Members of the Turkish criminal organization Daltons may have been involved in setting fire to a Starlink satellite communications ground station in Poland on behalf of Russian intelligence services, Der Spiegel reported on October 16, citing sources familiar with the investigation.
The fire broke out on September 23 at a satellite communications facility in Wola Krobowska, approximately 50 kilometers from Warsaw. It damaged the station's electrical equipment, including a transformer and a backup generator.
Polish authorities described the fire as an act of deliberate sabotage and blamed Russia.
On October 12, German authorities detained two Turkish nationals in Nürtingen at Poland's request on suspicion of involvement in the arson attack.
According to Der Spiegel, the suspects, identified as 38-year-old Ümit E. and 34-year-old Müslüm T., may belong to the Daltons organization or have acted on instructions from people associated with it.
Sources cited by the German magazine claim that the attack's organizers may have received orders from Russian intelligence services. That allegation has not been established by a court.
The Daltons group emerged in Turkey in 2024. According to journalists, its members also operate in Germany and other European countries and are involved in extortion, arms trafficking and contract killings.
Der Spiegel noted that Russian intelligence services have previously used individual operatives paid relatively small amounts to carry out acts of sabotage in Europe. If the involvement of an organized criminal group is confirmed, it could indicate a change in the way such operations are conducted.
According to the magazine, Beratcan Gökdemir, the alleged leader of the Daltons, was detained in Russia in 2024. Turkey requested his extradition, but Russian authorities did not hand him over.
That circumstance alone does not establish the existence of an arrangement between the organization and Russian intelligence services.
The investigation into the arson attack in Poland is ongoing. The suspects' alleged links to the Daltons and the possible involvement of Russian intelligence remain investigative theories, not established facts.