Starlink Antennas Set Ablaze By Masked Intruders Near Bulgarian Capital

SpaceX operations in Eastern Europe have been in the news a lot lately, especially after Ukraine’s President Zelensky very publicly accused Elon Musk’s company of throttling access in Ukraine, which impacted the military’s front line operations.

But something else happened simultaneous to the controversy over Ukraine this week in Bulgaria which has gone largely under-reported. Unknown masked intruders broke into a communications facility near the capital Sofia and destroyed 11 of its 17 antennas used to communicate with Starlink satellite.

The sabotage incident was revealed by Bulgarian National Television. Bulgarian lawmaker Ivaylo Mirchev has also highlighted the incident, posting video of the fire at the communications site.

“Clearly, these antennas were deliberately targeted, since they provide the main connection to the satellites,” Mirchev said, while also pointing the finger at Russian intelligence, though without providing evidence.

Amid the emerging reports, it remains unknown or unconfirmed whether the damaged antennas were actually part of any network of communications connected to Ukraine’s military.

Something similar was reported as happening in nearby Poland earlier this week:

Following a fire at a strategic facility in Poland crucial for maintaining internet connections in neighboring Ukraine, German police detained four people. Authorities in Warsaw suspect it was an act of sabotage orchestrated by Russia. Following a fire at a Starlink station in central Poland, German law enforcement officers detained several suspects.

Two Turkish citizens were apprehended and are being charged with setting fire to the building.

At this point, tensions between NATO and Moscow are so high that pretty much any fire at a sensitive facility in Europe – especially in Eastern Europe or the Baltic region – gets treated as a suspected Russian sabotage attack.

Some reports are assuming the sabotage is likely related to the Starlink systems outage suffered in Ukraine this week…

Bulgarian MP Ivaylo Mirchev said two masked individuals deliberately set fire to 11 of 17 Starlink antennas at a secret facility near Sofia. The antennas reportedly support satellite communications used in Ukraine’s war effort. Bulgarian authorities confirmed an investigation is underway and said security at similar facilities has been tightened.

— Clash Report (@clashreport) October 14, 2026

At the same time, drone incursions have also become a monthly thing, and NATO leadership is broadly alleging that the Kremlin is conducting a well-coordinated hybrid campaign.