Two Turkish citizens detained in Germany over Polish Starlink fire as Warsaw blames Russia
Polish officials said two Turkish citizens detained in Germany would face sabotage charges over a September fire at a Starlink station that Warsaw attributes to Russian intelligence.
Warsaw, Poland. Polish authorities announced on Monday that Germany had detained two Turkish citizens over a fire at a Starlink station in Poland. Officials attributed the incident to Russia and said the suspects would face sabotage charges in Poland.
Fire damaged station’s power equipment
The September blaze at the station in central Poland engulfed both its power system and its backup generator. At the time, Polish authorities described the incident as suspected sabotage intended to interrupt internet access, including services used by Ukraine’s military.
Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski said the two detainees would be charged in Poland with conducting sabotage under instructions from a foreign intelligence agency.
Speaking at a news conference, Polish Special Services Minister Tomasz Siemoniak said authorities had no doubt that Russian intelligence services were responsible. He added that those services were increasingly recruiting people with connections to criminal networks.
An emailed request for comment drew no immediate response from Russia’s embassy in Warsaw.
European warnings over hybrid attacks
For months, officials in several EU countries have accused Russia of conducting sabotage, cyberattacks and other forms of hybrid operations throughout Europe to weaken support for Ukraine.
Russia has rejected those allegations as unfounded, attributing them to anti-Russian hysteria.
Ukraine’s reliance on Starlink
Elon Musk enabled Starlink access in Ukraine in 2022, following an appeal from Kyiv during the opening days of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Poland has previously stated that it covers Ukraine’s Starlink subscription costs.
Although Musk later clashed with Ukrainian officials over his positions on the war, Ukraine’s armed forces continue to depend on tens of thousands of Starlink terminals for communications on the battlefield and certain drone operations.
This year, Musk also agreed to deactivate thousands of Russian “grey-market” Starlink terminals operating in Ukraine, creating difficulties for Russian troops.
Ukraine is now looking to use the terminals for attacks within Russian territory as well.
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