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Poland Uncovers Suspected Foreign Intelligence Operation Behind Attack on Starlink Station
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Polish and German authorities have detained two additional suspects over the September arson attack on a Starlink ground station in central Poland that helps provide internet connectivity to Ukraine.
RMF24 reported the arrests on October 13, citing its investigative reporter Krzysztof Zasada. One suspect is a woman detained in Berlin during a separate counterterrorism operation, while the fourth suspect is a man also held by German authorities.
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Investigators suspect the woman provided logistical support for the sabotage operation and may have driven two Turkish nationals previously accused of carrying out the attack. She allegedly collected the pair near Łódź after they entered Poland from Germany through Świecko and drove them to Wola Krobowska, where the Starlink facility is located. Polish prosecutors are assessing her exact role before deciding whether to seek her extradition.
The role of the fourth detained person is also under investigation. Both suspects remain in German custody, while Polish investigators determine whether grounds exist to request their transfer to Poland.
Polish authorities previously identified two Turkish citizens as the suspected perpetrators of the arson. German officers detained them at Poland's request, and they are awaiting extradition proceedings. Investigators believe the two acted on behalf of a foreign intelligence service in Germany.
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The September 23 fire struck a Starlink ground station in Wola Krobowska in Poland's Mazovia region. Two days later, prosecutors opened an investigation into suspected sabotage and a terrorism-related offense committed on behalf of a foreign intelligence service.
The facility is operated by the state-owned telecommunications company Exatel and forms part of the infrastructure that carries internet traffic through Poland to Ukraine.
The latest arrests expand the investigation beyond the suspected arsonists to the logistical network that may have supported the operation. Polish authorities were also expected on October 13 to decide further steps concerning the extradition of the two Turkish suspects already detained in Germany.
Polish prosecutors suspect the Starlink station arson was orchestrated by Russian intelligence services as part of an operation targeting satellite communications infrastructure supporting Ukraine.
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In a statement issued on September 25, Poland's National Prosecutor's Office confirmed there were reasonable grounds to suspect that the perpetrators had acted on orders from Russian intelligence agencies.
Investigators believe the operation was intended to disrupt Starlink internet traffic and communications in Poland and other Central and Eastern European countries. The investigation involves Poland's Internal Security Agency and Central Bureau of Investigation. The suspected Russian involvement remains under investigation.
The arson came amid mounting concern over suspected Russian sabotage and other hybrid threats targeting critical infrastructure across Europe.
Investigators suspect the perpetrators acted on orders from Russian special services, aiming to disrupt Starlink connectivity in Poland and other Central and Eastern European countries.
A week before the attack, on September 16, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed a NATO-style counter-hybrid mechanism for the EU. Under the plan, any member state facing sabotage, drone incursions or other non-military aggression could request emergency talks to coordinate a joint response.
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