Lithuanian authorities thwarted an attempt to set fire to a company storing Starlink satellite communications equipment, Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius said, describing the incident as part of Russia's hybrid war campaign against Europe. The attackers tried to ignite satellite antennas and a control unit during the night of Saturday to Sunday.
Investigators found flammable liquids and containers with capacities between three and ten litres at the scene, the prime minister told national broadcaster LRT Radio. «The authorities had warned the company about possible attacks, security measures had been strengthened, and the attempt failed,» Sinkevicius later wrote on Facebook.
Sinkevicius said it was likely already clear who ordered the attack. «We will learn more about who ordered the attack, how everything happened and who was behind it. It is probably already clear who ordered it: the Russian side,» he said. He pointed to similar cases of suspected sabotage in other European countries, including Poland and Bulgaria.
A comparable incident was reported in Poland on 23 September, when a fire broke out at a Starlink ground station. Authorities there considered the possibility of a sabotage attempt aimed at disrupting the facility's operation.
The alleged sabotage attempt in Lithuania occurred on the same night that a drone crashed and exploded in the north of the country, near the border with Latvia, damaging a car passing through the area. Vilmantas Vitkauskas, head of Lithuania's National Crisis Management Centre, confirmed the incident to LRT Radio. Authorities have not yet determined whether the drone was carrying explosives or what caused the detonation, and the origin of the aircraft remains unknown.
The drone incident came in the context of a large-scale Ukrainian attack on the Russian city of St. Petersburg, also during the night of Saturday to Sunday. Similar drone episodes have been reported in the Baltic states during Ukrainian attacks on the city.
Sinkevicius said Lithuania's warning system was activated but did not function properly, with reports received only from the Kaunas district. The prime minister announced he would convene the National Security Commission on Monday, 19 October, to examine both incidents.
The foiled arson attempt highlights growing concerns in the Baltic states about sabotage targeting critical communications infrastructure. Starlink terminals, produced by Elon Musk's SpaceX, have become strategically important in Ukraine and across Eastern Europe for maintaining connectivity during conflict and emergencies. The equipment stored at the Lithuanian facility is part of that network.
Lithuanian officials have repeatedly warned about Russian hybrid operations, including cyberattacks, disinformation and physical sabotage, aimed at testing NATO's eastern flank. The decision to convene the National Security Commission signals the seriousness with which Vilnius views the twin incidents and their possible coordination.