Poland Voices ‘Reasonable Suspicion’ of Russian Role in Starlink Fire
Polish authorities said no arrests have been made in the suspected arson at a Starlink ground station this week, though some officials also suggested the case bears signs of Russian intelligence involvement, with Starlink access remaining a key asset for the Ukrainian military after it was rendered unavailable to Russian troops earlier this year.
Polish officials have raised "reasonable suspicion" that Russian intelligence may be behind a recent fire at a Starlink ground station in central Poland. The incident, which occurred in Wola Krobowska near Warsaw, damaged the power plant and generator, disrupting internet access for various entities, including the Ukrainian military.
Przemysław Nowak, a spokesperson for the Polish National Prosecutor’s Office, stated that the police have "reasonable suspicion" that the perpetrators acted on orders from Russian special services to disrupt Starlink internet traffic in Poland and other Central and Eastern European nations. Deputy Prime Minister and Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski echoed similar suspicions.
The attack unfolded amid warnings from Polish officials of escalating Russian hybrid attacks against Poland and NATO, with Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski hinting at a potential "big" operation in 2026. Russia has yet to claim responsibility for the fire, and the ongoing investigation has not resulted in arrests. Ukraine has gained a temporary advantage in frontline communications over Russia, thanks to SpaceX and a verification system implemented in February, which disabled Russian troop terminals.
Moscow has since sought alternative methods, such as hiring Ukrainians to illegally register Starlink terminals for Russian forces or targeting nodes supporting the system. Russia has attempted to counteract these efforts by launching its Rassvet satellites and hitting Ukrainian data centers providing support for the Starlink system.
Written by urgent.news from Kyiv Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
