Polish authorities are investigating a fire at a Starlink ground facility in central Poland after Deputy Prime Minister and Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski said the
incident appeared to be a deliberate act of sabotage. The fire broke out on Wednesday evening, damaging the station's power infrastructure and backup generator. According to Gawkowski, the damage was sufficient to interrupt the facility's ability to provide internet connectivity, including services potentially used by Ukrainian institutions and military personnel.
Gawkowski said the facility had since returned to normal operation, but stressed that investigators had not yet identified those responsible for the incident.
"The fire engulfed the power station and the generator," Gawkowski said, describing the incident as an apparent attempt to disable the site and disrupt communications. He added that the circumstances were consistent with what Polish authorities regard as a growing threat from hybrid attacks.
The minister stopped short of directly accusing Russia of involvement. However, he said there were indications that the incident could fit what he described as a newer Russian approach to hostile activity against European infrastructure.
Poland has remained on heightened alert over potential acts of sabotage and other forms of hybrid warfare since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Moscow has repeatedly denied responsibility for sabotage incidents attributed to Russian interests.
There was no immediate public confirmation from Kyiv that the fire had caused an interruption to Starlink services used by Ukrainian forces.
Starlink, operated by Elon Musk's SpaceX, has become an important element of Ukraine's communications infrastructure since the early stages of the Russian invasion. The service was activated over Ukraine in 2022 after the Ukrainian government appealed for satellite connectivity as conventional communications infrastructure came under attack.
Poland has previously said it helps finance Starlink access for Ukraine. Thousands of terminals are used by Ukrainian forces, including for battlefield communications and, according to reports, certain drone operations.
The satellite network has also become part of the wider technological contest between Russia and Ukraine. Russian forces have sought access to Starlink terminals through unofficial channels, while Ukraine has increasingly explored the use of satellite-connected systems for operations beyond its borders.
The incident in Poland comes against a broader European debate over the vulnerability of critical infrastructure to sabotage, cyberattacks and other forms of hybrid activity. Polish officials have repeatedly warned that energy networks, telecommunications infrastructure, transport systems and other strategic facilities could be targeted as part of efforts to undermine support for Ukraine.
For now, investigators have yet to establish whether the Starlink fire was deliberately started, who may have been behind it, or whether it was connected to a wider campaign against communications infrastructure. Photo by Botnet Sky, Wikimedia commons.
