One similarity between Putin and Ursula von der Leyen is they are both unelected leaders.
But another, more subtle one is that both lived for a long time in a bubble and have a much worse understanding of real-world matters than an average citizen.
It's common knowledge that Putin has been misled into believing that he can invade Ukraine in a matter of days. It became possible because not only the state hierarchy but also the state media adapted to fit the supreme leader, feeding him the news he wanted to hear.
Same thing but on a smaller scale happens to Ursula von der Leyen. Here's the story of the alleged GPS jamming of her plane as she flew to Plovdiv on 31 August 2025.
Original reports such as this one from the BBC were based on this morning press conference of von der Leyen press secretary Podesta.
This fake news spread by von der Leyen press secretary were quickly dismissed by FlightRadar24
Von der Leyen still has to repent in response to this parliamentary enquiry.
But the most alarming fact is not fake news perpetrated by EU officials, it is that neither of these two ladies nor any of their aides could grasp how futile it is to lie about planes, their flight plans and what happens on board. None of them knew about ADS-B and the many services that collect ADS-B information, none of them knew that the communications on the airbands are unencrypted and are often recorded and made freely available online, so the exchanges between her pilots and the ATC would be immediately analyzed.
And even if someone in their entourage knew, they did not dare to warn.