Poland Blames Sabotage for Fire at Starlink Station Serving Ukraine

A fire that tore through a Starlink station in central Poland on Wednesday evening was an act of sabotage intended to cut off internet services, including for Ukraine's military, Poland's deputy prime minister said.

The blaze engulfed the facility's power system and its backup generator. Krzysztof Gawkowski said the damage was clearly designed to disable the station and disrupt internet access for various institutions, among them the Ukrainian military.

He said the station was operating normally again. Ukraine has not publicly said whether the fire caused any disruption on its side.

No culprit has been identified, Gawkowski said, though he added that many signs pointed to Russia's stated new doctrine of attack. He described the incident as an element of hybrid warfare, echoing a recent warning by Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

Poland has been on heightened alert for sabotage since Russia's full-scale invasion of neighbouring Ukraine in 2022. Moscow has repeatedly denied involvement in such acts.

Starlink terminals have become central to Ukraine's battlefield communications. Elon Musk activated the service over Ukraine in 2022 after Kyiv appealed for help in the opening days of the invasion, and Poland has said it pays for Ukraine's subscription. Tens of thousands of terminals are used for military communications and some drone operations.

Musk later clashed with Ukrainian officials over his views on the war, and this year he agreed to switch off thousands of Russian grey-market Starlink devices in Ukraine, which caused problems for Russian forces. Ukraine is now also looking to use the terminals for attacks on Russian territory.