A fire erupted at a ground-based Starlink communications station in central Poland, raising new concerns about sabotage as spillover risks from the Russia-Ukraine war mount.

Reuters reports that the fire broke out overnight Wednesday at the ground station’s power equipment and generator. The report cited Deputy Prime Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski.

“The fire engulfed the power station and the generator; it is clear that this act of sabotage was deliberately designed to disable the station, effectively cutting off the internet connection… and disrupting internet access for various institutions, including the Ukrainian military,” Gawkowski said.

Gawkowski added, “While everything is operational today, we must recognise, as Prime Minister Tusk recently noted, that this is an element of hybrid warfare.”

NEW: A fire broke out at Starlink ground station in Wola Krobowska, Poland, with firefighters treating it as possible arson.

The fire damaged power infrastructure and a generator. Security agencies are investigating.

Digital Affairs Minister said the incident could be part of… pic.twitter.com/QDx1EqpRLd

— Conflict Radar (@Conflict_Radar) September 24, 2026

Bad actors could’ve targeted the ground station because Ukraine’s military relies heavily on Starlink for battlefield communications, coordinating units and supporting one-way attack drone operations. The internet service, which is repeated from Poland and elsewhere and then beamed down into Ukraine through a network of low Earth orbit satellites, has been critical to Kiev’s war effort.

Beyond Ukraine, US intelligence services warned this week of potential spillover risks from possible Russian operations using Geran long-range attack drones against targets in Spain, France or Italy, according to Euronews.

There were numerous drone incidents targeting Germany’s Leipzig/Halle Airport early last month, with a drone laden with explosives found on the tarmac.