An unidentified group set fire to Starlink satellite communications antennas in Bulgaria. Ivaylo Mirchev, a local lawmaker from the Yes, Bulgaria! party, was the first to report the incident.
Mirchev said 11 of the site’s 17 Starlink antennas were damaged at the facility, which is located near the Bulgarian capital, Sofia. On his Facebook page, Mirchev published a video of the fire. The footage shows a facility resembling a Starlink ground station — a key piece of terrestrial infrastructure that links satellites in orbit with the internet network.
It is unclear exactly when the fire was set. The first post about the incident was published on the evening of Oct. 12.
Mirchev said two unidentified people set the station on fire. He accused Bulgarian authorities of keeping quiet about the incident.
“It is obvious that these antennas were not chosen as a target by chance, because they provide the main communications link with the satellites. In late September, similar Starlink antennas were also attacked in Poland. How did the Polish state respond? It informed citizens and the public and took swift action.”
The exact location of the incident was not initially disclosed. Mirchev said only that the fire occurred at a “secret facility” near Sofia. Surveillance footage he posted shows a distinctive antenna and a sign reading “Plana Earth Station.”
The site appears to be the Plana satellite communications station, located south of Sofia. Satellite imagery reviewed by The Insider shows spherical structures at the site characteristic of Starlink ground stations.
Bulgaria’s parliament held a hearing about the incident on Oct. 14. Prime Minister Rumen Radev confirmed the incident and said an investigation was underway, though he declined to comment on the details.
Plamen Tonchev, head of Bulgaria’s State Agency for National Security, said the Starlink antenna site had been scheduled for expansion and that part of the fencing had therefore been removed. That appears to have made it easier for the perpetrators to gain access to the facility.
The station also provides service used by the Ukrainian military.
It remains unclear who was behind the fire. Mirchev suggested Russian intelligence services could have been responsible, though there is currently no evidence to support that claim.
A similar incident occurred in Poland in late September. Two suspects in that arson attack were detained in Germany earlier this week. Polish authorities have said they suspect Russian intelligence services of organizing the attack.
