Ukraine War24 September, 20262 min read
Poland Suspects Sabotage After Fire Damages Starlink Ground Station In Wola Krobowska
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Fire at Starlink ground station in Wola Krobowska, central Poland. Polish authorities suspect sabotage/arson as probable cause.
Poland probes Starlink fire
Polish Deputy Prime Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski said authorities suspect sabotage after a fire broke out at a ground-based Starlink satellite communications station in Wola Krobowska, central Poland, and firefighters extinguished the blaze. Gawkowski said the station’s systems have since been restored and are fully operational, while the fire damaged the facility’s power supply and generator.
Gawkowski told TVP that the fire was most likely the result of an act of sabotage and that it was intended to render the terminal inoperable. Gawkowski added that a disruption at the facility could have affected internet access for several institutions, potentially including the Ukrainian military and its communications, and he framed the incident as part of hybrid warfare.
Russia denied, hybrid warfare
Gawkowski said investigators had not established that Russia was responsible for the fire, but he argued that "many signs suggest this aligns with Russia’s new doctrine of attack." Gawkowski told TVP Info that "This act of sabotage was deliberately designed to disable the station" and disrupt internet access for institutions including the Ukrainian army.
Russia repeatedly denied involvement in sabotage incidents, and the reports placed Poland on heightened alert for such acts since Russia’s invasion of neighbouring Ukraine in 2022. The DW account said Poland and other EU and NATO member states have accused Russia of hybrid warfare, including acts of sabotage, against Ukraine’s allies since Moscow’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
What the station supports
The station in Wola Krobowska is described as supporting internet connectivity across parts of Central and Eastern Europe, including Ukraine, and it is used to transmit internet traffic through Poland. The DW report said the station was used to transmit internet traffic through Poland, including to neighboring Ukraine, and it described the facility as belonging to Polish state-owned telecom company Exatel.
The DIE WELT account said the station is used to route internet traffic through Poland and into Ukraine and that it is also used by SpaceX systems that provide an internet connection via Starlink terminals. The Euronews account said no one was injured and police took over further operations, while the spokesperson for the Minister-Coordinator of Special Services, Jacek Dobrzyński, told TVN24 and Zero.pl that "It's too early to talk about sabotage".