Lithuanian defence companies seek more state help amid suspected sabotage and threats

Lithuanian defence industry companies are calling for more government support to protect against suspected sabotage, cyberattacks and intimidation, after an attempted arson attack on a facility storing Starlink communications equipment in Vilnius.

Businesses producing defence and dual-use technologies say they face growing security concerns, including cars with Russian license plates parked outside their offices, employees being photographed and psychological pressure. They want the authorities to provide more training and practical advice on how to respond to potential threats.

The attempted arson took place overnight Sunday at a Vilnius facility storing Starlink equipment used to provide satellite connectivity, including to Ukraine.

“Incendiary liquids and Molotov cocktails were used in an attempt to start a fire,” Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius said.

A security guard spotted the fire and extinguished it. Only a control unit was damaged, and surveillance cameras recorded the incident.

Police Commissioner General Arūnas Paulauskas said the investigation was progressing intensively but no suspects had been detained.

“We treat this as sabotage,” Sinkevičius said, adding that the company had received a general warning about potential threats on Friday but that authorities had no advance information about the specific incident.

The attack follows other incidents targeting Starlink infrastructure. Antennas were set on fire in Bulgaria last week, while a Starlink station was targeted in Poland a month ago. Four suspects in the Polish case were detained in Germany.

Lithuanian authorities also suspect that Russian intelligence services may have been behind an earlier incident involving a drone manufacturer. Wreaths were left outside the company’s premises, and a photograph of its chief executive was marked with a black ribbon.

Tomas Milašauskas, head of RSI Europe, said cyberattacks and other attempts to harm his company had become routine several years ago. The company receives security advice from Lithuanian authorities and has implemented the recommendations, he said.

The National Crisis Management Centre has sent security guidelines to more than 40 companies, including advice on camera placement, perimeter surveillance, access controls and monitoring deliveries, its head, Vilmantas Vitkauskas, said.

But not all companies in the defence sector say they have received sufficient guidance.

Edvinas Kerza, head of ScaleWolf, called for more events and training focused on physical security, including affordable measures to prevent unauthorised access to company premises.

“We need more help from intelligence services and law enforcement structures,” said Vidmantas Janulevičius, president of the Lithuanian Confederation of Industrialists.

Smaller businesses face particular challenges because young companies tend to prioritise product development over cybersecurity and physical protection, Kerza said. He called for free or subsidised assistance to help them improve their defences.

Vitkauskas said authorities assess companies according to how likely they are to become potential targets. Following last Sunday’s incident, agencies were instructed to strengthen the protection of strategic facilities, and the list of companies considered at risk is expected to expand.

Public Security Service chief Gen. Viktoras Grabauskas said the alert level had been raised, although authorities had detected no specific indications of an imminent threat.

The government is also considering asking companies to respond more actively to security recommendations. However, Interior Minister Martynas Katelynas said the state could not provide physical protection to every business because it must also safeguard critical infrastructure.

“The state cannot physically contribute everywhere. We have our own critical infrastructure that we must protect. Our contribution is to provide information,” Katelynas said.

Vitkauskas likewise warned that businesses should not expect police officers to be stationed outside every company.

“Security starts with yourself,” he said.

Janulevičius warned that companies could reconsider investments in dual-use technologies if they felt abandoned by the government.

“If businesses are left alone and incidents like these continue, no one will be willing to undertake the production of dual-use products,” he said.

Kerza urged companies not to be intimidated into silence.

“The worst thing we can do is become frightened and keep quiet, even if we are blackmailed or otherwise pressured,” he said.

Estonia has determined that a fire at a defence industry company during the summer was a deliberate arson attack commissioned by Russian intelligence services. Lithuanian law enforcement also thwarted an attempted arson attack several years ago.

Dozens of incidents and intimidation cases targeting European defence industry companies were recorded in seven countries during the first half of this year.