Berlin blackout exposes growing threat from left-wing extremist sabotage

At the beginning of the year, a large-scale blackout left significant parts of Berlin without electricity. The cause was neither extreme weather nor technical failure, nor even a covert action by Russian agents. Instead, responsibility was claimed by an ultra-left radical group calling itself Vulkangruppe, or simply Vulkan.

In a statement published shortly after the incident, the group described the attack on the power facility as an act of “self-defence and international solidarity with all those who protect the Earth and life”. While offering an apology to less affluent residents in south-west Berlin, the group added that its sympathy for the “numerous villa owners” in affected districts was “limited”.

The incident was not the first attack by German left-wing extremists on energy infrastructure – and is unlikely to be the last. As a result, German authorities face a difficult challenge: how to prevent similar attacks in the future, or at least limit the damage they cause. Failure to do so risks fuelling support for other forms of extremism – particularly on the far right.

A strike on the capital

“With this attack, suspected left-wing extremist perpetrators deliberately put human lives at risk, above all hospital patients and elderly people,” Berlin’s mayor Kai Wegner said.

The blackout occurred during a period of near-freezing temperatures and snowfall, which further complicated the situation. According to the grid operator, electricity outages were caused by severe cable damage resulting from significant mechanical impact. It was later confirmed that the blackout had been triggered by arson at a cable bridge near the Lichterfelde combined heat and power plant.

On the morning of 3 January, around 50,000 households and more than 2,000 businesses were left without electricity. The affected areas – Nikolassee, Zehlendorf, Wannsee and Lichterfelde, are among Berlin’s most affluent and green districts.

Due to the scale of the damage, electricity could not be restored quickly. On Sunday, power was returned to around 10,000 households in Lichterfelde, but most consumers were told to expect reconnection only by 8 January.

Police responded by increasing their presence across the city. Hundreds of officers were deployed to improve visibility on darkened streets, and temporary lighting towers were installed in some areas. Nonetheless, the blackout meant that street lighting and shop alarm systems failed in many parts of the city.

Supermarkets and shops were forced to close as electronic payment systems became unusable. Schools were also affected. In several south-western districts, pupils were granted extended holidays because schools were unable to resume normal operations after the Christmas break.

“If you are currently with your children in a warm and well-lit place and are able to stay there, please do so,” one school in Lichterfelde said, adding that it did not expect to reopen before Thursday.

“Attacks for the common good”

Speculation over responsibility did not last long. The following day, Vulkangruppe released a statement claiming responsibility for the attack, which it described as an action “for the common good”.

According to the group, the arson attack on the cable bridge was a protest against what it called “excessive energy greed” and the growing economic and political power of technology corporations, which it accuses of harming the environment and social justice. The group also provided a detailed account of how the attack was carried out, stating that it used the Teltow Canal to access the cables and employed steel rods to trigger a short circuit.

German police consider the statement to be authentic. Vulkangruppe previously claimed responsibility for a similar act of sabotage in March 2024 in the state of Brandenburg, when arson targeting a high-voltage power line disrupted operations at a Tesla plant, causing damages estimated at several hundred million euros.

At the time, the group justified its choice of target with a long list of accusations against the company and its owner, Elon Musk, portraying Tesla as part of a “totalitarian system of rule” driven by technological progress, environmental destruction and the oppression of people.

In its latest statement, the group stressed that the aim of the current action was not to cause electricity outages as such, but to strike at the fossil fuel industry, expressing hope that such actions would help bring fossil fuel production to a halt.

Germany’s Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution has noted that Vulkangruppe deliberately selects targets capable of causing serious and lasting disruption to the public, with the explicit goal of damaging infrastructure critical to the functioning of society.

Vulkan is not alone. In September 2025, another left-wing extremist group, Einige Anarchist:innen, claimed responsibility for setting fire to two high-voltage pylons in south-east Berlin, leaving around 50,000 households without power. In a message published on the Indymedia platform, the group said the target had been the Adlershof technology park, under the slogan “Sabotage the technological offensive – cut power to the military-industrial complex”.

This raises concerns that such attacks could also pose a threat to infrastructure linked to support for Ukraine. While there is currently no evidence of a Russian connection, the Kremlin is likely studying the potential of such tactics as a tool of influence.

Lessons from the blackout

Germany is increasingly becoming a target of radical extremist actions, reflecting the growing organisation and reach of such groups. Experts warn that the problem lies not in the public availability of infrastructure data, but in the absence of a robust emergency management system.

The independent critical infrastructure group AG Kritis has repeatedly warned that electricity networks must be designed so that failure at a single point cannot cause widespread disruption. Its spokesperson, Manuel Atug, has criticised politicians for failing to put sufficient pressure on utilities and network operators, arguing that effective protection measures lack political appeal.

Berlin’s economy senator Franziska Giffey has pointed out that 99% of the city’s 35,000-kilometre power grid is already underground, with plans to bury the remaining 1%. Even so, vulnerabilities remain.

The incidents underline how fragile modern technological systems can be – not only in Germany, and how large-scale blackouts can undermine public trust in the state’s ability to protect citizens in times of crisis. If authorities fail to respond effectively, others will offer their own solutions – this time from the far right.

The full article in Ukrainian published by EUalive’s partner European Pravda can be found here

Caption: Persons wait at a bus stop during a power outage in southwest Berlin, Germany, 6 January 2026. According to state-owned operator Stromnetz Berlin, a large-scale power outage in southwest Berlin, caused by a suspected arson attack on the Teltow Canal cable bridge, has been affecting about 45,000 households since 03 January 2026 as freezing temperatures grip the city. EPA/CLEMENS BILAN