Starlink ground station catches fire near Warsaw. Polish security services suspect Russian sabotage.

On September 23, a fire broke out at a Starlink satellite communications ground station near Wola Krobowska, Poland, approximately 31 miles from Warsaw. The blaze destroyed the distribution panel linked to the station's antennas. Polish security services suspect the fire was likely arson, according to RMF24. A bottle of flammable liquid similar to a "Molotov cocktail" was discovered close to the distribution panel.

Deputy Defense Minister Cezary Tomczyk stated that "whenever suspicious fires occur, we must by default assume that we are dealing with possible sabotage or subversion," adding that Russia is employing simple methods like arson attacks and sabotage to cause social instability across Europe. Polish Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński noted that the state fire service, police, and prosecutor’s office would thoroughly investigate the incident.

He emphasized that "it's hard to imagine that everything happens by chance in cases like this," and suggested that Russia has escalated to a new level of hybrid warfare against Europe. Digitization Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski believes the evidence strongly points to a deliberate attempt to disrupt the station's operation, which provides internet access in Ukraine.

Gawkowski stated that "sabotage cannot be ruled out," and noted that the pattern aligns with Russian security services planning such acts of sabotage in Poland. Meduza, the news outlet reporting this, assures readers of transparency in their use of artificial intelligence in the newsroom, with human editors reviewing all AI-generated content before publication.