Lithuania foils arson attempt on Starlink equipment as Poland links earlier ground-station fire to Russia

Lithuanian authorities foiled an overnight arson attempt on October 17-18 at a company storing Starlink equipment, with the attackers targeting antennas and a control unit using containers of incendiary liquid. Lithuania's prime minister said the plot was likely commissioned by Russia, though no evidence has been published and no suspects have been detained.

The attempt follows a September 23 fire at a Starlink ground station near Wola Krobowska, about 50 km south of Warsaw, that damaged a control cabinet and power supply. Two Turkish nationals were arrested in Germany on October 12 at Poland's request, and Der Spiegel has reported that Russian intelligence may have hired them through criminal networks. Polish officials have said there is no doubt Russian services were behind the attack. A third incident, at a site near Sofia, Bulgaria, rests on claims by an opposition lawmaker that the government has neither confirmed nor denied.

The pattern matters for SPCX because ground stations and equipment depots in NATO countries support the Starlink service Ukraine relies on, and physical sabotage is a different risk from jamming or cyberattacks. It also lands the same week as a separate dispute over speed limits on Ukraine's military terminals.

What to watch: charges or extraditions in the Polish case, any evidence Lithuania publishes on the Russian link, and whether European governments or SpaceX step up physical protection of ground infrastructure.