Poland Says Fire at Starlink Ground Station Was Deliberate Sabotage
publishers 13articles 14first reported 24 Sep, 08:01 UTCdeveloping since 24 Sep · 5 editions
Poland’s deputy prime minister said a fire at a Starlink ground station in central Poland was suspected sabotage intended to disrupt internet services, including connectivity used by Ukraine’s military.
The fire broke out late Wednesday at a facility in Wola Krobowska in the Masovian Voivodeship. The station belongs to telecommunications company Exatel and carries internet traffic through Poland to other countries, including neighboring Ukraine. It remained operational after the incident, according to the BBC.
Deputy Prime Minister and Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski told public broadcaster TVP that the fire was deliberately set to disable the station and disrupt access for various institutions. He said there were “many indications” that the incident fit what he described as a new Russian doctrine of hybrid attacks.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk was more cautious, saying Thursday that he did not want to classify the incident as sabotage rather than an accident without complete certainty, though he added that “it looks bad.” The investigation is continuing, and no evidence identifying a perpetrator has been publicly detailed. The Kremlin had not commented.
Poland and other European countries have accused Russia of sabotage, cyberattacks and other hybrid operations since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Russia has repeatedly denied plans to attack NATO countries.
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