"Deliberate sabotage"

Fire at Polish Starlink site blamed on Russia

Blaze at satellite facility in eastern Poland knocked out part of the system used by Ukraine's military | Deputy PM says many indications point to Russian hybrid warfare, but no final determination yet

Gila Isaacson

SEP 24, 2026 17:23

2 min read

Fire at Polish Starlink Station Blamed on Russian Sabotage

A fire broke out overnight at a Starlink satellite communications station in central Poland, and a senior government official said the incident bears the hallmarks of deliberate sabotage aimed at disrupting internet service to Ukraine's military.

The blaze damaged the station's power system and backup generator. The facility, owned by the state telecommunications company Exatel, routes internet traffic across Poland and to neighboring countries, including Ukraine, and serves Starlink systems. Authorities said the systems have since been restored.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (Photo: Shutterstock)

"It is clear that this act of sabotage was intended to disable the station," said Krzysztof Gawkowski, Poland's deputy prime minister and minister for digital affairs. He described the incident as "a component in the next stage of hybrid warfare" and said there are "many indications" that it fits "the new Russian doctrine of attack."

Gawkowski stressed that it has not yet been determined that Russia was behind the fire. A spokesman for Poland's security services also said it is too early to establish the cause or motive, though everything points to the fire having been set deliberately.

The incident comes against a backdrop of Polish warnings about Russian sabotage activity inside the country, which shares its eastern border with Ukraine and Belarus.