Life Returns To Berlin After Days-Long Blackout

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief

BERLIN (Worthy News) – Daily life began returning to southwest Berlin on Friday after power was largely restored following an arson attack on critical infrastructure by suspected far-left extremists that caused the longest blackout in Germany’s capital since World War II, authorities said.

A spokesperson for Stromnetz Berlin, the region’s grid operator, said the network was operating normally following the restoration. “The technology is functioning perfectly,” spokesman Henrik Beuster said.

The outage began early Saturday, January 3, after a suspected left-wing extremist arson attack on a cable bridge carrying high-voltage lines over the Teltow Canal in Berlin’s Steglitz-Zehlendorf district.

At its peak, about 45,000 households and 2,200 businesses lost electricity, leaving an estimated 100,000 people affected, officials said.

FAR-LEFT GROUP CLAIMS RESPONSIBILITY FOR ATTACK

The group Vulkangruppe (Volcano Group) claimed responsibility for the attack, describing it as an act of sabotage against Germany’s energy infrastructure as part of its fight against what it called “climate and social injustice.”

German security officials said the claim is being taken seriously, and federal prosecutors have launched a terrorism and sabotage investigation, though no arrests were announced Friday.

Domestic intelligence sources say Vulkangruppe has been associated with a series of arson and sabotage attacks on energy, rail, data, and communications infrastructure in the Berlin-Brandenburg region since at least 2011.

Officials describe the group as part of the far-left extremist and anarchist spectrum, which has targeted public infrastructure to protest fossil fuel use, capitalism, and modern technological systems.

Vulkangruppe’s motives have varied in published communiqués, but authorities treat its actions as politically motivated and dangerous, security sources said.

RESIDENTS ENDURE COLD, BUSINESSES COUNT LOSSES

Berlin’s governing mayor, Kai Wegner, said the blackout came as many residents endured freezing temperatures during a winter cold spell that blanketed much of Germany and Europe with snow and sub-zero conditions.

Elderly residents reported feeling isolated and cold, while small business owners said they lost internet and phone connections. Grocer Qassim Aoun, who runs a fruit and vegetable shop in Steglitz-Zehlendorf, said the blackout threatened his livelihood.

“Most people who come here don’t buy anything now because of the situation,” Aoun said. “No customers are coming. And if any do, they don’t buy anything. All our fresh fruit and vegetables won’t last longer than three days and will have to be thrown away.”

Local authorities opened temporary emergency shelters for residents unable to heat their homes, though many households resorted to private generators to stay warm.

REPAIRS CONTINUE, SECURITY QUESTIONS REMAIN

While power has returned, grid operators are continuing work to strengthen the system, officials said.

Crews are reportedly installing an additional power line to provide a second temporary feed to the affected area.

“We are confident that we will be able to connect the line over the weekend,” Beuster said, adding that the work remains on schedule.

Yet questions remained over why authorities appeared ill-prepared for an apparent attack on vital infrastructure in Berlin, the seat of Germany’s federal government and parliament, raising broader concerns about the security and resilience of critical energy systems in the nation, Europe’s largest economy.

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