On September 23, 2024, a fire broke out at a Starlink satellite internet terminal in the village of Wola Karbowska, Poland. The blaze struck a ground station that provides broadband connectivity, a service that has been vital for Ukrainian forces since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022. Polish investigators quickly characterised the incident as arson, saying the fire was set deliberately to disrupt internet links, including those used by the Ukrainian army. The station lies roughly fifty kilometres from Warsaw, placing it within the Masovia region.
Polish officials, including Prime Minister Donald Tusk and intelligence coordinator Tomasz Siemoniak, asserted that there was no doubt Russian intelligence services stood behind the attack. They described the act as sabotage and as another move in a broader hybrid warfare campaign targeting Ukraine’s communications infrastructure. Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski echoed the suspicion that foreign intelligence services had employed individuals with criminal backgrounds to carry out the strike. The Polish government said it would prosecute the perpetrators for sabotage and for acting on behalf of a foreign intelligence service once they are extradited to Poland.
In response to a request from Polish special services, German police detained two Turkish citizens in Nürtingen on October 13, 2026. The arrests were carried out by special forces units. A third suspect was reportedly arrested in Berlin-Spandau. The two individuals held in Nürtingen are the ones named in the Polish announcement; they are accused of having set fire to the Starlink station in Masovia. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced the detentions on his X account on October 12, 2026, stating that the German police had acted at the request of the Polish secret services.
According to Marek Boron, Polish authorities have gathered forensic evidence linking the suspects to the crime.
Donald Tusk repeated the claim in multiple statements, both in German and in Turkish, that the German police had taken into custody two Turkish nationals suspected of igniting the Starlink facility. He framed the incident as a clear case of hybrid warfare and insisted that the suspects would face justice in Poland. Tomasz Siemoniak, the Polish intelligence coordinator, said in both German and Turkish that there was no doubt whatsoever that Russian intelligence services were behind the sabotage act.
According to Marek Boron, Polish authorities have gathered forensic evidence linking the suspects to the crime. This includes fingerprint records, DNA samples, and information about the suspects’ travel patterns—specifically how they moved when they entered Poland and when they departed the country. The suspects are believed to have criminal backgrounds.
The service has provided resilient communications for Ukrainian military and civilian users, making it a logical target for efforts aimed at degrading Ukraine’s battlefield connectivity. The fire in Wola Karbowska is therefore portrayed by Polish officials as part of a strategy to undermine that support.
Moscow has denied any involvement in the incident. The Polish government continues to assert that Russian intelligence services orchestrated the attack. The case illustrates how alleged hybrid tactics are being pursued through criminal investigations across borders.