In the evening of September 23, 2026, a fire broke out on the territory of a Starlink satellite communications ground station located in the Polish village of Wola Krobowska (Masovian Voivodeship). According to preliminary investigation findings, the most likely cause of the fire is arson. This was stated, in particular, by Poland's Minister of Digital Affairs Krzysztof Gawkowski, who pointed to "strong indications" that the incident was a deliberate attempt to disrupt the station's operations. The fire crews that arrived at the scene managed to contain and extinguish the fire; as a result of the incident, the antennas and the electric generator were damaged.

Timeline and circumstances of the incident

According to available information, the alarm about the fire was raised by the owner of the property on which the satellite communications infrastructure is located. The man called the emergency services number and reported that the station's antennas had caught fire. Fire units arrived at the scene promptly and brought the fire under control. In addition to the antennas, the electric generator powering the station's equipment was damaged in the fire. The facility, according to data available at the time of publication, has about ten antennas with a diameter of around two meters; the station's territory is enclosed by a metal fence. Police are currently investigating to determine the exact cause of the fire.

Official position of the Polish authorities

Poland's Minister of Digital Affairs Krzysztof Gawkowski issued a statement in which he noted the presence of "strong indications" that the fire at the Starlink station in Wola Krobowska was not accidental but the result of deliberate actions. According to him, this is a deliberate attempt to disable a facility that is critical for the operation of satellite communications. Law enforcement agencies, in turn, confirmed that preliminary findings point to arson as the main version, while an alternative scenario — a short circuit in the station's electrical system — is not ruled out.

Contradictory data

In public statements and investigation materials available at the time of publication, two competing versions of the cause of the fire are mentioned. On the one hand, the Minister of Digital Affairs Krzysztof Gawkowski and the preliminary findings of law enforcement point to arson as the most likely cause, emphasizing "strong indications" of the deliberate nature of the incident. On the other hand, the investigative authorities officially do not rule out the version of a short circuit in the station's electrical equipment. A final conclusion on the cause of the fire will be made based on the results of the investigation, which is currently ongoing. Thus, although the official rhetoric of the authorities leans toward a sabotage scenario, there is no legally confirmed conclusion of arson at the time of publication.

Significance of the station for regional communications

The Starlink ground station in Wola Krobowska is one of the key nodes of the satellite communications network in Central and Eastern Europe. Together with a similar facility located near Kaunas (Lithuania), it provides internet connectivity for a significant part of the region, including Ukraine. The failure or damage of such a station can significantly degrade the quality and throughput of communications in the coverage area, making the facility strategically important both for civilian users and for military-operational tasks.

Broader context: pressure on European infrastructure

The incident in Wola Krobowska fits into a broader picture recorded by Polish and Ukrainian analysts: Russian special services, according to available data, have intensified actions against European infrastructure that provides support for Ukraine. Among the previously recorded targets are railway infrastructure facilities, bridges, and border areas. The fire at the satellite communications station, if the arson version is confirmed, will become a new episode in this series of attacks on the civilian and telecommunications infrastructure of EU countries directly assisting Kyiv.