"Someone wanted to protect themselves from a possible drone attack". This version was expressed to Nova TV by the former deputy rector of the Academy of the Ministry of Interior, Assoc. Prof. Milen Ivanov, about the intended powerful GPS signal jammer.
He explained that with this jammer, the drone's signal is lost and it cannot find its assigned location.
"There was a gathering of people in the area who were worried about a drone attack. This is the only working version", he said.
Asked if this device could have been placed so that you have to hide the movement of a car, Assoc. Prof. Ivanov explained that the one being monitored will be monitored visually.
Regarding the information that the establishment was in contact with former investigator Petyo Petrov-Evroto, the expert said that he does not think that this device has such a connection. For him, the probability that these people are connected to this device is small.
Assoc. Prof. Milen Ivanov also said that the place is high and this disrupted the signal in a large perimeter.
For him, this happened by accident, since the people who installed it did not read the instructions carefully.
"This is a device that emits a very special noise. For me, the interference with the airport signal is a side effect," added the former deputy rector of the Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Assoc. Prof. Ivanov also explained that few people can own such a device. And it may even be modified.
"It is not impossible for this device to be owned by a person with financial means," he also said.
A powerful jammer, suppressing the frequencies of the GPS signal on the territory of Sofia, was localized and neutralized in the capital's "Dragalevtsi" district. The device was discovered in a tightly guarded complex during a joint operation of the State Agency "National Security" (DANS), the Communications Regulatory Commission (CRC) and the Sofia Directorate of Internal Affairs (SDVR).
According to DANS, the jammer suppressed GPS frequencies in the Sofia area, including those used by Sofia Airport, aircraft flying over the capital and television towers.
Moreover, on September 1, 2025, an alleged Russian attack led to the loss of GPS navigation during the approach of the plane of the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen to Plovdiv Airport. According to initial data, the pilot was forced to use alternative means of navigation.
On September 4, Zhelyazkov stated in the National Assembly that measurements taken by stationary stations did not show changes in the frequencies of the GPS signal when von der Leyen's plane landed. According to him, no interference reported by aircraft was detected.
On the same day, Transport Minister Grozdan Karadjov also stated that there was no evidence that the plane's GPS signal had been jammed. He pointed out that neither civil aviation nor the Air Force had registered a signal failure.
Meanwhile, the European Commission confirmed that there had been GPS interference before the plane landed in Plovdiv, stressing that the machine had landed safely.
Russia denied any involvement in the case. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the "Financial Times" that the information about Russian involvement was incorrect.