Lithuania foils arson attempt on Starlink equipment, PM blames Russia

Lithuanian authorities foiled an overnight arson attempt on October 18 targeting a facility storing Starlink equipment, with Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius linking the incident to Russia's hybrid warfare against Europe. Sinkevičius told RTL Radio that around 2 a.m., unknown individuals tried to set fire to satellite antennas and control units, with incendiary liquids and containers of three to ten liters found at the scene. He stated Lithuanian intelligence had warned the company in advance, allowing security to be strengthened and the attack to fail. Similar arson attempts on Starlink equipment have recently occurred in Poland and Bulgaria. Lithuania has repeatedly accused Russia of hybrid attacks, including arson, incendiary parcel shipments via DHL, surveillance of Russian opposition figures, drone incidents, cyberattacks, and disinformation campaigns, while Russia denies these allegations.