Poland Links Russian Intelligence to Sabotage of Starlink Facility

WARSAW, Poland — Polish authorities have attributed a September arson attack on a Starlink satellite station to Russian involvement, announcing that two Turkish citizens have been apprehended in connection with the suspected sabotage.

According to Polish officials on Monday, the suspects—whose identities remain confidential under national privacy laws—were arrested in Germany. They are accused of intentionally setting fire to Starlink infrastructure on September 23 in Wola Krobowska, located approximately 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of Warsaw.

“We are certain that Russian intelligence services orchestrated this act of sabotage,” stated Tomasz Siemoniak, Poland’s minister overseeing intelligence services. He noted a growing trend of Russian intelligence recruiting individuals with connections to organized crime to carry out such operations.

In a post on X, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk characterized the incident as “another act of hybrid warfare.”

Additional details regarding the investigation have not yet been released.

The September arson is one of over 210 incidents across Europe identified by Western officials as Russian-linked sabotage and malign activity documented by The Associated Press since the invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. Officials suggest these attacks are designed to erode support for Ukraine, incite fear and division within European populations, and exhaust law enforcement resources. Russia frequently utilizes proxies for these operations, sometimes employing individuals unaware they are working on behalf of Moscow.

Speaking at a security conference in Warsaw on Tuesday, Siemoniak remarked that Russian intelligence services are conducting near-daily acts of subversion. “There is not a single week without such activity,” he said, noting that these operations specifically target nations providing support to Ukraine.

Siemoniak added that Russia’s covert operations in Poland intensified in early 2024, with intelligence services using platforms like Telegram to recruit disposable agents for various attacks, including one targeting a shopping center.

“Our adversary—the Russian intelligence services—is constantly evolving its tactics and possesses virtually unlimited resources,” Siemoniak observed.

He noted that combating Russian intelligence differs from dismantling organized crime; while a criminal group can be convicted and neutralized, subversive activity is more fluid. “As soon as you remove one threat, another emerges, and their next move remains unpredictable,” he explained.

Beate Gangås, Norway’s director-general of the Police Security Service, echoed this sentiment during the conference, comparing the situation to a multi-headed dragon. “In cases of subversive activity, it is like a dragon whose heads keep growing; you never know which direction they will strike next,” Gangås said. “We are facing the most serious security situation since the Second World War.”

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