Lithuania accuses Moscow of Starlink sabotage

Lithuanian prime minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius said the firm houses nine satellite antennas to ensure Starlink connectivity, which supports Ukraine. (EPA Images pic) VILNIUS: Lithuania's prime minister on Sunday said Russia was likely behind an attempted arson attack on a company in the Baltic state hosting communication hardware for Starlink satellites.

Mindaugas Sinkevicius made the claim on public broadcaster LRT after the early Sunday incident when authorities discovered flammable liquids at the company in question.

Sinkevicius said the firm, whose location he did not mention, houses "nine satellite antennas to guarantee the Starlink connection, which of course supports and assists Ukraine".

He added: "The fact is this was clearly an attempt at sabotage or a diversion, since we are seeing similar actions happening again and again across Europe.

"It is obvious this is part of the hybrid war being waged by Russia, involving acts of sabotage.

"We shall learn more about who gave the order, how it happened, and who was behind it. It is likely that the instigator has already been identified: it is the Russian side," he added.

Ukraine uses Starshield, Starlink's military-grade satellite service, for battlefield communications, strikes on Russia-occupied territory, and its interceptor drones.

It also uses SpaceX's parallel Starlink civilian satellite system.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday that Starlink services in his country were still being restored, after complaining earlier this month about partial restrictions he said were impeding the military's ability to defend against Russian invasion forces.

SpaceX owner Elon Musk insisted any disruption was the responsibility of the US government, not his company.

There have been several recent attacks on sites hosting Starlink services in Europe.

In September, a satellite station belonging to the network located in central Poland was set ablaze with Warsaw claiming sabotage.

In Bulgaria, an investigation is under way, according to prime minister Roumen Radev, amid an opposition claim that antennas linked to the Starlink satellite network were set on fire.

"Separately, on Sunday, a drone entered Lithuania from Poland before exploding in the country's north without causing injury but damaging a car," Lithuanian authorities said.

"According to initial reports, the object entered Lithuanian airspace from Poland," defence minister Robertas Kaunas told reporters.

Warsaw had not noted the drone in question, the PAP news agency quoted defence ministry spokesman Janusz Sejmej as saying.

In Poland, public alerts were earlier issued in the country's east following what authorities termed an overnight "Russian airstrike on Ukrainian territory" as the Polish army decried a "suspected violation of Polish airspace".