Poland Ties Starlink Station Arson to Russian Services

Polish ministers say a fire that broke out on the evening of Wednesday 23 September at a state-owned satellite communications station in the village of Wola Krobowska, in the Masovian Voivodeship, was set deliberately, and several have pointed at Russian services. Deputy Prime Minister and Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski said the blaze was designed to disable the station and disrupt internet access for institutions including the Ukrainian army, the BBC reported.

Key facts

• Where: Wola Krobowska, Masovian Voivodeship, less than 50km (31 miles) from Warsaw, according to Meduza. Outlook India placed the site near Grójec, in the Mazowieckie region.
• Damage: Meduza reported that the fire destroyed the distribution panel connecting to the station’s antennas.
• Evidence: Polish security services believe the fire was arson, Meduza said, citing RMF24; sources told the broadcaster a bottle of flammable liquid resembling a “Molotov cocktail” was found near the panel.
• Who runs it: Outlook India reported the station is operated by state-owned telecommunications company Exatel and functions as an internet hub for traffic passing through Poland, including services to Ukraine.
• Not yet proven: Outlook India said Polish authorities have not established Russian responsibility and are still examining whether the fire was deliberate or caused by an electrical fault.

Why it matters

Outlook India explained the mechanics plainly: Starlink terminals connect users to satellites, and then to ground stations that link the traffic on to the wider internet. Gawkowski said the Polish station matters because disrupting it could affect connectivity for institutions and for the Ukrainian military, according to the same report. The BBC said the deputy prime minister described the site as using SpaceX systems that provide connectivity via Starlink terminals.

NNN reported that Poland spends around $50 million every year to finance half of the roughly 42,000 Starlink terminals in use in Ukraine, and that Gawkowski told broadcaster TVN other internet providers use the Exatel facility, among them Elon Musk’s SpaceX, the owner of Starlink. Starlink News has separately covered Exatel’s own account of the site’s role.

What investigators are working with

NNN reported that police and officers from the Internal Security Agency (ABW), Poland’s domestic security service, were dispatched to the scene on suspicion the fire was deliberate. Preliminary findings indicated unidentified individuals may have set fire to an electrical distribution panel at the site, the outlet said, while investigators are also considering a short circuit in the electrical system as a possible cause.

Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński said the state fire service, police and the prosecutor’s office would all investigate, according to Meduza. He said it was hard to imagine that everything happens by chance in such cases, and that Russia had reached a new level of hybrid warfare against all of Europe.

Ministers name Russian services

Gawkowski told public broadcaster TVP Info that an investigation was under way but that many indications suggested the attack fitted a new Russian doctrine of attack, the BBC reported. Meduza quoted him separately as saying sabotage could not be ruled out and that the pattern was consistent with Russian security services planning acts of sabotage in Poland.

Deputy Defence Minister Cezary Tomczyk said suspicious fires should by default be treated as possible sabotage or subversion, Meduza reported, adding his view that Russia is using fairly simple methods, carrying out arson and sabotage to provoke social instability across Europe.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk was more cautious. Asked about the incident at a news conference with Bulgaria’s leader on Thursday, he said he disliked “labelling something as sabotage versus an accident without 100% certainty, but it looks bad”, according to the BBC.

Denmark’s threat assessment

On the same Thursday, Denmark’s Defence Intelligence Service (DDIS), the country’s military intelligence agency, published a new assessment saying it expects Russia to escalate its hybrid war against NATO and the West in the coming months, including more frequent sabotage and destructive cyberattacks on critical infrastructure, Outlook India reported.

DDIS assessed a low but rising risk of limited Russian military attacks against one or more NATO countries bordering Russia, while saying an outright invasion of a NATO country remained highly unlikely but could no longer be ruled out. The BBC reported the same assessment, noting DDIS said an attack remained highly unlikely but flagged a low but growing risk.

The wider pattern cited by the sources

The BBC reported that Germany blamed Russia earlier this month for an attempted drone attack on Leipzig/Halle Airport, and that France has ordered a plan to protect critical infrastructure and defence industry sites. Also on Thursday, Moldova’s president said four Russian drones crossed into its airspace with at least one exploding, while Romania’s defence ministry said a drone crashed on its territory. Poland said a Russian military helicopter briefly violated its airspace on Wednesday, forcing it to scramble fighter jets.

The BBC also described hybrid warfare as a loose term for non-military methods such as cyberattacks, sabotage and misinformation, often carried out via proxies, with Russia always denying involvement. In Ukraine itself, the broadcaster reported that strikes on several data centres caused internet disruptions in parts of Kyiv after overnight drone and missile attacks.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did the fire knock the station offline?

No. The BBC reported that the state-owned satellite station remains operational after the blaze, and Outlook India said no major interruption to internet services had been reported.

How has Russia responded to the accusations?

The Kremlin has not commented on the fire, according to the BBC. The same report noted that President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said Moscow does not plan to attack NATO states, and that Russia always denies involvement in hybrid attacks.

Which countries does the Polish facility serve?

NNN reported that the Polish facility, alongside one in Lithuania, serves the entire Central and Eastern European region, including Ukraine. Deputy Prime Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski said it transmits internet traffic through Poland to countries including Ukraine.

Has Poland prosecuted Russian-linked sabotage before?

Yes. Outlook India reported that in April, Poland’s National Prosecutor’s Office said it had brought charges against five people over sabotage and terrorist offences allegedly committed on behalf of Russian intelligence, in a case covering arson attacks and planned attacks in Poland and other European countries.