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Germany detained two Turkish citizens suspected of setting fire to a Starlink station in Poland, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Monday, calling the blaze an act of “hybrid warfare.”
“On behalf of Polish services, German police detained two Turkish citizens suspected of setting fire to a Starlink station in Masovia,” Tusk wrote on X.
“This is another act of hybrid warfare,” he added.
Tusk said the two suspects would “answer before the Polish justice system.”
Warsaw said it believed Russia was behind the incident.
The fire took place overnight in late September at a Starlink station in central Poland, engulfing its power system and backup generator. The station remained operational even after the fire.
The station, owned by state-owned telecommunications company Exatel, is used to transmit internet traffic through Poland, including to Ukraine, according to Polish officials.
It is also used by SpaceX systems that provide connectivity through Starlink terminals.
The day after the attack, Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski told public broadcaster TVP Info that “this act of sabotage was deliberately designed to disable the station ... disrupting internet access for various institutions, including the Ukrainian army.”
Poland said at the time that it believed the fire was an act of sabotage aimed at disrupting internet services, including for Ukraine’s military, Reuters reported.
“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,” Polish Special Services Minister Tomasz Siemoniak told a news conference.
Officials from several EU countries have warned for months that Russia has been mounting sabotage, cyber and other hybrid attacks across Europe to erode support for Ukraine.
Russia says such accusations are baseless and the result of anti-Russian hysteria.
Poland, a NATO and EU member on the alliance’s eastern flank, has accused Russia of “sabotage” several times since Moscow launched its full-scale war on Ukraine in 2022.
Poland has become the main hub for transporting Western military and humanitarian support to Kyiv.
Last month, Tusk warned that Russia’s plans in the war against Ukraine include “hybrid” drone and missile strikes against Kyiv’s allies.
Elon Musk activated Starlink services over Ukraine in 2022 after Kyiv requested help in the first days following Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Poland has previously said it has been paying for Ukraine’s Starlink subscription.
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