11 out of 17 Starlink antennas caught fire: Bulgaria reports arson at a secret facility

Starlink antennas may have been set on fire at a secret facility near Sofia in Bulgaria. According to preliminary data, the fire damaged 11 of the 17 SpaceX antennas, and two masked men may have been involved in the incident.

This was stated by Ivaylo Mirchev, co-chair of the Bulgarian party “Yes, Bulgaria”.

According to him, the attackers set fire to equipment intended for communication with Starlink satellites. The politician questioned the readiness of the Bulgarian special services to counter sabotage and the effectiveness of the facility’s security.

Mirchev also claims that Bulgarian services have previously received warnings from partners about possible sabotage at facilities with similar equipment. The investigation is ongoing, but there is currently no detailed public information about its progress.

Bulgarian media suggest that the incident may have occurred in the village of Plana near Sofia, where the Plana teleport, a ground-based space communication station owned by the operator Vivacom, is located.

However, there is no confirmation that the alleged arson occurred at this facility. A recording from the station’s public webcam shows flames on the evening of October 9, shortly after 10 p.m. However, it has not yet been determined whether this fire is related to the alleged arson of the Starlink antennas.

Journalists contacted the Sofia Directorate of Internal Affairs of Bulgaria and the State Agency for National Security for comment, but at the time of publication, they had not received confirmation or denial of the information.

Bulgarian Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov also did not comment on the incident and referred questions to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Recall that on the night of Wednesday, October 14, Starlink terminals began to lose communication while traveling at speeds over 160 km/h . This, according to preliminary data, disrupted a number of important missions. At the same time, conventional satellite communication terminals continue to operate.

Later, it became known that the military reported tightening restrictions on the use of Starlink satellite communication terminals by Ukrainian operators. According to them, the connection begins to disappear at a speed of 60–70 km/h .

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