Two Turkish nationals detained in Germany over Starlink station fire in Poland

Polish officials announced on Monday that two Turkish citizens have been detained in Germany over a fire at a Starlink station in Poland last month. Starlink is a satellite-based internet service widely used by the military of Poland's neighbor Ukraine during Russia's invasion. Officials from several European Union countries have been warning of growing Russian sabotage, cyber and hybrid attacks across Europe, aimed either at eroding support for Ukraine or at harming Ukraine directly.

What Poland said

Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski announced the arrests on Monday, with Prime Minister Donald Tusk following soon after. Kierwinski wrote on social media that German police, acting on behalf of Polish services, had detained two Turkish citizens suspected of setting fire to a Starlink station in Masovia. He described the case as another act of hybrid warfare and said the perpetrators would answer before the Polish justice system.

Masovia is the province that includes the Polish capital, Warsaw, and lies relatively close to Poland's eastern borders with Belarus and Ukraine. Polish officials did not say exactly where or when the two men were detained in Germany.

Warsaw points to Russia

Tomasz Siemoniak, Poland's Special Services Minister, alleged that Russia was behind the incident. At a press conference he said Russian services are increasingly turning to individuals linked to the criminal underworld to carry out such attacks.

Russia typically dismisses European claims of hybrid warfare or systematic sabotage as anti-Russian hysteria or disinformation.