reactive half-steps to the kind of decisive strategy aggressive interference demands. It's the foreign policy of a man who, upon finding a bear in his kitchen, decides to first see if the bear is interested in a dialogue, then maybe have a vote with the family on a non-binding resolution to discourage future break-ins, all while hoping the bear develops a taste for the neighbours instead.

The Growing Threat

With Russia now emboldened—and European skies no longer safe from electronic attack—the stakes have never been higher. Until the EU shows real strategic courage, its condemnation will remain just that: condemnation. Words, no matter how stern, will not safeguard European leaders or citizens from the next escalation. As Moscow continues testing Europe’s patience, it is past time for the EU to trade its language of outrage for one of resolve—before chance, rather than policy

Whether Putin in Moscow specifically ordered a hit on von der Leyen is beside the point; Moscow will continue to test European resolve. Russia has decided that the lives of Europe's leaders are acceptable collateral in their grubby little game of chicken. It's not a threat. It's a promise of more chaos to come, delivered with a signature Russian blend of menace, terrorism, and sheer, breathtaking recklessness.