Polish prosecutors are investigating a fire at a Starlink satellite communications ground station as arson and a possible act of sabotage committed on behalf of a foreign intelligence service, according to Ukrainian outlet Mezha, citing Polish state news agency PAP. The blaze broke out on the evening of Wednesday 23 September and damaged the station’s power system and backup generator, Reuters reported.
Key facts
- Przemysław Nowak, spokesperson for Poland’s National Prosecutor’s Office, said the evidence gathered points to arson, Mezha reported.
- Investigators are examining whether the perpetrators acted on the orders of Russian intelligence services.
- Poland’s Internal Security Agency (ABW), the domestic intelligence service, and the Central Bureau of Police Investigation (CBŚP) are assisting; the case has gone to units of both agencies in Radom.
- Prosecutors inspected the scene and questioned witnesses. No individuals are being targeted and no one has been charged.
- One possible motive under examination is disrupting Starlink and internet services in Poland and other countries in Central and Eastern Europe, according to Mezha.
Why it matters
Starlink, the satellite internet service run by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, does not work on satellites alone: traffic passes through ground stations like the one that burned. Polish officials have tied this particular site to internet access in Ukraine, which means a criminal case in a Warsaw-area town is being handled as a national security matter rather than a routine fire investigation.
What the prosecutors are examining
The prosecution service has framed the case around two offences: arson and sabotage. That framing, reported by Mezha via PAP, is narrower than a political statement — it commits investigators to proving the fire was set and, separately, to establishing who ordered it.
Assigning the work to ABW and CBŚP units in Radom places it with the agencies Poland uses for espionage and organised crime. Starlink News earlier reported a bottle of flammable liquid found at the scene.
Where the station is
The sources describe the location differently. Mezha names the village of Wola Krobowska. theins.press, citing Polish outlet Onet, places it in Mazowieckie province, the region around Warsaw. NHK describes a town near the capital, while Reuters refers to central Poland. None of the reports gives a street address or operator confirmation of the site.
On ownership, theins.press reported Gawkowski saying the station is operated by Exatel, a state-owned Polish telecommunications company that provides services in Poland and Ukraine. Starlink News has reported that Exatel has since disputed its role at the site.
What ministers have said
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Affairs Krzysztof Gawkowski went furthest. He said the fire was a deliberate act of sabotage meant to disable the station and cut internet access for institutions including the Ukrainian military, and described the site to theins.press as an internet hub that also underpins the security of the internet in Ukraine.
He stopped short of naming a culprit. Reuters quoted him saying that “many signs suggest this aligns with Russia’s new doctrine of attack”, and that the episode is an element of hybrid warfare, echoing a recent remark by Prime Minister Donald Tusk. Mezha reported that the prime minister said earlier there was not yet absolute certainty the fire was sabotage — a gap between the two positions that the prosecutors’ file has not yet closed.
Background: a pattern of incidents in Poland
Poland has been on heightened alert for sabotage since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Reuters reported, and Russia has repeatedly denied involvement in such incidents. NHK noted that Warsaw blamed Russia for an arson attack on a Warsaw shopping centre in May 2024 and for the destruction of part of a rail line linking Poland and Ukraine last November.
theins.press listed more recent cases: on 22 September, police reported an attempted attack on railway infrastructure near the village of Jedlanka in Łuków County, where two freight trains travelling in opposite directions struck concrete blocks placed on the tracks, without derailing or injuries. In late August a factory belonging to Polish defence firm WB Electronics, which makes combat drones and works closely with Ukraine, caught fire. In June, independent outlet Vot Tak published an investigation saying Russian recruiters were seeking people to carry out sabotage in Poland.
Starlink’s role in the war
Reuters reported that Musk activated Starlink over Ukraine in 2022 after Kyiv appealed for help, and that Ukraine’s military now relies on tens of thousands of terminals for battlefield communications and some drone operations, despite Musk’s later clashes with Ukrainian officials over his views on the war. Musk also agreed this year to switch off thousands of Russian “grey-market” Starlink units in Ukraine, causing problems for Russian forces, while Kyiv is seeking to use the terminals for attacks on Russian territory — raising questions over strikes on Russian territory. NHK noted Starlink has been operating in Ukraine since the invasion four years ago.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Starlink station working again after the fire?
Yes. Deputy Prime Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski said the station was operating normally, Reuters reported, and told theins.press that the attempt to disable it had failed.
Has anyone been arrested or charged over the fire?
No. According to Mezha, citing PAP, the case is being run without any specific individuals being targeted and no one has been charged so far.
Did the fire cut off internet access for Ukraine’s military?
Reuters reported that Ukraine has not publicly commented on whether the fire caused any disruption on its side. Gawkowski said the sabotage attempt failed and the station was working.
Who pays for Ukraine’s Starlink service?
Poland has previously said it pays for Ukraine’s Starlink subscription, according to Reuters. Elon Musk switched Starlink on over Ukraine in 2022 after Kyiv appealed for help in the first days of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
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