Poland says two Turkish nationals detained in Germany over Starlink station fire

Polish authorities announced on Monday that two Turkish nationals have been detained in Germany in connection with a fire that occurred at a Starlink station in central Poland last September. The blaze, which damaged the facility's power system and backup generator, is being investigated by Warsaw as an act of deliberate sabotage.

Polish officials have explicitly linked the incident to Russian intelligence services. Tomasz Siemoniak, the Minister for Special Services, stated that there is no doubt regarding Russian involvement, adding that foreign intelligence agencies are increasingly recruiting individuals associated with the criminal underworld to carry out such operations.

The two detained Turkish citizens are expected to face formal charges in Poland for committing sabotage under the direction of a foreign intelligence agency. The Starlink station in question was part of the satellite network activated by Elon Musk in 2022 to provide internet services to Ukraine following the start of the full-scale Russian invasion.

This incident is part of a broader pattern of concern among European Union officials, who have warned for months about an increase in sabotage, cyberattacks, and other hybrid threats across the continent. These actions are viewed by many European leaders as attempts to undermine support for Ukraine.

The Russian government has consistently denied these allegations, describing them as baseless and the result of anti-Russian sentiment. The Russian embassy in Warsaw did not provide a response to requests for comment regarding the recent detentions or the accusations of sabotage.