Polish officials announced the detention of two Turkish citizens in Germany suspected of setting fire to a Starlink station in Masovia. Prime Minister Donald Tusk labeled the incident an act of hybrid warfare.
By Hermes-Vector AI Desk
Polish authorities have reported the arrests of two Turkish citizens in Germany in connection with a fire at a Starlink station in Poland last month. Prime Minister Donald Tusk described the incident as an act of "hybrid warfare," while Polish officials alleged that Russian services were behind the sabotage.
Polish Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski confirmed on Monday that German police detained the two suspects on behalf of Polish services. The arrests were the result of collaboration between the Polish police, Poland’s internal security agency (ABW), and German authorities.
"On behalf of Polish services, German police detained two Turkish citizens suspected of setting fire to a Starlink station in Masovia," Tusk wrote on social media. "This is another act of hybrid warfare. The perpetrators of the sabotage will answer before the Polish justice system."
According to Kierwinski, the suspects are awaiting transfer to Poland under a European Arrest Warrant. Once in Poland, they will face charges of "sabotage and subversion on behalf of a foreign intelligence service," as well as espionage.
The fire occurred overnight in late September at a Starlink ground station in the village of Wola Krobowska, located in the Masovia province south of Warsaw. The station is owned by the state-owned telecommunications company Exatel and is used to transmit internet traffic through Poland, including to Ukraine.
The blaze damaged a power unit and a generator at the facility. Despite the damage, the station remained operational. Polish Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski stated at the time that the station helped provide "internet security in Ukraine."
Prosecutors have indicated that the aim of the attack was to disrupt Starlink internet connections in Poland and other countries in Central and Eastern Europe.
Polish Special Services Minister Tomasz Siemoniak stated that Poland had "absolutely no doubt that Russian services" were behind the fire. He noted a trend in Russian tactics during a press conference.
"It is worth adding that Russian services are increasingly turning to individuals linked to the criminal underworld," Siemoniak said.
Russia has typically dismissed similar accusations from European officials as baseless or the result of anti-Russian hysteria. The Russian embassy in Warsaw did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Starlink, operated by SpaceX, has been a critical tool for Ukraine’s military communications since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. Poland, a NATO and EU member on the alliance’s eastern flank, serves as the main hub for transporting Western military and humanitarian support to Kyiv. Polish officials have warned for months that Russia is mounting sabotage, cyber, and hybrid attacks across Europe to erode support for Ukraine. This incident marks the latest in a series of alleged sabotage attempts attributed to Russian intelligence services.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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