Starlink dirt position in Poland hit by blaze in suspected arson attack

A blaze final night at a dirt position in Poland used by Starlink, Elon Musk’s moon net company, was caused deliberately, says digital affairs curate Krzysztof Gawkowski.

The facility is used to provision net services throughout the region, including in Ukraine, which relies heavily on Starlink connections. Although the blaze is motionless being investigated, “the modus operandi in this case is plainly Russian”, says Gawkowski.

Firefighters were called out at about 9 pm on Wednesday to the facility, which is located in the settlement of Wola Krobowska, fair south of the chief Warsaw. Due to suspicions that the blaze had been caused deliberately, constabulary and officers from the Internal Security Agency (ABW) were additionally afterward dispatched to the scene.

“We’re dealing alongside an arson assault that was intended to effect crucial telecommunications infrastructure that influences net operation,” Gakowski, who additionally serves as delegate premier minister, told broadcaster TVN on Thursday morning.

In a distinct discussion alongside TVP, the curate stated that the facility is owned by Polish province telecommunications controller Exatel and “provides net transfer through Poland, and additionally to Ukraine”.

He noted that another net providers use Exatel’s facility, including Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which is the owner of Starlink. Starlink terminals have been vital in Ukraine during Russia’s war against the country.

Gawkowski told TVN that “the modus operandi in this case is plainly Russian” and “is another component of the hybrid war we are facing”. Poland has been among the primary targets for Russian sabotage operations in Europe, including a sequence of arson attacks.

“The Russians desire to paralyse crucial infrastructure, cut off water, gas and electricity, paralyse the internet,” stated the minister. “All these processes have one goal: to incite panic and mix up emotions.”

However, in his remarks to TVP, Gakowski acknowledged that, for now, “it is unattainable to say” for certain whether Russia was rearward the attack.

The spokesman for Poland’s safety services, Jacek Dobrzyński, likewise told TVN that “at this phase it is motionless too first to conversation concerning the causes or motives of this fire”. However, he confirmed that “everything points to arson”.

Justice curate Waldemar Żurek additionally told broadcaster RMF that “this could be an act of sabotage, and we are taking that into account, so nothing can be ruled out here, particularly since these are delicate elements that justify moon communications”.

Polish news assistance Defence24 notes that dirt stations are used by Starlink to nexus its moon constellation alongside terrestrial communications infrastructure. The facility in Poland, alongside one in Lithuania, serves the complete Central and Eastern Europe region, including Ukraine.

Earlier this month, a fire bankrupt out at a drone factory in Poland belonging to WB Electronics, which supplies the armed forces of Ukraine and Poland, among others. Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that there was “no doubt” the blaze was caused deliberately, and that Russia was apt rearward it.

The Polish authorities has in latest months warned that Russia is preparedness to escalate its hybrid actions against Poland and another countries in the region, including through acts of sabotage, disinformation, and possible airspace and border violations.

In July, a Russian missile entered Polish airspace before landing in a site in east Poland. On Wednesday this week, the identical day as the blaze in Wola Krobowska bankrupt out, a Russian chopper briefly entered Polish airspace.

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Main depiction credit: Komenda Główna Państwowej Straży Pożarnej (under CC BY-SA 4.0)