The European Union accuses Russia of allegedly interfering with the navigation system of a aircraft carrying the European Fee president on Sunday.
JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
The European Union is blasting Russia for allegedly interfering with the navigation system of a aircraft carrying the European Fee president yesterday. She was visiting international locations on the bloc’s jap flank. Teri Schultz studies it is simply the newest act of sabotage on European targets that is been attributed to Moscow.
TERI SCHULTZ, BYLINE: European Fee President Ursula von der Leyen’s aircraft needed to circle for an additional hour earlier than it may deposit her and her staff safely within the Bulgarian capital. With its GPS system jammed, journalists on board the flight mentioned the pilots needed to pull out paper maps to make the touchdown at Plovdiv Airport in Sofia. Nearly 24 hours after the incident, Bulgaria pointed a finger on the Kremlin, accusing it of being accountable. European Fee spokesperson Arianna Podesta condemned the act as a part of the threats and intimidations which have grow to be, quote, “an everyday part of Russia’s hostile habits.”
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ARIANNA PODESTA: This incident truly underlines the urgency of the mission that the president is finishing up within the front-line member states today. There she has seen firsthand the on a regular basis challenges of threats coming from Russia and its proxies.
SCHULTZ: Moscow has not publicly responded to those allegations, however Podesta says, if Russian actors are guilty and thought Europeans can be intimidated by the damaging stunt, they’re improper.
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PODESTA: This may solely reinforce even additional our unshakable dedication to ramp up protection capabilities and help for Ukraine. And naturally, the EU will proceed to take a position into protection spending and in Europe’s readiness much more after this incident.
SCHULTZ: It could even be a wake-up name for these Europeans who doubt the menace Russia can pose to on a regular basis life, says Vessela Tcherneva, the deputy director of the European Council on Overseas Relations, based mostly in Sofia. Tcherneva says regardless of a rising variety of small assaults of sabotage all through Europe linked to Russia, public opinion in some international locations continues to be divided about easy methods to reply and the necessity to defend their societies.
VESSELA TCHERNEVA: I hope ultimately, it will produce a brand new coverage that’s going to contribute to the resilience of the international locations, particularly these right here across the entrance line. And I am not speaking about – merely about GPS jamming, , however in regards to the plethora of prospects for hybrid assaults that may actually undermine residents’ safety.
SCHULTZ: However at the same time as Russia is being blamed for staging the jamming assault, Tcherneva says there could also be home repercussions as effectively. Opposition politicians are calling for the top of Bulgaria’s nationwide intelligence company to resign for failing to cease Sunday’s incident.
For NPR Information, I am Teri Schultz in Brussels.
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