Poland accused Russian intelligence services on Monday of ordering a September sabotage attack on a Starlink ground station, announcing that two Turkish citizens had been detained in Germany in connection with the incident.
“We have no doubt that Russian services are behind this act of sabotage, and it is worth adding that Russian services are increasingly turning to individuals linked to the criminal underworld,” Special Services Minister Tomasz Siemoniak told a news conference in Warsaw on Monday.
The September attack
The September blaze at the station in Wola Krobowska, in central Poland, engulfed its power system and backup generator. Polish officials said at the time that they suspected the fire was a deliberate act aimed at disrupting internet service, including for Ukraine’s military.
Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński said the two detained Turkish citizens would face charges in Poland of carrying out sabotage on the instructions of a foreign intelligence agency. Further details about the two suspects were not immediately released.
The Russian embassy in Warsaw did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Russia has previously dismissed such accusations as baseless and the product of anti-Russian hysteria.
A wider ‘hybrid’ campaign
European officials have warned for months that Russia is mounting sabotage, cyber and other “hybrid” attacks across the continent aimed at eroding support for Ukraine.
Starlink, Elon Musk’s satellite internet network, has been integral to Ukraine’s war effort: Musk activated the service over Ukraine in 2022, Poland has said it pays for Ukraine’s Starlink subscription, and Ukraine’s military relies on tens of thousands of terminals for battlefield communications and drone operations. Musk also agreed this year to switch off thousands of Russian “grey-market” Starlink terminals in Ukraine, disrupting Russian forces.
Sources: Reuters; USA Today.
