Lithuanian officials reported an attempted arson at a Vilnius facility storing Starlink equipment at about 2 a.m. on October 18, 2026. The control unit caught fire, the antenna was not damaged, and Starlink service continued without interruption.
The control unit caught fire; service continued
Employees extinguished the fire before firefighters arrived. Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius said investigators found flammable liquids and containers with capacities of 3 to 10 liters.
Vilmantas Vitkauskas, head of Lithuania’s National Crisis Management Centre, said other stations were available and that a successful attack might have caused some disruption. The incident itself did not interrupt service.
Police reported an active investigation on October 19
Police Commissioner General Arūnas Paulauskas said on October 19 that the Lithuanian Criminal Police Bureau was conducting a pre-trial investigation into property damage by a generally dangerous method. Suspects were still being sought, and no one had been detained as of that update.
Officials gave different accounts of responsibility
Prime Minister Sinkevičius alleged that the incident was part of Russia’s wider campaign. Interior Minister Martynas Katelynas said on October 19 that investigators had not linked the case to any country.
Sinkevičius also announced heightened vigilance at more than 15 nationally important critical-infrastructure sites beginning October 19.
