Three Turkish citizens arrested in Poland over sabotage of Starlink station used by Ukrainian military
Of the suspects, allegedly linked to the “Daltons” criminal gang, two are accused of setting fire to the station and the third of organising the attack.
Three Turkish citizens have been arrested in Poland in connection with sabotage against a Starlink satellite station used by the Ukrainian military.
The suspects are alleged to be linked to the “Daltons” criminal gang, which operates in Türkiye and abroad. Two of them are accused of setting fire to the station, and the third of organising the attack.
The fire broke out on the evening of 23 September at a Starlink ground station in Wola Krobowska, south of Warsaw, damaging the station’s electrical system and backup generator. Polish Deputy Prime Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski called the incident sabotage aimed at disrupting internet access for a number of institutions, including the Ukrainian military. The station returned to normal operation the following day.
On 12 October, Polish officials announced that two Turkish citizens suspected over the fire had been detained in Germany at Poland’s request. Polish Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński said they would face charges in Poland of carrying out sabotage on the instructions of a foreign intelligence service. Another Turkish citizen, alleged to be the organiser of the attack, was later arrested in the Reutlingen district of Germany’s Baden-Württemberg state; he is alleged to have instructed the two men to carry out the arson.
Special Services Minister Tomasz Siemoniak said: “We have no doubt that Russian services are behind this act of sabotage. It is worth adding that Russian services are increasingly turning to individuals linked to the criminal underworld.” Moscow has repeatedly rejected accusations of involvement in sabotage operations in Europe, calling them baseless.
In Türkiye, police detained 85 suspects linked to the “Daltons” gang in coordinated raids across 30 provinces as part of an Istanbul-based operation; 35 of them were minors. The gang’s alleged leader is wanted under an Interpol Red Notice.
The Ukrainian military uses tens of thousands of Starlink terminals for battlefield communications. Poland has said it pays for Ukraine’s Starlink subscription. In mid-October, attempts to set fire to Starlink facilities were also recorded in Lithuania and Bulgaria.
