Russia is probably behind the attempted arson at a Lithuanian enterprise that stores equipment for the Starlink satellite communication system. This was stated by Lithuanian Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius to the public television LRT, quoted by France Press, reports BTA.
The incident occurred at around 02:00 this morning. Inflammable liquids were found at the facility, where satellite antennas and a control center are located. According to the Prime Minister, the enterprise has nine satellite antennas that provide connectivity to the Starlink system, which also supports Ukraine. The location of the company has not been made public.
Sinkevičius described the incident as a clear attempt at sabotage or distraction and linked it to actions observed in different parts of Europe. “It is obvious that this is part of the hybrid war waged by Russia, including acts of sabotage“, he said. The prime minister added that the investigation should establish who gave the order and who carried out the actions, and according to him, the likely perpetrator has already been identified as the Russian side.
Earlier today, Lithuanian authorities urged residents of the northern and central regions of the country to take shelter in bomb shelters for about an hour because an unidentified flying object was detected.
Meanwhile, authorities reported a drone that entered Lithuanian airspace from Poland and crashed in the northern part of the country. The debris hit a moving car, bending its door, but no one was injured. Prime Minister Sinkevičius said that according to initial data there was also an explosion. Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas confirmed the information about the entry of the object from Polish territory.
When asked if the drone was Ukrainian, the director of the National Crisis Management Center Vilmantas Vitkauskas indicated that this was probably the most plausible of the possible explanations.
According to Agence France-Presse, the case is another attempt to set fire to a facility related to “Starlink“ in Europe. In September, a satellite station of the network in central Poland was set on fire, and Warsaw described the incident as a deliberate act of sabotage.
An investigation into a similar signal is also underway in Bulgaria. According to AFP, Prime Minister Rumen Radev announced an inspection after allegations by an opposition lawmaker that telecommunications antennas connected to the Starlink satellite network had been set on fire in the country.
The Ukrainian army relies on Starlink communications in the war against Russian forces. Earlier this month, Washington reduced the bandwidth of the military unit of the system in Ukraine, which prompted criticism in Kiev and a number of European capitals, notes Agence France-Presse.