Key facts
- A fire occurred at a Starlink satellite communications station in central Poland on Wednesday evening.
- The fire disabled internet connectivity for the region, including Ukraine.
- Deputy Prime Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski suspects the fire was an act of sabotage.
- The Starlink systems are currently operational.
- Polish authorities have informed the Internal Security Agency and the Central Bureau of Investigation Police.
- Prime Minister Donald Tusk has linked recent fires at industrial facilities to Russian plans to increase tensions and destabilize the region.
A fire broke out on Wednesday evening at a ground-based Starlink satellite communications station in central Poland, an incident that Deputy Prime Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski suspects was a deliberate act of sabotage aimed at disabling internet access for the region, including Ukraine. While the systems are now operational, Polish authorities are investigating the cause, with initial findings suggesting possible arson or an electrical short circuit. Gawkowski stated that while Russia has not been definitively linked to the fire, "many signs suggest this aligns with Russia’s new doctrine of attack." Prime Minister Donald Tusk has previously linked recent fires at industrial facilities to Russian efforts to increase tensions and destabilize the region, suggesting that Russia uses cryptocurrencies to fund such sabotage operations. The Starlink station, located in Wola Krobowska, was launched in late 2021 and is the first such facility in Poland, providing internet access to a large part of Central and Eastern Europe, including Ukraine. The incident has prompted heightened alert in Poland, which has been on edge for acts of sabotage since Russia's invasion of neighboring Ukraine in 2022.