Fire at Starlink facility near Sofia; officials say possible sabotage
Bulgarian prime minister confirmed the blaze; opposition says 11 of 17 antennas were deliberately burned and an inquiry is under way.
Bulgarian authorities reported a fire at a satellite and internet services facility linked to Starlink on the outskirts of Sofia, a development that officials say is now the subject of a police investigation.
Details and official reactions
Prime Minister Rumen Radev told MPs in parliament that a blaze occurred at the site, but said he would not release further particulars while probes continue.
Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova-Chamova said the site was privately owned and stressed that, "Security at the facility is now heightened."
The opposition alliance Democratic Bulgaria (DB) told investigators that on 9 October eleven of the facility's 17 antennas were deliberately set on fire. DB said the antennas provided the primary link to SpaceX and were being used in support of Ukraine in its war with Russia.
Plamen Tonchev, director of the State Agency for National Security, said he believed the incident was intentional. "I believe that the fire at the 'Starlink' facility is an act of sabotage. Such sabotage cannot be ruled out in the future either," he said.
On the same day, Ukraine announced that Elon Musk's company had limited Starlink use inside the country; Serhiy Beskrestnov, an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky, linked that decision to "the current political situation" and growing tensions between Kyiv and Washington. Polish authorities have previously blamed Russian intelligence for a separate fire at a Starlink terminal south of Warsaw on 23 September.
Photo: DPA)
