German police detained two Turkish nationals in Nürtingen, Baden-Württemberg, on Monday at Poland’s request over a September 23 arson attack on a Starlink ground station in Wola Karbowska, 50 kilometers south of Warsaw, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced.
The fire damaged the station’s power system and backup generator, disrupting internet services that Polish officials said included connections for Ukraine’s military. Polish Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński stated the two men would face charges in Poland for sabotage carried out on behalf of a foreign intelligence agency. Special Services Minister Tomasz Siemoniak told a news conference that “we have no doubt that Russian services are behind this act of sabotage,” adding that Russian intelligence increasingly recruits individuals linked to the criminal underworld.
German authorities confirmed the arrests in Nürtingen, with a Landeskriminalamt spokesperson stating the men would appear before a judge. Polish officials did not specify when the suspects would be transferred to Poland, but Kierwiński said they would be prosecuted under Polish law. The station, operated by state-owned Exatel, supports SpaceX’s Starlink network, which Ukraine relies on for battlefield communications and drone operations. Poland covers Ukraine’s Starlink subscription costs.
Russia has not commented on the allegations. Moscow has previously dismissed similar accusations as baseless.
