Two Turkish citizens have been arrested in Germany in connection with a fire at a Starlink station in central Poland that Warsaw describes as an act of sabotage carried out on Russia's behalf.
Polish officials announced the arrests on Monday, a month after the blaze. According to them, the incident was intended to disrupt internet service, including service used by the Ukrainian military. The fire in Masovia, eastern Poland, destroyed the Starlink station's electrical system and backup generator.
Polish Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski said the two men will face charges in Poland of sabotage at the direction of a foreign intelligence agency. German police carried out the arrest warrants on behalf of Polish authorities, according to Deutsche Welle. Polish officials did not specify where or when the two were detained in Germany.
"We have no doubt that Russian intelligence services are behind this act of sabotage," Tomasz Siemoniak, the minister overseeing Poland's special services, said at a news conference. "It is worth adding that Russian intelligence services are increasingly turning to individuals with ties to the criminal world," he said.
The case is the latest development in a string of incidents that officials across the European Union regard as part of a Russian sabotage and hybrid-warfare campaign aimed at eroding support for Ukraine.
The Russian embassy in Warsaw did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Moscow has previously dismissed similar accusations as unfounded and a product of Russophobia.
Ukraine's military relies on tens of thousands of Starlink terminals for battlefield communications and irregular drone operations. Starlink founder Elon Musk activated the service on Ukrainian territory in 2022, days after Russia launched its full-scale military campaign, at Kyiv's request. Poland says it pays for Ukraine's Starlink subscription package.
Since then, Musk has clashed with Ukrainian officials over his views on the war. This year he also agreed to shut down thousands of Russian "black market" Starlink terminals in Ukraine, hampering Russian forces. Ukraine is now seeking to use such terminals for strikes on Russian territory.
