In the early hours of Sunday, October 18, 2026, an arson attempt was carried out in Lithuania targeting a facility that stores Starlink satellite communication equipment. The country's Prime Minister, Gintautas Paluckas (acting references: Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius), announced this on Facebook. According to him, special services had warned the company in advance about a potential attack, security was reinforced, and as a result, the attempt failed. At the scene of the incident, the head of government specified, containers with flammable liquid of various volumes—ranging from three to five liters to a ten-liter canister—were discovered, indicating that the perpetrators were preparing for a large-scale arson attack.
Convening the National Security Commission
In light of recent incidents, the Prime Minister of Lithuania decided to convene a meeting of the National Security Commission for Monday, October 19. Sinkevičius explained that this decision was prompted by two events: the intrusion of an unidentified unmanned aerial vehicle into Lithuanian airspace and the arson attempt at the company storing Starlink equipment. “We need to find out where the drone came from and where it was first detected by radars. The conclusions of the services after examining the wreckage will also be important. Furthermore, we will consider granting the services additional powers to neutralize drones,” the Prime Minister stated.
Connection to Ukrainian Infrastructure and Agency Response
According to data cited by the Prime Minister in his address, the affected company provides connectivity for nine Starlink satellite dishes used by Ukraine. Thus, the arson attempt affects not only a Lithuanian enterprise but also communication elements involved in supporting Ukrainian users. Information about the failed incident was also confirmed by the Minister of National Defense of Lithuania, local media reported. Sinkevičius emphasized that the country's services “are monitoring the activities of hostile states very closely and taking measures to protect people and their property.”
Context: Fire at Starlink Station in Poland
The incident in Lithuania comes against the backdrop of a similar event in neighboring Poland. In September 2026, a fire broke out at a Starlink ground satellite communication station based in the village of Wola Krobowska in the Masovian Voivodeship. One of the main investigative theories is arson: the incident is being investigated as an act of sabotage and a terrorist crime committed in the interests of Russian special services. The combination of these events—from the fire in Poland to the arson attempt in Lithuania and the drone intrusion into airspace—forms a pattern of incidents directed against satellite communication infrastructure in the region.
