Germany Detains Two Turkish Nationals Over Arson at Polish Starlink Station, Tusk Says
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said German police have detained two Turkish citizens suspected of setting fire to a Starlink ground station in eastern Poland, calling the attack an act of hybrid warfare against the country’s critical infrastructure. Poland has requested their extradition to face prosecution.
The fire broke out on the evening of September 23 at a Starlink ground station in Wola-Krobowska, in Poland’s Masovia region. The facility belongs to state-owned telecom operator Exatel and plays a role in routing internet traffic through Poland, including connectivity that supports Ukraine via SpaceX’s Starlink network.
Tomasz Siemoniak, the minister coordinating Poland’s special services, said authorities have “no doubt” that Russian secret services were behind the arson, framing it as part of a broader pattern of sabotage targeting infrastructure linked to support for Ukraine.
The incident fits a pattern of suspected hybrid-warfare episodes across Europe in recent years targeting critical infrastructure, communications networks and logistics tied to Ukraine's war effort, which European officials have increasingly attributed to Russian-linked operatives using third-country nationals to obscure direct state involvement.
The case now moves toward extradition proceedings in Germany, with Polish authorities saying the two detained suspects will face justice domestically once transferred, as Warsaw continues pressing allies to treat attacks on infrastructure supporting Ukraine as a direct security threat rather than isolated criminal incidents.
