Poland Starlink fire was sabotage, minister says

Polish Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski said Thursday that a fire at a Starlink satellite communications station in central Poland was an act of sabotage, while an investigation into the cause continued.

Gawkowski told Polish public broadcaster TVP Info that the fire broke out late Wednesday and that the station was still operational. He said the act was deliberately designed to disable the station and disrupt internet access for institutions, including the Ukrainian army.

The station is owned by state-owned telecommunications company Exatel. Gawkowski said it is used to transmit internet traffic through Poland, including to Ukraine, and is also used by SpaceX systems that provide connectivity through Starlink terminals.

Gawkowski said there were indications that the incident could fit what he described as a Russian doctrine of hybrid attack. Poland, a NATO and EU member on the alliance's eastern flank, has accused Russia of sabotage several times since Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.