Poland investigates suspected sabotage in Starlink ground station fire
Polish Deputy Prime Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski said on Sept. 24 that a fire at a Starlink ground station in Poland may have been a deliberate attempt to disrupt internet services used by Ukrainian forces. The station, operated by state-owned Exatel, carries traffic through Poland to Ukraine. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk acknowledged the circumstances "do not look good" but cautioned that the investigation is ongoing.
The fire occurred at the Exatel-operated facility in Wola Krobowska, a hub routing satellite internet traffic toward Ukraine. Polish authorities have not yet determined a cause, though Deputy PM Gawkowski pointed to possible hybrid warfare tactics. The incident coincided with heightened cross-border tensions: Polish border crossings at Hrubieszow and Dorohusk were evacuated twice on Sept. 24 during Russian strikes near the frontier, and the Government Security Center issued alerts for Lublin and Podkarpackie regions. Earlier attacks included a Sept. 12 drone strike near the Yahodyn-Dorohusk crossing and a July 30 Russian cruise missile that crashed in Lublin province after penetrating Polish airspace.
This incident could signal a shift in hybrid warfare tactics targeting critical infrastructure beyond Ukraine's borders. If sabotage is confirmed, it may strain NATO's eastern flank and raise concerns about the vulnerability of satellite-based communications that Ukrainian forces depend on for drone operations and battlefield coordination. Civilian internet users in Poland and Ukraine could also face service disruptions. The episode may heighten regional anxiety and prompt tighter security around telecommunications hubs, while potentially influencing how Western allies assess Russian escalation risks near Polish territory.