Starlink station fire in Lithuania: sabotage linked to Russia
Lithuanian authorities are treating an attempted arson attack on a Starlink station in Vilnius as Russian sabotage. The incident is connected to similar attacks in Bulgaria and Poland.
Attempted arson at Starlink station in Vilnius: Lithuania accuses Russia of sabotage
Lithuanian authorities are searching for suspects who attempted to set fire to a Starlink base station on the outskirts of Vilnius at around 2 a.m. on Sunday, according to reports from Naftemporiki. The fire was extinguished quickly, causing only limited material damage with no disruption to operations.
"We understand that this was not an ordinary arson attack, but an act of sabotage," said Vilmantas Vitkauskas to journalists in the Lithuanian capital. He noted that the incident is part of a series of similar attacks on Starlink stations in Bulgaria and Poland.
"They are part of Russian efforts to disrupt Starlink and affect the success of Ukrainian operations," Vitkauskas said. "The target is Ukraine."
Ukraine uses Starlink terminals extensively for communications on the battlefield, while installing receivers on its unmanned aircraft as part of guidance systems. The terminals are utilised both for strikes against Russian targets within Ukraine and for supporting interceptor drones in defence against Russian raids.
According to local media, a fire broke out at Starlink antennas in Bulgaria on 10 October. In September, a similar fire at a Starlink facility in Poland caused damage to the power supply system and the backup power generator. Poland characterised the incident as an act of sabotage aimed at disrupting internet services — including those serving the Ukrainian military — and blamed Russia. During the investigation, four suspects were arrested.
Moscow attributes the accusations to "anti-Russian hysteria," characterising them as unfounded.
Source: Naftemporiki