Bulgaria confirms fire at Starlink site near Sofia, probe into possible sabotage

Bulgaria confirms the fire

Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev confirmed in parliament on Wednesday, 14 October, that a fire had broken out at a Starlink facility near Sofia. He declined to give details, citing the ongoing investigation, and said the work was being carried out with partner services. Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev told lawmakers that his ministry had added measures to guard similar sites, while stressing that the owners remain responsible for their security. Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova-Chamova told dpa in Berlin that guarding the site would be stepped up and described the facility as privately owned. The site had previously been kept secret, and the prosecutor's office told AFP that an investigation is underway with no one formally charged so far.

Opposition claims of sabotage

The pro-Western opposition alliance Democratic Bulgaria first made the fire public. Its account says 11 of the 17 antennas at the site were deliberately set alight on 9 October, and that these antennas carried the main link to SpaceX used in the war in Ukraine. Spiegel Online gave 9 September as the date, while the other reports say 9 October. Lawmaker Ivaylo Mirchev, a member of Democratic Bulgaria, wrote on social media on Monday, 12 October, that two masked men had carried out the sabotage. Another opposition leader, Bozhidar Bozhanov, accused Radev of being afraid to admit that Bulgaria faces Russian hybrid attacks, and Radev answered that a lawmaker would need a crystal ball to name perpetrators while urging the public to be patient. Plamen Tonchev, head of the State National Security Agency (DANS), told parliament that he regards the fire as sabotage and that such acts cannot be ruled out in future.

Poland and the arrests in Germany

A Starlink ground station near Warsaw was set on fire on 23 September, damaging an electrical substation and a generator. Bild reported that the station briefly stopped working before coming back online, and no one was injured. Polish authorities initially spoke of a sabotage attempt, and Deputy Prime Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski said on 23 September that many signs pointed to a new Russian approach to attacks, though no direct proof of Russian involvement existed. Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on 12 October that two Turkish citizens had been detained in Germany as part of the investigation. On Tuesday, 13 October, dpa reported two suspected saboteurs arrested in Nürtingen near Stuttgart, while the Polish broadcaster RMF FM reported four people detained, so the reports differ on the number. According to dpa, Warsaw's government suspects Russian intelligence services behind the attack, and Tusk has described the arson as part of a hybrid war.

Ukraine's Starlink dispute and Black Sea pressure

Kyiv accuses SpaceX of throttling Starlink speeds, a restriction that Ukrainian officials say affects the military package for internet use on the move. Presidential adviser Serhii Beskrestnov wrote that Ukrainian forces received no warning about the limit, which interrupted several missions. According to Spiegel Online, Starlink is essential for steering the Ukrainian army's drone strikes. Bulgaria, a NATO and EU member on the Black Sea, has been under pressure since early in the week of 5 October from a series of attacks on ships near its coast, which it has officially linked to Russia. Radev said on 13 October that, without conclusive proof, the logic points toward Russia. Elon Musk, who owns Starlink, has repeatedly criticized Volodymyr Zelensky while still allowing Kyiv to use the technology.